How to Dry Air Plants Properly
Learning how to dry air plants properly is simple, and takes extra time. But, the results are worth it: healthy air plants. If air plants are not dried properly, water will accumulate in the cup of the plant. Rot will slowly kill an air plant.
This post may contain affiliate links, and I love all the products I promote.
Since not all air plants are convenient to remove from their display, we’ll also discuss how to dry air plants that are glued to an arrangement.
After soaking your air plants for up to several hours, the water needs to drain away from the plants in order to prevent crown rot. One way to do this is to lay the plant on its side, on a towel. Another way, and this is my preferred method, is to set the plants in a dish drainer.
Why I like the dish-drainer drying method:
- You can set the plants upside-down, rather than just on their sides without crushing any of the delicate leaves.
- Some air plants have hook at their base. These natural hooks are nice because you can hook the air plants on the edge of the dish drainer. This way the plants are completely upside-down and the water and freely drain away from the plant.
- The air plant’s leaves are all protected from pressing against the dish drainer’s wires.
- This method also allows for many more air plants to be placed inside the dish drainer, as all air plants do not have their own “hook.”
This T. abdita has a handy hook as its base where I can place it on the top edge of the dish drainer to dry.
By using the “hooks” on the ends of some air plants, a dish drainer will hold several more air plants than it otherwise would.
What to do when your air plant is glued to it’s display:
If your air plant is permanently affixed to an arrangement it can be trickier to both water and dry. I recommend reading my post on watering air plants on tips for watering.
After watering your air plant arrangement, I recommend tilting the display so that water can drain away from the plants. I know, it may take a bit of finagling, but it’s worth it. Your air plants will live much longer, healthier lives.
You may need to rest the arrangement against a wall or another stable object so that the display remains in a position to allow water to drain away from the air plant.
How long do air plants need to dry?
Before returning air plants to their display, let the plants dry for about four hours. If you don’t have a dish drainer, don’t worry. A towel will work. Most importantly, be sure that water drains away from the plant. Whichever method you use, towel or dish drainer, is secondary.
Beware of the Purple Hue
You will know if crown rot has set in because you will see a purple, or even blackish color begin to creep up from the base of the plant. Once rot has set in, it cannot be reversed. On the up-side, it does take a long time for an air plant to die. If rot has set in, you can continue to enjoy it for a while longer. And, you’ve learned an important lesson. Crown rot is 100% preventable, and now you can keep it from endangering your plants.
You’re Turn
Now you know how to dry air plants so that water drains away from the plant. Set the plant either on it’s side, or upside-down, or even hooked over the edge of a dish drainer. If you’re drying air plants glued to their display, get creative, but don’t allow water to pool in the cup of the plant.
