---
title: Air plant in a terrarium | Glass Jar Garden
description: Air plant (Tillandsia ionantha): Silvery spiky tufts that drink through their leaves. Needs to dry out, so open jars only. Needs light 10,000 to 30,000 lux,...
url: https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/tillandsia-ionantha/
---

Plants

# Air plant
Tillandsia ionantha

Easy · Open jar only

Silvery spiky tufts that drink through their leaves. Needs to dry out, so open jars only.

## What the simulation uses

- Light: 10,000 to 30,000 lux (The brightness it grows well in.)

- Humidity: 40 to 70 % RH (Air moisture it is happy in; below the lower end it dries out.)

- Temperature: 20 to 25 °C (Comfortable range; outside it growth slows.)

- Dies at: below 10 or above 30 °C (Days beyond these temperatures kill it.)

- Soil pH: 5.5 to 6.5 pH (Soil acidity it prefers.)

- Grows up: 0.2 cm/month (How fast it gains height in good conditions.)

- Spreads: 0.25 cm/month (How fast its edge creeps outwards.)

- Copes with wet: poor (How well it stands soggy soil; poor means rot comes quickly.)

- Copes with still air: poor (Sealed jars have still air; poor means grey mould finds it.)

- Copes with shade: poor (How well it holds on in dim light.)

- Copes with drying: excellent (How well it survives the jar drying out.)

- Water use: 0.03 ml/cm²/day (Water drawn up from its roots per cm² of leaves in room air; a sealed jar cuts this to a fraction and returns it down the glass.)

- Leaf drop: 1 %/month (Share of its leaves it sheds each month as litter for the cleanup crew.)

- Soft leaves: no (Soft new growth that hungry isopods will nibble.)

- Full size: 7 cm tall, 7.5 cm wide (Its size when grown, before the lid stops it.)

## Care

- Day length: 12 to 14 h

- Substrate: Dry

## What kills it

- staying wet in a closed container (crown rot)
- hard calcareous water
- low light

## Description
Air plants take in water through tiny scales on their leaves, then must dry out completely before the next soak. A closed, humid jar rots them. Keep this one in an open, airy display.

Also called sky plant, Tillandsia.

Estimated, where sources were thin: temp_lethal_c is Wikipedia's genus min/max for optimal growth, not true lethal; light_lux; humidity_rh_pct; ph.

## Sources

- [plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tillandsia](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tillandsia/)
- [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia)
- [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_ionantha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_ionantha)

[Grow it in a jar](https://glassjar.garden/?guide=plants/tillandsia-ionantha)

[Anubias nana](https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/anubias-barteri-nana/) · [All plants](https://glassjar.garden/guide/plants/)