Air plants are popular houseplants since they are easy to care for, and there are many interesting ways to display them, including on wood.
These plants are different than plants in the plant world. However, not having a pot of soil does not mean air plants require no care.
Some people enjoy the aesthetic effect prolonged water has on wood. Some people do not! If you can’t remove the air plant from the wood for watering, consider waterproofing the wood and leaving only the air plant exposed for watering.
Plants as a living organism require adequate water intake to survive, just like air plants.
How often you water air plants depends on, but is not limited to:
- humidity
- type of air plant
- current climatic conditions
It also relies on the environment in which the air plants are housed.
Method and Process of Watering Air Plants On Wood
| Method | Process Of Watering |
|---|---|
| Soaking Method | – Use a plastic grocery bag to cover the wood. – Evenly submerge your air plant in water without too much water getting on the wood. – Drain the excess water and remove the plastic bag. – Then dry the wood with a soft cloth. |
| The Dunk Method | – Cover the wood with a plastic grocery bag or cling film. – Fill up a bowl, sink, or container with water. – Dunk the plant multiple times to ensure it’s fully saturated with water. – Dry the plant. – Remove the cling film. |
| Spraying or Spritz method | – Cover the wood – Spray the plant until it’s fully saturated. – Drain excess water – Remove the plastic bag or cling film. – Place plant in indirect sunlight |
| Misting method | – Cover wood – Spray the plant with little moisture – Shake off excess water – Fan to dry the plant – Remove the plastic bag |
Method Of Watering Air Plants On Wood
Soaking Method
Ensuring that your plants get enough water is one of the most important things to maintain your plants health, and soaking them is the best way to ensure that your plants are getting enough water.
Generally, for most airplants, start of once or twice a week soaking at least 15-20 minutes and see how the plant responds:
For doing this, you can use, for this task, a plastic grocery bag covering the wood, and completely submerge your airplant in water, careful not to get too much water on the wood. Drain the excess water off, remove the plastic bag, and dry the wood with a cloth.
You could semi-theoretically soak everyday, as long as the plant can dry out reasonably well and doesn’t stay wet for too long.
Luckily most plants/environments won’t require soaking everyday, so recommend this only for mild cases- as this will help air plant that may become just slightly dehydrated to perk back up and gain some hydration- will be above average flexibility.
Soaking is recommended for green/ mesic plants like:
- bracyhcaulous
- capitata
- aeranthos
Soaking is not generally recommended for plants like/orthosuffiticans. It is easy to take care of an airplant and demonstrate good use easily through care.
From experience: Do not use any polish or other treatment on the wood, if it’s an Air Plant it has been mounted to. The ingredients in the product could be toxic to the plant!
The Dunk Method
This is a great solution for plants that require less water, such as the xerographica or streptophylla, which are already accustomed to drier desert-like conditions.
This can also be utilized for other “xeric” varieties like duratii and other plants that would prefer less water and sunlight.
Here is the workflow:
- You’ll first want to put the wood in the grocery store plastic bag or in cling film.
- Next, you will need to fill a bowl, sink, or container with water and dunk the plant repeatedly to ensure the the plant’s Was soaked each time.
- The next most important step after watering your air plants is to dry them properly, you will want to place them on their side or upside down on a dishtowel.
- You can also simply shake it out to get excess water off the plant and place it in a well ventilated area where it will dry out in a couple of hours.
- Finally, remove the cling film after the plant has dried.
Spraying or Spritz Method
For this technique, shield the wood, while you mist the plant.
Misting air plants is more like spraying them with a hose or sprayer that fully saturates the plants resulting in runoff from the plant.
The objective is to replicate a nice rain so that the entire plant has the opportunity to get wet and to soak in enough moisture:
- Ensure that the entire plant is saturated, and the trichomes on the leaves have absorbed ample water.
- After spritzing the plant, it is crucial to allow the plant to totally dry which can be especially important to do if it is mounted on wood.
- Make sure to dry the plant thoroughly by tipping the entire display on its side to drain the water or set it on a towel to dry.
- Now you can remove the plastic bag, quickly pat the wood dry, and place the plant in a location that receives indirect sunlight.
The benefit of this technique is that it will be easy to water many plants while still being able to add fertilzier/fungicide solutions to it as you are watering.
That said, there are some drawbacks with this method.
For example, I do think there is some risk of rot/fungus because you cannot guarantee that there isn’t water stagnating in the cups of the plant. If that happens, then rot and the growth of fungus will follow.
Watch Out: The Air Plant will not survive with just moisture from spraying, so if you’re going to use a spraying method, just stick with soaking it once a month.
Misting Method
Misting is a great way to provide some extra moisture for your plant if you notice its leave looking a little on the dry side.
Mounted air plants will need to be misted more often, and misting twice a week is highly recommended at the beginning. Misting is a little like spraying; you just don’t have to spray as much!
Here are the steps:
- Just wrap up the wood and mist your plant with a little water.
- Then tap or shake it really well to allow excess moisture to drip off, and if you’re worried about water being under the leaves, you can even use a fan to help dry your air plant and wood. As a rule of thumb, your air plant should dry in roughly three to four hours after watering.
Misting air plants is generally not recommended as the only form of watering, as they need to be fully saturated.
Most of the time, misting will not accomplish this because the water droplets are too small to fully absorb into the plant.
Final Thoughts
Watering air plants is key for survival.
With a little care and a proper watering routine you can help to support your plant for a long, healthy life!
Also, air plants receive lots of nutrients directly through the water. So, it is also important to provide your plant with water that is rich in minerals and nutrients.
As you can see, there are many methods to water your air plants. The method you choose will depend on your types of air plants and environment.
No matter what way you choose to water it while attached to wood, be sure to shake off excess water to prevent rotting in your plant.