I have added things over the last year as I have learned. Tillandsias will not survive in standing water. The larger the globe the more care you can give your plant. Plant pups may also be referred to as offshoots, sister plants or even suckers. After an hour, take the plant out and give it a good shake upside down to remove any water pooling inside the leaves. Learn here how to acclimate your plants to the outdoors after their indoor winter holiday. A four-tube 48" fixture works well. Air Plant Designs presents: Removing Air Plant Pups - YouTube I have lost many plants that way while learning. If it has lost that happy healthy look, take it out and soak it for 30 minutes to an hour, shake, allow to almost completely dry and replace in globe. Bright filtered light is the general rule, and the higher the humidity of the air the higher light will be tolerated. After this flowering occurs, the plant will usually produce a pup plant. Air Plant “Pups”: Another cool thing about air plants is that they will eventually produce little sprouts, or “pups,” from their base (up to 2-8 per plant!). Mist your plant every 4-5 days with one spray for tiny globes, 2-3 sprays for globes 3-5 inches, more if the plant is in a large open globe. The pups are attached to the mother plant by a thick, fleshy root. if Bromeliad fertilizer is not available. Indoors, the hotter and drier the air, the more you need to water. 1-3 hours is optimum. Fill … To do so, you can gently snip a bloom spike off of a plant, or pull the dried flowers from the blooms. -, Air Plant Care: How To Care For Tillandsia, Caring For Your New Plants After Shipping. Follow these simple instruction to enjoy your glass surrounded plant for many years. First, I carefully removed the soil around the pups. If you are looking for glass globes, find many unique designs in our shop. Softened Water is a not good either because of the salt content. An offset that is ready to be removed should separate easily without damage to mother or baby, so if you have to use too much force, we recommend leaving it in tact. Pups are what you call the baby Air Plants, which will grow on the bottom of the mother plant. If you leave your plant to clump just remove the leaves of the mother plant as she starts to dry up, just pull the leaves out with a gentle sideways tug, if the leaf resists, its not dead yet, so just trim any dried areas instead. We offer our specially tested air plant fertilizer right on our website. Remove the pups from the mother plant either by pulling away or cutting them off. Though “ suckers ” can have a negative connotation, plants do have very good reasons for producing these offshoots. Optimum temperature range for Tillandsias is 50 - 90 degrees F. I have kept my plants outside during 40 degree F. weather but only for a night or two knowing it would be warm during the day. After you’ve completed this process, you’re all set to kick-start your very own air plant farm! You don’t have to remove the pup from the original plant. You can either let them stay attached to the mother and sort of form a cluster, or you can remove them once they are about 1/3 the size of the mother plant, you can remove them. Instead of referring to the new air plants as a chick, the proper term is a pup. At this point, cut the thick, root and remove the little pup. Wind can be a detriment as the plant dries too quickly. Or, if you don’t mind the … Take care not to let them sit in the water too long, as too much water can cause your air plants to rot. It is great for blooming and reproduction! Let it air dry completely on a towel. Disclosure. Water your plant when you first receive it by soaking 20-30 minutes. Gently lay the mother plant on its side and cut away the pups. Increase misting instead of soaking as the flowers will fall away from the plant. Pry the pups away with the knife, small trowel or spoon. If this does not happen easily, you may need to remove the pup by cutting downward as close to the mother as possible. Most tillandsia will die with frost. If left alone the air plant will form a clump. In fact, assuming that Tillandsia only need air to survive is one of the most common mistakes we see in air plant care. Use a bromeliad fertilizer once per month as a supplemental care step ensuring your air plant blooms and pups as it should. An air plant will flower one time in its life. Once the air plant pup is about 1/3 the size of the parent plant they can be carefully removed with sharp scissors, and you will have increased your air plant collection. To remove the pups, they should be at least 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the mother plant. Provided the atmosphere is not too dry they can survive with water misting and the occasional bath. Using filtered tap water, or tap water which you have left sitting in room temperature for 12+ hours, will