When you first get your Tillandsia air plants, you may notice that some of them are green all the way through while others have a brownish tint to their lower parts. Even though this might make you worried, don’t worry—a darker base doesn’t always mean bad things for your plant’s health! In fact, for some types of air plants, brown bases are normal and healthy. If you’re not sure what’s going on with your air plant, don’t worry. There are ways to tell the difference between what’s normal and what could mean the plant is sick.
Air plants, also known as tillandsias, are unique, low-maintenance houseplants that add a tropical vibe wherever they’re displayed. With their sculptural shapes and minimal root systems, they make intriguing companions to more traditional potted plants. However, air plants can develop issues just like any other houseplant. One common problem is an air plant turning brown at the base or lower leaves.
What causes air plants to turn brown at the base? How can you restore their health and prevent base browning in the future? This guide covers the most likely causes of air plant base browning and what you can do to remedy it.
Common Causes of Browning at the Base
There are a few key reasons an otherwise healthy air plant may start to brown at the base of the leaves or center
- Overwatering
- Underwatering
- Sunburn
- Pest damage
- Disease
- Physical injury/rot
Identifying the specific cause is important so you can take the appropriate corrective actions.
Overwatering
Excess moisture is a common culprit when air plant bases turn brown, Air plants are adapted to dry conditions and their trichome hairs efficiently absorb humidity and ambient moisture from the air But sopping wet bases lead to root and basal rot, The affected tissues die and turn brown or black
Overwatering damage generally starts at the base and moves up the leaves. Look for dark mushy translucent areas in addition to browning. Reduce watering frequency and amount to resolve overwatering issues.
Underwatering
While air plants hate wet feet, severe underwatering can also cause basal browning and leaf curling. When deprived of moisture, the oldest lower leaves dry up and die first. Then browning progresses up the plant.
To fix underwatering, resume regular soakings and mistings to restore moisture. Trim off any fully crisped leaves. The plant should perk back up.
Sunburn
Air plants enjoy bright, indirect or dappled sunlight. But too much direct sun can scorch the leaves, especially down low near the base. Adjust the air plant’s positioning to avoid afternoon sun streaming directly on it.
Gently remove any sunburned sections. Apply a light foliar fertilizer spray to stimulate regrowth. Keep the air plant in its proper light level and the new growth should fill back in.
Pest Damage
Scale, mealybugs and other sap-sucking pests can infest air plants and cause browning damage. Insect infestations often start on older lower leaves then spread upward. Look for clusters of bumps, white fuzz or sticky residue.
Isolate and treat infested plants with insecticidal soap spray. Remove badly damaged leaves. Improve air circulation and growing conditions to prevent future pest issues.
Disease
Various fungal and bacterial diseases can invade air plants, typically entering through the base. These include blights, molds and soft rots. Affected basal tissue rots and browns or blackens. There may be fuzz or ooze.
Trim off diseased growth promptly. Disinfect tools after each cut. Improve air circulation around plants. Discard badly infected plants to prevent spreading. Use a suitable fungicide or bactericide if needed.
Physical Injury
Direct physical damage to the base such as crushing, bruising, cuts or scrapes can also cause browning. This makes the plant vulnerable to opportunistic microbes and moisture loss. Avoid physically handling the base when possible.
If injured, trim back damaged parts and let it dry and callous over. Apply a dilute seaweed fertilizer solution to help it recover. Take care not to overwater while it heals.
How to Prevent Base Browning
With proper air plant care techniques, you can avoid many common issues that lead to basal browning:
- Water thoroughly but don’t soak for too long. Allow to dry upside down.
- Provide bright, indirect light. No hot direct afternoon sun.
- Ensure good air circulation around plants.
- Inspect regularly for pests and promptly treat any found.
- Isolate plants showing signs of disease. Don’t overcrowd.
- Fertilize occasionally with dilute seaweed solution.
- Allow drying between waterings and avoid oversaturation.
- Give a cool winter dormancy period if needed.
Catching any problems early maximizes the chances of reviving affected air plants. Remove brown sections promptly to stop spread. With adjustments to care, your air plant should produce fresh new growth.
Caring for an Air Plant with Browning Base
If your air plant already has significant basal browning or rot, here are some care tips to help it recover:
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Cut off all brown, mushy parts back to healthy tissue. Sterilize tools.
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Allow the plant to dry and callous over for several days before watering.
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Soak for shorter time to prevent added moisture stress.
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Provide extra air circulation until healed.
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Hold off fertilizing until no longer actively rotting.
