That was awesome, great video and great tips. I just bought my first air plant today (I have a small succulent collection) after resisting them for...two yrs.

Been doing a lot of online reading on care and was getting confused with the lifecycle of a airplant but the video answered it well!!! The book looks really good too...I think I'm really attracted to t. globulosas (sorry if I get the naming wrong) so that will probably be my next purchase if my t. Ionantha does okay.

I have to say, his tip about soaking overnight if the tilly is showing more dehydration that normal, is a little intimidating for me though. I think the longest recommended time for soaking I've seen online is 15 minutes.

Your plant will probably let you know if it needs a longer soak, but whatever you do, let it dry in between soaks. This season (winter, here in Albuquerque) I've mostly been spraying, and soaking for an hour or so once every week or two (depends on the plant; whiter plants, less soaking time). I soak my Spanish Moss more often though, because it likes more humidity and we simply don't get much of that around here. Ionanthas are native to southern Mexico, so one thing you might do is study weather patterns there and copy them. Decades ago I heard about folks who would subscribe to newspapers out of Arizona just to see when it was raining so they could water their cactus. Those folks probably just check the internet now :)

Thanks! Yeah I'm not sure what the climate of s. Mexico is like so I have to look that up. It does help to know to water plants properly. Vey cool that you grow your own Spanish moss, my non-succulent owning friend was the one who actually first surmised to me that it was a type of air plant when we were in New Orleans. Before that I just assumed it was a type of parasitic moss. But after looking at a small strand I noticed the resemblance, good eye.

So do the scales actually turn less white when they're too dry? My plant has some "bald" patches where it's lacking the scales (can't remember the term). Will they grow back or do I just have to wait for that leave to grow out and drop off?

this is how it looks a day after soaking for half an hour. (Im not planning to leave it in the bathroom since no window, but I'm waiting for my driftwood to finish soaking for a few days)

New "chat" today:

Barry Landau just uploaded a video
Paul Isley / Rainforest Flora, Inc. - Tilly Talks Feb 25 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHKvwJnwflo

Getting notice of videos like these are the only reason I joined to YouTube. Joining doesn't mean one has to make and upload videos, but it does allow one to subscribe to channels and receive alerts when new material is uploaded :)

ealdwood asked, "So do the scales actually turn less white when they're too dry?" The scales, which are also called "trichomes", are natural and act to protect the plant from too-strong sun and also absorb water in humid or rainy times. A good explanation of Tillandsias is at http://plantoddities.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-custom.cgi?d=plant-oddities&page=2952 a site where I have bought Tillandsias in the past and been happy with my purchases. There are other good sellers on the internet as well. Your just-soaked ones look good. The white does turn green when wet, but will go back to white when the plant is dry. Most Tillandsias do not mind at all being dry, so no worry there. The whiter they appear, the drier conditions they can tolerate. But some do grow in shady, humid jungle conditions while others are adapted to deserts which only get monsoon rains. Interesting plants!

I notice that I haven't felt like soaking mine as much this winter. Maybe once every ten days if that. They do get sprayed daily. Soaking is rather time consuming but also they don't seem to be asking for it (except the Spanish Moss and Ball Moss, which I soak and then let drip dry over potted plants that like the water). I'll start a more frequent soaking schedule as spring arrives and nights are warmer and the plants can hang out outside. We're having an early "spring" this year, with high temps in the 60s (F), but lows in the upper 30s, so all my more delicate plants are still inside, waiting.