suffice. Members of the Tillandsia genus are so called not because they can thrive on air alone, but because they require no soil at all to grow. The name “air plant” is actually a bit misleading. Like what you see? Put them face-down on a towel in bright, indirect light to dry for a few hours. The Water you use is important. Depending on the situation, cutting the flower (deadheading) can clean-up the look of a plant/clump and reroute some of the plant's reproductive energy (flowers and seeds) into vegetative energy (leaves and pups). Air plants have a hen and chick system when reproducing. I have found that the water that collects near the base is detrimental if left to long. Thoroughly wet your Tillandsia 2-3 times per week; more often in a hot, dry environment; less often in a cool, humid one. Outdoors you may never need to water Tillandsias if you live in humid Southeast or Florida. To ensure a clean cut, garden shears or a sharp kitchen knife are preferred. Use Bromeliad fertilizer (17-8-22) twice a month. Twist off the pup to separate it from the base plant. When a pup reaches 1/3 of the size of the adult plant, you can gently separate it by pulling it apart from the parent plant. Each plant will flower once in its lifetime, remember that each pup is a plant and it will bloom. The palms develop pups, or side shoots, as they mature.These smaller versions of the parent plant are easy to divide away from the mother palm. Sometimes they’re loose enough to do it with just your hands. Cart Start by removing the whole plant from the pot. Always keep the spike intact if you were pollinating your plant, or were hoping for seeds. Also if the air is hot, a breeze acts to cool the plant and keep it from becoming overheated. Hold both mother and pup at their bases and gently twist in a downward motion. Forming an air plant clump: Remember the glass will intensify the sunlight and the heat. After wetting your plants thoroughly, turn them upside down and gently shake them. In conditions of extreme drying, and consequent moisture loss, Tillandsia cannot get replacement water from their roots like a terrestrial plant, or draw on internal reserves like a succulent. Tillandsias grow differently than most other house plants, so they can be confusing to the beginner. For more information, read our detailed post about the effects of Summer Sun on your air plants. Set it on its side on your work surface (to support the parent plant so it doesn't break) and clear away as much dirt from the roots as possible. To remove the pups, they should be at least 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the mother plant. The key is to judge the drying time, the smaller the globe, the less circulation, the longer the plant will hold the moisture. Using a sharp kitchen knife or quality pair of garden sheers, carefully lay the mother plant on its side and cut away the pups. The following care instructions are more specific, so feel free to really dive-in! Do not discard the mother plant yet, as long as she is still alive she will continue to produce more pups for you. Bromeliad Tillandsia have a life cycle of one plant growing to maturity and blooming. To give your air plant a bath, simply remove it from the shell, bowl, or whatever else you have it displayed in and set it in a bowl that is large enough to submerge the plant in water. Learn more about air plant nutritional needs and how it varies across this unique genus. Light should be set with a timer, 12 hours per day. Following each watering, Tillandsias should be given enough light and air circulation to dry in 4 hours or less. You can— but you don’t to. After the plant has dried, about 4 hours, return it to its display. If you are not completely happy with the health and vitality of your air plants we will replace them at no cost to you. Shake gently to remove excess water, Place in bright light and allow to dry. Our one year supply of air plant fertilizer is available here. In a shaded-house or unheated home, you can use a soaking mist once or twice a week in summer, once a month in cooler weather. Do not place your globes directly in front of a window where they get direct sun. Air plants absorb the Carbon Dioxide from the air at night instead of the day time. It will hold too much water and will rot your plant. Flowers can last from several days to many months, depending on the species, and different species bloom at different times depending also on its care and environment. If you over water the plant will die. Just notify us at service@airplantcity within 30 days of receiving your order and we will ship out replacements. Soaking the plants in these waters is a natural fertilizer and can help revive plants that are in distress. Soak the plant for 12 hours. Note Here: If you use pond water or aquarium water, don't use fertilizer. One last thing about watering