Out of everyone I’ve met, my experiences with plants have been the worst by far. I made the mistake of subjecting my succulents and cacti to a closed-terrarium life, and in doing so, ignited a hellish deathscape upon them.
Yellow houseplant mushrooms, or leucocoprinus birnbaumi, terrorized the environment by growing in giant clusters on the daily. With the presence of fungi came fungus gnats, which lay nearly 200 eggs per gnat (seriously, they were flying all around my bedroom, it was disgusting).
When I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, mold invaded the soil and eventually choked out any remaining life. In summary, all of the plants that I have owned have died long and tragic deaths…that is, until I bought my first air plant.
After my succulents had died, my mom introduced me to tillandsia, better known as the air plant. A succulent-like appearance with half of the maintenance of a normal plant? I figured I may as well give it a shot! I ordered a $15.00 six-pack off of Amazon with little hope for success. A concern of mine was whether or not the plants would be shipped safely, but they arrived in perfect condition, individually wrapped in tissue paper.
A common misconception many have with air plants is the idea that they have root systems. While they usually have wiry stems on their bottoms, those “roots” are actually vines. These plants absorb water through their petals.
Since they do not have roots, they do not require soil or any form of potting. You heard me correctly! You can place these bad boys anywhere you please: in macrame wall hangings, baskets, tiny porcelain cups, or even loosely around your dorm!
In caring for your air plant, keep them out of direct sunlight, as it can dry them out. Mine are in indirect sunlight for the majority of the day, and it has worked just fine.
When it comes to watering, tillandsia are relatively flexible. On average, I will soak mine in a bowl once a week for 15 minutes, although there have been times where I forgot and skipped a week. They thrive in humidity, so those living in drier areas should be a tad more generous with their soaking time in comparison to those where it is increasingly muggy. You could get away with just using a spray bottle in more humid locations.
Unlike having a goldfish or a higher-maintenance plant to keep you company during your college experience, tillandsia will forgive your negligence during those weeks where you are stressing over exams. Dorm room shopping will be much easier as well, as air plants give you more opportunities to use the space provided to you. No more overwhelming flower pots hogging up desk space or teetering off the edge of your windowsill, and no fungus gnats in sight. Convenience has never looked so good!