Air Plant Care Routine Rotation | Queer Life | Clara & Cole

Air Plant Care; spray vs soak
Air Plant Care Routine
After over watering my potato plant to death, I’m re-evaluating my air plant care routine.
Last month, I transitioned my air plants from soaks to sprays. A few articles I came across warned of over watering and “rot”. Given my recent debacle with potato cultivation, I can’t help but wonder if I’m also over watering my other plants! 
What started with good intentions has become a haphazard cycle of quasi-neglect. 

 


Ailing Air Plants 
The swinging pendulum between rot and drying out shocked  my air plants.

I refuse to give up on the spray method. The longer plants survive around me the more I realize the importance of flexibility. Rather than focus on one OR the other, I am combing methods and rotating between soaks and sprays. A soak every three weeks, with a quick spritz each week, seems to walk the line and keep my plants alive. So far. It is definitely still an experiment and I am interested in learning more.

“Rather than focus on one OR the other, I am combing methods and rotating between soaks and sprays.”

Despite my best efforts, the tips of the leaves on some of the plants look a bit crispy and brown. Originally, I started this whole debacle because the base of the more delicate air plants looked rather brown and potentially rot-y. My plants and I seem to be on a roller coaster journey of learning together. Clara and I love to say our motto is “life is a journey through learning” and I am certainly living that talk through this experience.  
With all that in mind, I am intrigued by the world of indoor herb garden. As I curated our grocery shopping list last week, I noticed the price of dried herbs had crossed into the absurd. Perhaps this will be the push I need to try hydro herbs.  
Thus far I know that hydro butter lettuce tastes weird to me. So I’m a bit wary. I’m a serial over-waterer, and have a hard time fathoming how hydro plants would fit with that narrative. 

My air plant saga I got my first pair of air plants in 2018, and they survived until 2020 (the second cross country road trip did them in). My second set, a variety selection of five plants from Amazon, arrived in the fall of 2020 and continue to survive with noticeable growth as of Jan 2022. To water my first pair of air plants, I sprayed them lightly with water once every two weeks. They didn’t grow much, and I had yet to learn any pruning technique. I think they died from over exposure to sun and heat somewhere in Wyoming.



Clara & Cole Queer couple living a block from the beach. Planning the ultimate queer DIY wedding. Alt-left, feminist atheists who think science is really cool. Guardians to two majestic dogs, Ocean and Forest. We love homegrown adventures, beach days, queer gardening, and other shenanigans. We try new things. DIY projects, travel, etc.




Forest & Ocean Forest: 3 year old brindle Pit Bull and Chihuahua mix from Palo Alto, California. At 35 lbs, she makes her presence known despite her short stature. Ocean: 8 month old American Staffordshire Terrier from Rhode Island. Also 35 lbs, she is almost double the height of her sister!