The world of plants is a fascinating place to delve into, but it’s also one that’s surrounded in mystery most of the time. One of the areas we find most mystifying of all is air plants, and we’re sure many of you feel the same way too.  

Well, scratch your heads no longer friends, because today we’re going to learn everything there is to know about air plants – and more specifically, just how do they grow without soil?

Ever since school, we’ve been taught that plants need soil, water, and sunlight to grow, so when you take away one of those elements, it leaves the 10-year-old versions of us scratching our heads and wondering how that’s possible.

Air plants can grow without soil for one specific reason – they don’t need it. Air plants are a special type of plant that actually absorbs all the moisture and nutrients they need to survive and thrive through their leaves, rather than their roots, as other plants do. 

As long as they have access to plenty of light and air, these plants will be able to photosynthesise and get nutrients from the air, without having to rely on their roots at all.

But that’s only part of the story. We’ve barely scratched the surface of these interesting types of plants, so if you want to learn more about air plants, join us below!

What Are Air Plants?

Air plants are a type of plant that grows floating in the air, without the need for soil to keep them alive. These plants are also known as Tillandsia, so you may have come across them by this name, too.

How Many Air Plant Species Are There?

They belong to the Bromeliad family of plants and are actually epiphytes. An epiphyte is a plant that attaches itself to other plants for support, but they don’t actually rely on them for nutrients etc, as some other plants (mainly parasites) do. 

Rather than stealing nutrients from the plant they attach themselves to, they simply absorb the moisture and nutrients they need through their leaves rather than their roots – using the plants as support, but nothing else.

Instead of relying on their roots for moisture and nutrient absorption, they simply use their roots to anchor themselves to another plant or object to get themselves higher in the air.

In the wilds of the West Indies, Mexico, and South and Central America (where these types of plants grow naturally) they’ll often attach themselves to trees for height, or a rock rather than another plant. 

At home, you can encourage them to grow almost anywhere, so long as they have enough light and air to thrive and something to hang on to.

Despite being mysterious to many of us, there are over 600 species of air plants that all come in different shapes, sizes, and colors, and are incredibly resilient. It’s this resilience and easy-to-care-for nature that’s making air plants more popular than ever in our homes today.

How Do Air Plants Grow Without Soil?

Air plants are able to grow without soil because of their leaves. We’ve already touched on this by explaining that their leaves absorb the moisture and nutrients they need to survive, thrive, and grow, but their leaves also do so much more than that too.

Not only can they absorb everything they need, but their unique shapes are what make air plants so attractive. Their leaves are often likened to something from outer space, and their unique twists, turns, and structures certainly make it seem that way.

But it’s not just the look of an air plants’ leaves that fascinate people, it’s the things they can do too.

Because whilst they’re great at absorbing nutrients and moisture from the air, they’re also great at reflecting sunlight when necessary to stop the sun from drying up their moisture reserves. 

Some stronger air plants that live in the desert can even go 6-8 months without any water at all because of how effective the leaves are at absorbing moisture from the air and any rainfall, and storing it up to be used slowly.

Do Air Plants Grow Quickly?

Despite evolving to have some of the most unique leaves on the planet, air plants do suffer in one regard – they don’t grow quickly at all. And that’s because of their version of photosynthesis (CAM photosynthesis) which allows them to photosynthesize during the day, but only exchange gases at night when there are fewer demands on the plant. 

It’s less efficient for growth, so they are slower than most other plants, but it’s much more efficient for water conservation, which of course, these plants need since they don’t use their roots in the traditional sense.

Can Air Plants Grow In Water?

Speaking of water, many people who keep air plants at home wonder whether they should grow the plants in water instead, since they don’t have soil. We can’t state this any more plainly – DO NOT leave your air plants in water permanently. It’s completely unnecessary.

How Do You Water An Air Plant?

What you will need to do if keeping air plants at home, is bathe them once a week, for several hours, and preferably overnight. This just allows them to gather up their water reserves for the week ahead, which they’ll then slowly use throughout the week to help them survive and thrive. 

Since these plants will need to grow near a window with plenty of fresh air and direct sunlight, it’s important they have this weekly bath submerged in water in order to get everything they need to survive.

Growing them in water permanently isn’t necessary because at best, it’s simply an ill-suited environment since this isn’t how they grow in the wild, and at worst it can actually damage the plant beyond repair since they aren’t adapted to being in water permanently.

How Do Air Plants Get Nutrients?

Again, it’s all about their leaves. Air plants have white fuzzy hairs along their leaves known as trichomes, and it’s their job to absorb the moisture and nutrients the plant needs to survive. They find all the nutrients they need in the air, and can absorb them through their trichomes to help feed the plant.

Most other plants rely on their roots to absorb nutrients from the soil – which is why so many plants rely on nutrient rich soil to grow – but because air plants do almost everything through their leaves, they don’t need soil or their roots for nutrients.

How Do Air Plants Grow Without Roots?

Despite not using roots in the traditional sense, it’s a misconception for people to believe that air plants don’t have roots at all – because they do. They just use them differently than other plants.

Rather than using roots to absorb nutrients and moisture from the ground, air plants simply use their roots to hang off different objects or plants to root themselves in place.

Their roots are simply stabilizing devices that allow them to stay in place, but other than that, their roots aren’t used at all.

As we’ve learned throughout today’s post, it’s the air plant’s leaves that allow them to grow so effectively.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, we’ve managed to clear up some of the mystery around air plants for you today, so you can start keeping them at home to enjoy. These fascinating plants are beautiful, interesting, and great to have around the home to bring some nature inside, without being too demanding in terms of the care they need. Really, air plants are a win-win, and we’d recommend them to anyone!