There are few ways to water air plants. But how to water air plants that are glued inside containers, displays or other decorations? In this post, you will find tips on how to water air plants that are glued and cannot be taken out.
If your air plant is glued in a container and you would like to take it out and get rid of glue, do it slowly and gradually. However, some use glue that is waterproof, for example craft glue E6000.
The best way to water glued air plants is to try to soften the glue and take the plant out. You can also dunk the glued air plant and make sure it’s dry within 3-4 hours.
You can try taking out your air plant by soaking the base (not too much) and wiggling it, and hopefully over time, it can separate from glue. Most glue types used can be dissolved in water after you soak it. If not, you can use a knife or even tweezers to gently scrape the glue off.
How to water air plants that are glued inside a terrarium?
If you get a terrarium that has a glued air plant in it, it can be harder to water. When buying or making a terrarium with air plants, make sure that they are in open containers.
Otherwise, the plant won’t last long. Air plants require high light, and inside a closed terrarium, temperatures get too high, burning the plants. Closed terrarium also won’t allow much air exchange, which is deadly for tillandsias.
Depending on how big your terrarium opening is, you might not need to water your air plants as much. In more compact terrariums with smaller openings, moisture is not likely to escape too quickly. So, you will be able to water less intensively and skip dunking or soaking.
When watering your air plant inside a terrarium, make sure you don’t just pour water. Terrariums with air plants don’t contain soil or charcoal layer, so there is high chance of it becoming waterlogged.
To water an air plant in a terrarium, insert the nozzle of your spray bottle inside terrarium’s opening. Then, mist only plant leaves – it will absorb water through its trichomes on leaves.
You can also get a spray bottle that sprays fine mist like this, so that you can generally mist the whole terrarium. Your air plant will then absorb water this way.
Whatever way you use to water your air plant in a terrarium, make sure to shake off excess water to prevent rot. Leaving a terrarium on a windowsill or even outdoors where it can get some nice breeze is a good for air exchange.
However, the best thing is to try and get the air plant out of the terrarium. To do that, you can steam the terrarium to let the glue soften. Another way is to remove all the other decorations, and soak the whole terrarium in water for 20-30 minutes. This can hopefully melt or soften the glue enough to let you take out your air plant.
How to water air plants glued to ornaments and displays?
If you get an air plant that is glued to a display or is inside a holder of some sort, don’t worry. Most of the time, your air plant will come out naturally. To water your air plant in such a display, make sure to mist as many leaves as possible.
Don’t let any water drip down and collect at the base. That’s especially true if the base is mostly enclosed, and water won’t evaporate quickly enough and will sit there. This will cause fungus/rot.
In most cases, leaves that have glue on them are damaged and will die and fall off. This might be upsetting, but everything will be fine with good care. New leaves will start emerging from the center of your air plant.
If glue is strong and plant is properly secured, you can water your air plants normally. Depending on the display, you can heavily mist the plant or even soak it (possibly upside down).
Then, shake it off very well to allow excess water to drip off. If you believe that there’s any water underneath, you can use a fan to help dry your air plant. A general rule is that your air plant must dry within 3-4 hour after watering.
It’s also the best idea to try and take your glued air plant out of a display. Please continue to water your plant by misting, and hopefully it can come out eventually.
However, if you can see the bottom leaves dying, you can pull your plant out and sacrifice few leaves. This is especially true if you can see that the whole plant is not in the best condition and needs other display options.
Summary – watering glued air plants
There are many air plants that you will find in home decor and other stores glued to displays or in terrariums. While this is frustrating, think that by getting one you will probably help save the air plant.
The best thing is to try and remove your glued tillandsia from the display, to be able to properly water it and care for it. But please be patient.
After bringing your new air plant home, try to soak it for around 20 minutes in warm water. If it’s a general white or hot glue, warm water might soften it enough for you to take out the plant.
But if not, you can start wiggling it with tweezers and it should eventually come out. Or, you can use hot steam to loosen the glue.
If your newly purchased air plant is not doing well, you might need to sacrifice bottom leaves and pull the plant out. But while it’s in the display, the main thing to avoid is overwatering the base, which will lead to rot.
Rot or fungus will make your plant soft and mushy, and it will then fall apart. At this point, you wouldn’t be able to save your air plant.
If your air plant doesn’t come out eventually, you can consider breaking the container/display and then working to get the glue off. That’s especially true if your plant has grown and needs more space.
If you would like to read more about air plant care and tips, please see this resource page.