Does anybody else keep air plants and/or bromeliads? I just got into both within the last few months after buying my first (a bromeliad) on clearance at a local nursery and I'm like obsessed now, I really enjoy them! I think I'm getting the hang of it (and doing better with the bromeliads than the air plants to be honest haha) but I am wondering if anyone has any care tips or tricks they've picked up along the way you'd be willing to share. I have mostly Harrisii air plants and I have all Neoregelia for the bromeliads, if that helps. I do have a few Xerographica and a few other air plant varieties too, though, so I'd appreciate any tips you can throw at me. Thanks :)

I have a ton of air plants and have found they thrive with plants that need similar moisture/watering techniques. Air plants need like... 15 minute soakings monthly. Certain bromeliads need more and from my understanding, the moisture in the soil from keeping airplants with other plants can be harmful.

Air plants need medium-high light, but nothing overly hot. So keep them by a window/light source but nothing too direct. Overwatering them or giving them too little light will kill them within a few weeks.

Sometimes airplants are idiots and decide to bloom flowers. If they bloom, they are essentially killing themselves. You can harvest the flowers and a small airplant will grow from the bud. The mother plant with die off as soon as theyre harvested or ready to shed. This is rare though.

Also, avoid the painted air plants (ones with colored tips) as those seem to be affected by the paint when you soak them

I really appreciate the tips on soaking, that is something I'm still figuring out. I may have had to learn the hard way with one of my medusa air plants that you shouldn't let the bulb area get too wet for that variety...it's not full-blown rotten yet, but it lost a center leaf and the bulb area just looks questionable to me. Hoping it recovers but not sure that it will. I'm also holding my breath on my first Xerographica because I soaked it before I knew better and I guess that's a no-no for that variety. It lost an outer leaf and the base worries me a little bit, but it looks better than the medusa.

Harrisii seem to be my sweet spot haha, so far they look great. thankfully they are probably my favorites (although I'll be bummed if I lose that Xerographica, it's small still but it's a really nice one).

Do you use a fertilizer on yours? I bought a spray, but not sure how necessary it really was. and I've read mixed things that you can use orchid fertilizer on both air plants and bromeliads? I bought an actual air plant fertilizer this time but orchid fertilizer is so much cheaper, hoping that's true.

It's hot enough here both day and night at the moment for the bromeliads to stay outside full-time, so they are by far the easier of the two right now. I read to keep their cups partially full and they should be good to go...seems to be the case so far, but we're only a few weeks away from our first frost so they'll be coming inside sooner than later. That makes me nervous because I really love my broms but I read that when they are inside, the cup water doesn't evaporate like it does outside and that makes them more susceptible to rot. Hoping I can keep them alive inside thru winter to make it back outside in the spring, I have them on my porch and really enjoy them. Did you ever have to bring yours in, and did they adjust ok?

thanks if you read all that, this got kind of long!

ETA - sorry for the lack of paragraphs/spacing, I've never figured out how to make paragraphs in the forums and just hitting enter doesn't seem to do it.