The Surprising Benefits of Air Plants – More Than Just Decor
Known for their sculptural shapes and minimal care needs, air plants have become trendy decor items. But did you know that air plants offer benefits beyond the aesthetic? Here’s an in-depth look at some of the top ways these epiphytic plants can enrich your life and home.
Purify the Air
One of the most useful qualities of air plants is their ability to help purify indoor air. As tropical epiphytes evolved to grow in trees, air plants are adapted to absorb moisture and nutrients from the air rather than soil. This gives them an added advantage when it comes to air purification.
Studies have found that air plants help remove airborne toxins like xylene, toluene, and benzene from the surrounding environment. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from sources like paint, furnishings, and household cleaners. By absorbing and breaking down these compounds, air plants can improve indoor air quality, especially in tightly sealed modern homes.
Air plants also filter air particulates like dust, pet dander, and mold spores. Their intricate leaves trap and collect debris from the air, keeping it from recirculating. Adding air plants to problem areas like bathrooms and laundry rooms can help control airborne allergens.
Boost Mental Health
Spending time around plants has known mental health benefits, from reducing stress and anxiety to boosting mood. As low-maintenance greenery, air plants make it easy to reap these perks.
Having air plants in your living and work spaces introduces natural elements shown to lower cortisol levels and physiological markers of stress The added humidity released by the plants can also help ease airway irritation, breathing issues, and symptoms of anxiety or depression
Curate Living Decor
When it comes to decor, air plants allow you to create living arrangements perfectly suited to your taste. The sculptural shapes and colors of air plants give them a modern, organic look. Their versatility means you can mount them in shells, on wood, in hanging glass globes – wherever you want a burst of greenery.
Use air plants to add an unexpected living accent to any space. Try clustering a group in a wall mount above your bed or lining them along a sunny windowsill. For fun desk or bathroom decor, display air plants in geometric concrete planters or on pieces of natural wood.
Clean the Air
In addition to filtering dust, pollen, and pet dander, air plants help remove air pollutants that can be hazardous to health. Studies have shown certain air plant species absorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene from indoor air.
VOCs are released from many common household items like paint, varnishes, cleaning solutions, and carpeting. Long-term exposure to VOCs may cause headaches, nausea, or damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system.
Placing air plants in rooms where you spend a lot of time, like the kitchen or home office, can help clean the air you breathe every day. Their tropical origins give air plants an advantage when it comes to air purification compared to most common houseplants.
Easy to Grow
For beginning plant parents or anyone with a busy schedule, air plants offer a worry-free way to add greenery at home. They don’t require regular watering, fertilizing, or potting mix to thrive. Their minimal soil needs also mean no muss or fuss repotting air plants each year.
Air plants are content growing attached to a piece of bark, sea shell, or any porous surface. Simply mist or soak the plants every 1-2 weeks and sprinkle with a diluted fertilizer a few times a year. Place in bright, indirect light and enjoy these hassle-free houseplants.
If you’re away for weeks at a time, air plants are very forgiving. They can withstand longer periods without water than many traditional houseplants before losing vibrancy. While they do best with regular moisture, air plants bounce back well from occasional neglect.
Bring Nature Indoors
With their curled foliage and intricate shapes, air plants resemble mesmerizing miniature forests or coral reefs. Displaying these epiphytes creates a natural element in your home reminiscent of their tropical origins.
Use air plants to bring a sense of the outdoors inside year-round. Trying grouping them among houseplants on an indoor tree or mounting them on a piece of weathered driftwood. For desktop zen, combine air plants with natural elements like sand, pebbles, and wood slices in mini containers.
Versatile Display Options
When it comes to creatively showcasing air plants, your options are endless. Their ability to grow without soil means air plants can be mounted onto almost any object or surface. Take advantage of their versatility by displaying air plants in ways that complement your personal decor.
Try combining air plants with other natural materials for an organic look. Mini terrariums enclosing air plants with sand, seashells, or moss make great living centerpieces. For boho or tropical vibes, hang air plant displays with woven or macrame holders.
