Are Air Plants Succulents and How to Grow Them at Home?

Are air plants succulents? This is a question that confuses even the most experienced gardeners. These gorgeous plants are often mistaken as succulents because of similar care needs.

This guide will dive into the differences and similarities between these two plant types. Find out how to care for them and read this concise article.

Are Air Plants a Type of Succulents?

– Understanding Air Plants

Air plants are native to Tillandsia, the largest pineapple family genus. This genus contains over 650 species, most growing naturally in Mexico, the West Indies, and the Central American Countries. Instead of growing in the soil, they grow over nearby objects and climb their lengths.

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Popular air plants include pink quill, Spanish moss, and the small ball moss plant. Looking closely, countless small hair-like structures are present on their leaves with the ability to absorb nutrients and water. They grow over rocks, cliffs, and other trees in nature. They can be grown at home over fences, trellises, and moss poles.

– Understanding Succulents

Succulents have been named so because of their juicy, thick, and soft leaves. There are over 10,000 varieties of succulents in nature, most of which have plump leaves. These leaves come in all types of colors, shapes, and sizes. An exception is the cactus variety, which grows sharp, dry needles instead of leaves.

Succulents are found growing natively in almost every corner of the world. Some of the most popular varieties are jade, aloe vera, haworthia, and snake. They are collectively known for being resilient plants that like to grow in low humidity, high temperature, and bright light conditions.

Why Are Air Plants Not Really Succulents?

Air plants are not really succulents because they belong to a completely different family of plants. They belong to the pineapple family, whereas succulents belong to the cacti family. Air plants grow over neighboring trees and objects and cannot be potted like succulents.

– They Are Epiphytes

These plants are epiphytic in nature, which means they cannot be grown in the soil. This is because their roots are not designed for anchorage in the soil. These plants cannot tolerate moderate to high nitrogen levels in the soil and will die from an overdose.

Instead, these plants contain tiny structures called trichomes all over the surfaces of the leaves. These are the structures that help them stick to other things and also absorb nutrients from them. They usually grow best anchored to other plants and trees as they can easily absorb moisture and food from them.

Succulents, on the other hand, grow when planted in the soil instead of over other plants. The potting mixture for succulents differs slightly from most plants and contains chunky materials like charcoal and rock pieces. The only succulent found so far that is succulent in nature is the Christmas cactus that grows anchored to trees in the Brazilian rainforests.

– Their Appearance Is Different

Of course, air-type plants assume a wide variety of appearances depending on their species. They are broadly classified into two groups: xeric climates and mesic climates. The xeric temperatures have a fuzzy appearance and look silver-grey in color. These plants are from desert climates and have more leaves and trichomes on their surface.

The mesic type of plants grow and thrive in cooler environments and receive plenty of rainfall. They have fewer leaves, but each is a vibrant green with fewer hair-like trichomes. They look and feel much softer and glossy than the xeric climates.

In comparison, succulent plants are characterized by their fleshy, plump, and swollen leaves. Succulents come in all sizes and colors, but their leaves are always plump. Succulent leaves are available in almost every shade of green, blue, grey, red, pink, and yellow. The cactus looks different, succulent, with a rigid stem and sharp spikes emerging on all sides.

– Their Flowering Is Different

A unique thing about the air variety of plants is that they bloom just once in their lifetime. This property is called monocarpic scientifically and happens when they reach maturity. The flowering process itself can be either through sexual or asexual means. After they have flowered, they finally begin to die slowly.

Some succulents resemble them in this property, flowering just once and then dying. Most of these succulents live and grow for at least four years until they are mature enough to reproduce. However, there are a lot of succulent varieties that flower more than once and some that never bloom at all.

What Are the Similarities Between Air Plants and Succulents?

The similarities between air plants and succulents are that both are very easy to propagate using similar methods. They both love bright sunlight all day, especially indirect sunlight. While air varieties need less frequent watering, succulents can survive months without them.

– They Are Easy to Propagate

Both of these plants are super easy to propagate; literally, anyone can carry out their propagation. They produce tiny versions of themselves near stem bases called offsets or pups. These offsets can be removed whole and planted accordingly to grow into adult plants.

The pups of succulents will need to be planted in the soil, but an air plant pup will have to be grown in the air. This means you will have to support it, like a moss pole. Before planting each pup, it must be dried in a dark and dry place for at least one week.

– Both Love Bright Sunlight

It is recommended that you plant succulents someplace with ample bright and partial sunlight all day long. The same goes for the air variety of plants, as they do not grow well under full shade. Succulents need more sunlight and longer hours than these plants, though. That is why both these varieties make great outdoor house plants.

– Both Have Low Water Requirements

For people who often forget to water their plants on time, these are the best plant varieties for you. These plants need watering less often than other common house plants. You can keep an air-type plant and succulent terrarium, a sealable container requiring less frequent watering.

The logic behind their low water needs is that they have foliage that stores water. Watering too much will cause both these plant types to be susceptible to infections and infestations. Still, unlike most succulents, an air plant cannot survive months without watering.

Conclusion

People get confused between these two plant types because of a more or less similar air plant succulent care regime. To sum it up, air plants and succulents are identical because they can live in dry conditions and save water. However, they belong to different plant groups and have different features.

Here’s a recap:

• These plants belong to the pineapple family and look like succulents but aren’t.
• The air-type plants need some support to grow and climb up on. You can also get an air plant terrarium as it blooms rainforest-grown assorted air plants.
• These plants and succulents need more or less the same kind of care with partial light, frequent watering, and warm temperatures.
• Succulents are usually more rugged because they have evolved to survive the harsh desert environment.

Home botanicals’ assorted air plants are unique and will brighten your whole house with their presence.