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Apply fungicide if necessary for disease control.
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Avoid direct sun exposure which can worsen damage.
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Monitor for signs of improvement or worsening issues.
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Remove any weakened, non-recovering leaves.
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Resume normal care once plant is stabilized.
With prompt troubleshooting and adjustments to care, even air plants with significant base browning can often rebound. Just go slowly and monitor progress closely. Reduce watering until the plant stabilizes.
When to Take Further Action
If you’ve made the recommended corrections but the air plant’s base is still progressively browning and deteriorating, more intervention may be needed:
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Consult with a houseplant expert for additional diagnostics.
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Consider trying an antimicrobial bath to control infection.
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Apply antioxidant solutions to damaged areas.
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As a last resort, behead and propagate the healthy top.
Rapidly worsening base rot likely indicates a severe underlying issue requiring strong treatment. Don’t hesitate to take more aggressive action if basic fixes fail.
With attentive care and prompt troubleshooting, your air plant can recover fully from minor base browning. Just monitor closely and adjust care to resolve the underlying causes. A little extra TLC will have your air plant looking lush and lively again in no time!
Unique Textures and Blushing Cycles
Tillandsia air plants come in a wide variety, each with its unique characteristics. While most houseplants have smooth, leafy textures, air plants exhibit remarkable diversity within their species. Juncea, Melanocrater (as seen on the right), and Fasciculata air plants often have strange textures. For example, their leaves are often brittle and their bases are dry, like pinecones. These plants have brown, cone-shaped bases that are healthy as long as they stay firm and the leaves are still on the plant. Some air plants, like Bulbosa Guatemala and Butzii, have bases that are brown and have a hard, shell-like texture. Again, these bases are healthy when they maintain their firmness and leaf integrity.
As air plants get bigger and older, they go through different color cycles. They often blush with red, pink, or purple. Some species even have darker purple colors from the base of the leaf to the tips of the leaves during their blush phase. Some plants, like Seleriana and Caput Medusae (shown on the right), have these dark blushing colors near the base of their leaves. Other plants, like Juncea and Filifolia, have darker shades at the ends of their wispy leaves. Its essential to understand that these different colors are unique traits that naturally occur in healthy air plants.
Don’t judge your plant’s health based on how it looks when it first gets there; give it some time to get used to its new home and care for it as you normally would. You’ll probably find that these plants do well, even though their bases are a strange brown color.
Find out more about air plants on our Air Plant Care page or in our blog post “What’s Killing My Air Plants?” You can also email our customer service team at [email protected]. com.
Distinguishing a Normal Base from Rot
At first glance, the darker color at the base of your air plant might look like rot. This is a common problem with air plants that is usually caused by too much water, not enough light, or bad air flow. A rotting plant typically exhibits a dark brown or black base. But the best way to tell if your plant is healthy is to gently pull or wiggle the center leaves from the top. In a healthy air plant, the leaves will remain firmly attached. It’ll be easy for the center leaves to fall off if the plant is really rotting, and the plant may even break apart. Another indicator of rot is a soft and soggy base. The bases of air plants should never feel mushy.
Its worth noting that some air plants have brown organic matter that can accumulate between the bottom leaves. People who have Xerographica, Streptophylla, and Juncea (shown on the right) air plants that have spent a lot of time on the farm often notice this. This is perfectly normal, and any excess dirt can be gently removed from between the leaves.
Air Plant Deaths & How to Avoid Them | DON’T Give Up On These Beauties Yet!!
Are brown leaves destroying your air plant?
But browning leaves will soon turn these unique, eye-catching plants into sorry specimens. ‘Don’t fret, however, as if you catch the damage early enough then you can help your air plant to recover,’ advises Lindsay Pangborn, plant expert at Bloomscape.
Why do air plants turn brown?
The leaves of an air plant can turn brown naturally due to aging, and these leaves are replaced by new ones that emerge from the center. Brown tips or crispy leaves can be a result of insufficient water. While mesic types need deeper watering around once a week, xeric types need it once every 10 days during summer. Do Air Plants Bloom?
Why are my houseplants turning brown?
While in spring and summer you will give many of your houseplants a little boost with a generic plant food or fertilizer, the manufacturer’s recommended dosage can be too much for air plants and be the cause of their leaves browning.
How do you know if an air plant is dying?
Over-fertilizing or overwatering your air plant would not help and will only exacerbate the issue. And if you come across brown tips or notice that your plant is drying, you can soak it in water for a couple of hours to revive it. While brown leaves are a major concern, yellow leaves also indicate dying leaves.