Air plants’ texture and curves also enable fun, innovative plant holders. Display them in hanging glass globes, set on river rocks, or mounted onto sculptural wire frames. Their hardiness makes air plants ideal for bathrooms, where you can creatively incorporate them into shower caddies, hanging planters, or wall mounts.
Give as Gifts
Thanks to their uniqueness, easy care, and versatility, air plants make excellent gifts for any occasion. Surprise plant-loving friends with an air plant wreath, mini glass terrarium, or sleek cement planter displaying these trendy greenery.
For weddings or parties, use air plants as living table decor or favors for guests. Single air plants planted in miniature white pots or glass containers accented with ribbon make cute bridal shower or birthday gifts. For eco-conscious loved ones, send an air plant mounted on upcycled wood slices or recycled materials.
Help the Planet
Air plants are a sustainable choice compared to cut flowers or short-lived preserved florals. They also give the satisfaction of nurturing living plants without the intensity of caring for traditional houseplants.
Choosing air plants helps reduce the environmental impact of your decor. Air plants don’t require soil or frequent repotting that generate plastic waste. Their longevity makes them a greener option than purchasing new cut blooms. Support sustainable suppliers that propagate rather than over-harvest air plants in the wild.
When purchasing air plants, look for those grown in the U.S. rather than imported from their native tropical habitats. Poaching of wild air plants can damage fragile ecosystems. Opt for ethically grown varieties to help protect biodiversity.
Add Color
While many air plant species have subtle green, gray, or brown hues, some varieties add vibrant pops of color. Look for neon-bright air plants in hues spanning the rainbow for eye-catching contrast in your home.
Tillandsia ionantha, one of the most popular air plant species, is prized for its shocking fuchsia and red shades. Other vivid varieties include Tillandsia aeranthos, with bold violet leaves, and Tillandsia dyeriana, which takes on shades of pink and orange when flowering.
For an uplifting accent, display brightly colored air plants together in a window, on a coffee table, or mounted as wall art. Layer shades like intense purple and lime green for a dramatic effect. Let air plants’ saturated colors energize and enliven your home.
Thrive on Neglect
If you love plants but lack a green thumb, air plants are for you. Unlike popular houseplants like orchids or succulents, air plants actually thrive on infrequent watering and benign neglect. In fact, the most common way to kill an air plant is by overwatering or over-coddling it.
To help your air plants flourish, find a bright spot for them and then leave them alone. Water just a few times a month by misting or soaking and sprinkle with air plant fertilizer every couple of months. Avoid overcare by allowing them to dry thoroughly between waterings.
When life gets busy and your plants get pushed to the bottom of the priority list, air plants will hang in there. Their ability to go weeks without water makes air plants the perfect low-maintenance living decor.
Improve Sleep Quality
Studies show placing air purifying plants in the bedroom can help you sleep better and wake feeling more refreshed. Research has found bringing plants into the bedroom helps:
- Increase total nightly sleep duration
- Reduce sleep interruptions
- Increase restful REM sleep
- Lower blood pressure and heart rate
These benefits are thought to be related to both the air purification effects of plants as well as their relaxation-promoting presence. Let air plants naturally enhance your sleep by keeping them on the nightstand, shelf above your bed, or bedroom window sill.
Other Top Air-Purifying PlantsMany other plants have superior air-purifying properties and can be attractive additions to any home. While different plants all have different exchange rates for filtering the air, some plant varieties with the best filtration habits and easiest indoor care needs include:
- Aloe vera
- Areca palm
- Boston fern
- Chinese evergreen
- Chrysanthemums
- Dracaena
- English ivy
- Flamingo lily
- Golden pothos
- Peace lily
- Philodendron
- Rubber plant
- Snake plant
- Spider plant
- Weeping fig
When picking plants to make your home look nicer and clean the air, keep the plant’s basic needs in mind. If you prefer a cooler home, opt for plants that can thrive in lower temperatures. If your home doesn’t get a lot of natural light because of small windows, pick plants that do well in low light or shade. For the best looks, plants that like it damp should be kept in bathrooms or near the kitchen sink. On the other hand, plants that do better in dry places can be put anywhere in the house. Also, keep in mind that some plants can be poisonous if they are eaten or rubbed on. This is something you should think about if you have pets or kids who are naturally curious. Before you choose a plant, find out what it needs, such as whether it’s prone to pests, whether it needs special care or pruning, and how big it might get when it’s fully grown. If you know more about your plants, you can choose varieties that you enjoy and can help do well.
