Watering Your Air Plants: Misting

Last in our series on watering your air plants is misting, a method that you can use  in-between normal soaking or dunking. Read more about the dunk method, and soaking in our previous blog posts. 

Misting is a good way to give your plant a little extra moisture if you notice that its leaves are looking a little dry, or if you live in a drier climate with not very much humidity in the air. Just take a spray bottle or a hose attachment on the “mist” setting and lightly mist your plants. When misting, make sure that the entire plant is moistened. This method should not be used as your plants only water source, as misting is most likely not enough water to allow your plant to thrive. If you do mist your plants, make sure to also dunk or soak them at least once a week.

There is an exception to this rule though, the T. tectorum with its abundance of trichomes, prefers misting over soaking or dunking. If you have one of these guys, you may only need to mist once a month in a temperate climate, or weekly in a hotter climate.

Plants with wispy leaves such as the T. ionantha, T. andreana, or T. fuchsii v gracilis might need to be misted more frequently in addition to weekly waterings than other plants with larger leaves. 

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that a healthy air plant will have wide open leaves, while an air plant that is dehydrated will have leaves that curl inwards. If you notice your plant is looking a little dry in between your normal waterings this would be a good time to bring on the mist!