Oh, Baby!

The air plant growth cycle is so exciting because that’s when we see the emergence of baby air plants from the parent plant. When an air plant flowers, it is getting ready to produce pups or air plant babies.

Blooms

The million dollar question is: How do I get my air plant to flower? My answer is to give your air plant good care and you will be rewarded with flowers and pups, as part of the natural air plant growth cycle.

The first stage of the air plant growth cycle is the reproductive process is the emergence of an inflorescence. The inflorescence includes the whole flower stalk from which the flowers will eventually emerge. Some air plants produce a single flower, while others produce a cluster of blooms. Likewise, some flowers are long-lasting, the xerographica’s flower can last up to a year long, while others will last only a few days.

Although they only bloom once, the air plant lifespan is not over when the flower has died. The air plant will live for several years after blooming and reproducing.

Tip: To lengthen the life of the bloom, when watering try to keep the flower out of the water.

Pups

The next stage in the air plant growth cycle is flowering. A blooming an air plant will produce 1-3 little plantlets or pups. Usually, these little offsets can be found at the base of the plant, but they can also be found protected under dying leaves (so use caution when trimming up your plants). On some varieties, pups will emerge out of the flower stalk. 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. If left alone the air plant will form a clump.

I’ve worried that because my air plant’s flower was damaged, the plant wouldn’t produce any pups, I was so relieved to be wrong. So, even if your flower doesn’t last as you’d like, you will still probably still get pups.

Clumps

Having your own air plant clump is indeed an enviable possession. That is why most air plant growers, myself included, would much prefer to leave the pups attached and allowed to clump. Most individual air plants are fairly inexpensive, but an air plant clump is a real prize.

Tillandsia aeranthos bronze clump.

TIP: If you are interested in growing a clump, two varieties that clump easily are the Tillandsia ionantha fuego and the Tillandsia bergeri.

Seeds

After flowering, the air plant will also produce seeds. In their native habitat, this usually occurs in the dry season so that the seeds will not be washed away by the rain. Then, when the rain does come the seeds are ready to germinate and grow.

In the greenhouse producing air plants from seed is a lengthy and tedious process. It takes years to grow air plants from seed. The seed must be kept damp, but not too damp as to encourage fungus. The germination process takes about a month and the first few years of growth are very slow. Once the air plant reaches about an inch in length the growth rate increases. Despite the meticulous effort, the results are worth it. Air plants grown from seed tend to be very healthy, vigorous plants.

I’ve never grown an air plant from seed, but if you have, I’d love to hear about it!

Size

A lot of people wonder how big air plants get, or if they even grow at all. Air plants are slow-growing plants. In a lot of ways, this is a good thing since they will not outgrow their display for a long time. If you want a large air plant, I suggest buying one that is already large rather than buying a small one and waiting for it to grow bigger. If you want a large air plant, start with the T. xerographica. This air plant is big and beautiful with elegant long leaves.

Likewise, if you’re interested in small air plants T. ioantha, T. butzii, T. bulbosa Guatemala and T. fuchsii are all small. Although all air plants start out small, so little is readily available.

Tip:When purchasing air plants online, you can always add a note to the seller letting them know which size of air plant you are looking for.

To answer the question: How big to air plants get? The answer is: It depends on the air plant. Some can be up to 3 feet long. Air plant clumps can grow indefinitely and are treasured among air plant enthusiasts. Air plants that are small individually, like the T. ioantha, can become large clumps.

Enjoy the Journey

Whether or not your air plants are currently in bloom, enjoy them! That is one of the things I love about air plants, even when they are not flowering they are still beautiful. When they do flower they often reward us with a pup! It’s a win-win.