Share “Your Guide to Air Plants and Air-Purifying Plants “
Houseplants are a beautiful addition to any décor, and they can serve several practical purposes as well. Knowing the difference between air plants and plants that clean the air can help you pick the best houseplants for each room in your house.
Houseplants are more than just pretty, living decorations. They bring nature into any room, which can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve mood and work output. Plants clean the air by removing toxins and odors and filtering out carbon dioxide. They can also lower the amount of dust and mold in the air, which can help people with allergies. Plant improve indoor humidity, and create a natural sense of peace. With so many benefits, every living space and workspace should make room for plants.
Air plants are some of the trendiest plants to have in your home, and for good reason. These well-known plants are simple to take care of and grow. Since they don’t need soil, they don’t need big, heavy pots or lots of room to grow. There are hundreds of species of airplants – tillandsias – available. They often have thin leaves that look like grass or tentacles and grow in a rosette shape. The leaves can be spikes or graceful curves. There are many shades of green in these plants, from silver and lighter shades to different types of green. Some of them even have red, orange, or yellow edges. Tillandsia plants need regular watering, typically every 1-2 weeks. These plants don’t have deep roots that can take in water; their few, thin roots are only there to hold them to the ground. Instead, they get water from the humidity in the air. Most homes are much drier than tillandsias’ typical outdoor habitats, however. To water these plants, put them in water that is neither cold nor warm for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, take them out, gently shake off the extra water, and let them dry on their own. Air plants prefer warmer rooms, but are comfortable in most household temperatures. They like bright but not direct sunlight, like the shade under a tree canopy, which is where they naturally grow best. Many people like to keep these plants in terrariums or glass containers. They are also easy to attach to driftwood, magnets, rocks, cork, and other surfaces. Because of this, tillandsias can be used in a lot of different ways, and they are easy to add to any home decor.
Air Plant Care Guide // Garden Answer
FAQ
What are the disadvantages of air plants?
What do I do with an air plant?
What is the lifespan of an air plant?
What are the benefits of air to plants?
What are the benefits of air plants?
Urban dwellers always look forward to saving space in homes and modern alternatives. One of the benefits of air plantsis they offer an excellent choice for such settings. Plus, you can grow them without soil, so having a container is not always necessary, and they’re in trend!
Do indoor plants improve air quality?
Several studies have shown that indoor plants enhance air quality, remove pollutants, and reduce the spread of bacterial and fungal infections. However, other studies conclude that you’d need a lot of plants to make this happen.
How do air plants survive?
“They thrive by absorbing nutrients and water from the air through their scales and their leaves,” says Pop AnnMarie Chan, plant expert and owner of WLYDBNCH Plants. Since air plants get their nutrients from the air, they are relatively low maintenance but still require some routine care to survive.
What types of air plants can you grow?
There are many types of air plants you can grow, but these are a few of the most common, Hancock says. Tillandsia xerographica is one of the largest species of air plants. It is a healthy specimen that can easily grow more than 12 inches across and has thick leaves that grow from a central rosette.
Do air plants look good indoors?
Indoors, air plants look beautiful when displayed in glass containers, which can be suspended from the ceiling, placed on a windowsill, or kept in the bathroom. Because they like humidity, air plants are commonly placed in terrariums (they look beautiful next to lava rocks).
Can plants purify the air?
Purify Air Toxins present in the surrounding air are harmful to human health, and children are most susceptible to this threat. The levels of these indoor air pollutants can be kept in check by having plants that purify the air. According to one study, air plants were found to absorb mercury from the air.