your air plant - It is much better to water in the morning than at night. You can fertilize by adding a pinch of Bromeliad or Orchid fertilizer to your mister. Take note of the size and color and you should see how happy the plant is. Do I have to remove the air plant pups from the mother plant? No return or shipping charges. Scrape the soil away from the base of the pups with a knife, small trowel or spoon. You can also remove them for cosmetic reasons if you prefer. If you do place your plant in something that holds water, empty out the excess after watering your plant. Never use distilled water! Plants should be given enough light and air circulation to dry in no longer than 3 hours after watering. These are trichomes, a coating of special cells which helps air plants absorb water and nutrients. Do not keep plants constantly wet or moist. The following simplifies the instruction but you can scroll down for much more specific information. Save Up to 20% with Automatic Price Breaks. When you’re done soaking them, remove the air plants, hold them gently by the stem end, and give them a gentle shake to release any trapped water. Remember that inside with a window fan as well. In this video I discuss everything about pupping airplants and their life cycles. Do not not use superglue or copper wire as these will kill your plant. Ponytail palm plants are useful in the tropical to semi-tropical exterior landscape, or as a potted specimen for the home. The babies will be attached to the parent plant but many of them will have their own roots. Never display an air plant where water will accumulate. Outdoors the silvery-leafed varieties (ex: Xerographica, Harissii) can usually be grown in full sun, but in an un-shaded greenhouse or close to un-shaded glass in a sunny room or conservatory the same plant will quickly burn because the air dries out like an oven. As long as the plants are in full to partial sunlight, they should thrive as well as the mother plant. Full spectrum artificial light (fluorescent) is best. To remove a pup, gently pull on the base of the pup while supporting the mother plant. Plant should be no further than 36" from the fluorescent tubes and can be as close as 6". Once the pups are between a quarter to half the size of the mother plant, they are ready to be separated. In the photo above, you can see that the pups are beginning to form their own roots, branching out to the side. When you receive our plants, please remove from the shipping package and soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour, submerge upside down. These pups are the beginning of an entirely new and independent air plant that will eventually mature, bloom and propagate pups of its own. Often taking several years after blooming before she finally dies. When your air plant produces pups, leave them attached until they’re at least a third of the size of the mother plant. Each individual plant will produce anywhere from one to eight pups. When your air plant blooms – don’t submerge it in water. Yes absolutely. Air plants tend to cluster and form gorgeous “tillandsia balls” in nature. Pinch this growth with your fingers, then slowly twist it counter-clockwise. They can be perfectly happy living as a cluster. Wait for the offset to be a third of the size of the actual air plant. If you are growing them indoors and the air is dry, you will need (at minimum) to submerge the plant in water for 2-3 hours about every two weeks. Plants that are dying back from illness or old age will sometimes produce new plant pups from their root structures in an attempt to carry on their legacy. I also demonstrate how to remove a pup from its mother (6:50). Try not to put Tillandsias in containers that hold water, they need to dry out. Loosen the plants from the sides of the pot with a knife. Learn about about separating air plant pups on our blog. In fact, “division” (separating the pups from the mother plant) is one of the most common methods to propagate air plants. Find out a little more about watering in this blog post. Remember what your plant looked like after soaking? Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Spray misting is insufficient as the sole means of watering but may be beneficial between regular waterings in dry climates to increase the humidity. Bulbs can be any full spectrum type Gro-Lux, Repta-Sun, Vita-Lite, etc. Tillandsias can be grown basically anywhere, on rocks, in a seashell or on coral, in ceramic or pottery, attached to wood (not pressure treated wood this is impregnated with copper, and copper will kill your plant). Remove the plant and lightly shake off the excess water. For pot growing, separate the pups into individual pots filled with a … The same thing applies when mounting your plant. Pond Water and aquarium water works well as long as they aren't over crowded with fish and/or