Do Air Plants Die After Flowering

Air plants usually die after flowering, however, they die after giving life to two to eight pups, depending upon the species. Air plants also bloom once in a lifetime, which indicates that they will die soon.

After the flowering period of air plants, they start fertilizing and form new pups. The mother air plant gives all of its energy and nutrients to the newly forming pups. 

In light of this, you should not stop watering your air plants after they have bloomed, thinking that their life has ended. On the contrary, your plant is dying to initiate new lives. So all you need to do is give them adequate sunlight and water and continue to care for it as usual to encourage new growth.

Before your mother plant dies, you will start noticing tiny pups under its leaves. 

In this article, you will learn the answers to frequently asked questions such as ‘do air plants die after flowering,’ ‘what is the life cycle of air plants,’ ‘when do air plants bloom,’ ‘how can you make them live longer,’ and ‘how you can take care of your air plants.’

What Is The Life Cycle Of Air Plants?

Air Plants live for 2 to 3 years, and their entire life cycle consists of three stages:

  1. First, flower – Begins with inflorescence. 
  2. Second, pups or offsets – After the blooming season starts, pups form. 
  3. Third, seeds – if pollination occurs, the seeds are produced. 

When the air plant fertilizes, it starts blooming once, producing the offsets. The seeds are produced when air plants get pollinated. 

When Do Air Plants Bloom?

Air plants bloom once in their life when they are fully mature. The blooming starts during spring and summer since the days are longer and plants are more exposed to sunlight. 

Nurseries use ethylene gas to bloom their flowers. However, much love, care, and patience are required to bloom.

Why Do Air Plants Die After Flowering?

When air plants flower, they give all of their energy and nutrients to the spikes of their blooms and blossoms. That’s the reason why they start drying more early than usual. 

The reproduction process starts after the bloom cycle of air plants. So now, there is more diversion of energy and nutrients towards the pups for their proper growth. 

Air plants having a stem, a bloom tract, or inflorescence are not getting essential nutrients for their and pups’ growth. So removing the stem is advisable as it allows the start of the next growth phase. The air plant will be able to push energy to its offsets.

How Can I Make Air Plants Live Longer?

If you want your air plant to live longer, you have to snip out all the pups being formed under the leaves of the mother air plant to limit the diversion of nutrients and energy. You can cut half of the pups if you want to make your plant live longer and, at the same time, produce new pups.

Moreover, with proper care and much love, your air plants will stay alive for a long time while producing the new batch of pups at the same time. 

If you do not detach the period till clumps are formed, your air plants will soon dry out and shrink. But if you still disconnect your pups, the mother’s plant will eventually wilt and die sooner or later.

How To Take Care Of Air Plants After Flowering?

You can take care of your new air plant pups following these steps:

  • Put in a sunny place.
  • Water once a week.
  • Fertilize monthly.
  • Trim and groom the air plant.
  • Finally, ensure the right amount of humidity.

After your air plants have produced flowers, it indicates that your plants will soon die as it is at the end of their life cycle. 

But with its end, the air plants produce a new generation of air plants. Once the pups are reached a specific size, you can separate them from the mother air plant as the mother will soon wilt away. 

Sunlight

Air plants do not need direct sunlight, but they need an adequate level of the sun’s light. The sunlight required for proper growth is varied and mainly depends upon the species of air plants. 

Stiff leaves air plants species need more exposure to light than the species with softer leaves. 

A wall hanging or a piece of furniture, or any sunny window, any place can be the best place to keep your air plants. 

Adequate Watering

If you water your plants once a week, the air plants will grow better as these are not plants that need regular watering. 

During winter, watering once after every two weeks will be enough. You can do this by submerging your air plant in water for the whole night or at least for an hour. After that, make sure you have dried your air plants into the indirect sunlight.

Fertilize Your Air Plant

To ensure that air plants are not missing any nutrients necessary for their growth, fertilizing them with good fertilizers is essential. 

However, it may not take your plant growth to the next level, yet your plant will be grown healthy. Air plants will flower more frequently with proper nutrients and produce pups regularly.

Trimming and Grooming

When you notice the leaves of air plants are getting dry, you should trim the edges and tips of your plant’s leaves nicely and carefully.

See if the roots need trimming or not because they will grow back even if they become cut.

Humidity

Temperature and humidity are both significant factors for the proper care of an Air plant. Warm temperatures ranging from 50 to 90 degrees suit your air plants. A humid and moist environment suits air plants best.

What Do You Do With An Air Plant After Flowering?

Now that your air plant has bloomed, you can continue taking care of it because it carries a new batch of air plant pups under its leaves. 

You should continue giving it necessary nutrients via fertilizers, put in inadequate sunlight, and water it like you have been doing for years.

What Do Flowers Of Air Plants Look Like? 

Air plant flowers have a diverse variety of colors when they bloom. Some air plants have flowers with bloom spikes, also called inflorescence, which lasts from weeks to several months. 

Some air plants bloom flowers with a short life, blooming only for a few days. 

Some air plants bloom very delicate flowers which have an even shorter life. Others, however, have multiple flowers coming from a single bloom.

Though air plants do not flower more than once, the intricacy and color diversity make it sure to excite you for the stunning blooms.

Can You Leave The Dried Flowers On The Air Plant?

It depends on your choice. You can keep the dried flowers on your air plants if you want to keep the dried flowers on your air plants. But you can also remove it. Some people terminate the dried flowers for cosmetic reasons. 

You can do it by gently snipping the flower spikes off an air plant. Then, you can simply pull out the dried flowers from your blooms. 

If you snip a bloom spike, it will make a pup formation as the plant usually focus their energies on the pups rather than bloom.

What Are The Signs of a Dying Air Plant?

Following are the signs of a dying air plant:

  • The leaves of air plants feel softer, and their shades have lighter tones. This is also an indicator that your plants need water.
  • If your air plants’ leaves are getting harder, they are fully hydrated and do not need water. However, keep an eye on the firmness, as this is a tell-tale sign that can prevent complications for your plant.
  • With time, when you observe wrinkles or dry-up signs or plant leaves getting rolled up, it is a significant indicator that your air plant is dying. Wrinkles mean that you should start preparing for the passing away of the main plant.

Conclusion

This article covers every aspect of information regarding why do air plants die after flowering, when do air plants bloom, how you can take proper care of your air plants, what signs do they show when they are about to wilt, how you can increase the life of your air plants. 

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