reptiles. Indirect light is best and some will even grow in low to moderate light. Nails and staples can only be used on plants with a woody stolon or with sufficient roots. Before, during or after blooming (depending on the species) your plant will start producing offsets (Pups), most plants will produce between 2 - 8 pups. They are really very hardy, and require much less attention than other house plants. Once you've fully removed the mother plant, the gap that's left will quickly be filled in by the other plants growing & spreading. Plant the pups in suitable soil with full to partial sunlight. Did you receive your plants as a gift? Filtered water, tap water that has sat long enough for the chlorine to dissipate, and bottled water are all fine. Continue rotating the plant slowly until you’ve completely pulled it off the main air plant. If the plant dries within a very short period of time, it is not hydrating at all. 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If the plant is wet, it does not breath therefore, unless it can dry quickly at night, plan on morning baths. If the plant is in a shell, be sure to empty the water out. When considering what you are going to do with your plant don't forget that you have to be able to water it and it has to be placed somewhere that it will get sufficient light. Stay tuned for the first newsletter in the morning, straight to your inbox. Once you get the snake plant out of its pot, gently brush away some of the soil so you can see where the pups are connected to their mom. Do not surround your plant with Moss. Try to use a waterproof glue such as E-6000 (available on our site) or hot glue, allowing the glue to cool for 5 seconds. DO NOT staple your plant on its fleshy parts as it will kill it. Air plants in glass globes have become so popular that I get calls all the time about caring for them. For now, feel free to continue reading. You may notice that your new air plants appear to be fuzzy. Subscribe for more air plant care tips, weekly specials and bloom lists. Remember that air plants do not absorb water from their roots. In a very sunny spot indoors they may need daily misting or weekly soaking depending on which method you prefer. The white part of the pup is where the soil level sits, and the orange part — the rhizome — is the underground portions of stem that produces roots. Some people leave it in case the mother produces more pups but I’ve never done this. Move the container of water and plant to an area with bright light and a temperature range of 65–75°F (18–23°C). Be sure to submerge the entire plant in the water, pushing it upside down often prevents floating. Removing Air Plant Pups. Keep this "picture" in your mind. Snipping a bloom spike will actually help spark pup formation as the plant … You can expect blooms from mid winter through mid summer depending on the plant. You can use glue, wire, fishing line, twisty ties, nails or staples. Allow your plant to dry almost completely before placing in the globe. While air plants also seed and spread the traditional way, pups are an easy way to grow your collection. If the mother plant is starting to turn brown, you can either cut it all the way down or leave it as is. Under-watering is evidenced by an exaggerating of the natural concave curve of each leaf. Leave the air plant in its bath for about 40min – 1hour. If this does not happen easily, you may need to remove the pup by cutting downward as close to the mother as possible. Other water-soluble fertilizers can be used at 1/4 strength (Rapid Grow, Miracle-Grow, etc.) Tip: Overwatering Air Plants: Worry less about overwatering an air plant and worry more about letting the water drain away from your plant after watering. You can plant the new pups around your garden. On some varieties, pups will emerge out of the flower stalk. Do not fertilize plants for 3 weeks following their arrival but be sure to follow directions for light and water. Find out here about what to do with your new friends. Do not allow them to dry too quickly though. Hold both mother and pup at their bases and gently twist in a downward motion. New plants after shipping instruction but you can either cut it all the about... Spike intact if you prefer gorgeous “ Tillandsia balls ” in nature and vitality your! It off the excess after watering your plant to an area with bright and. Them for cosmetic reasons if you are not completely happy with the,... Are looking for glass globes, find many unique designs in our shop than other house,! Can be any full spectrum artificial light ( fluorescent ) is best intensify the sunlight and the occasional bath fluorescent. After the plant is, pups are attached to the mother plant you call baby. Ponytail palm plants are in full to partial sunlight, they need to remove any water pooling the. 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