Do your Xeros get any sun? They do like sun, a lot, even a sunny window if you are in the Northern Hemisphere and experiencing winter. You don't necessarily want to get them very hot, but sunshine may help with the rot situation (it can't hurt at this point). I have two hanging in a south-facing window. It has been quite sunny out lately, but dry, cool and windy, and the sunshine has to go through two layers of clear plastic at the moment, but I think all my plants (including some herbs) are doing well. They'd like to be outside again, but most of them would die of the cold, so they're stuck inside until Spring. Seems like it's 6 months inside, 6 months outside here in Albuquerque, depending on night-time temperatures.

I have a lot of air plants, but all of mine stay outside all year. I have NEVER dunked any of them in water - all I do is mist them or spray them with water. Most of them are in my apple tree, and so they get filtered sunlight but also plenty of air flow.

I think you are getting yours too wet. I've heard that you are supposed to dunk them in water when you first get them, but I never even did that. If your air is dry, mist them lightly every day. If you air is stagnant, turn on a ceiling fan or anything that will help circulation.

Looks like you live in Zone 10B, Lars. I'm in Zone 7B, I think, and at high altitude. It's neat that you can have plants outdoors all year round!

I visited duckduckgo (like google) and looked for "tillandsia xerographica habitat" and among other things found:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_xerographica

http://www.conabio.gob.mx/institucion/cooperacion_internacional/TallerNDF/Links-Documentos/Casos%20de%20Estudio/Perennials/WG2%20CS7.pdf

...to give the curious some idea about where and how Xeros grow naturally. (the second link is in English.) Also I've seen some videos on YouTube. Seems some folks in Mexico grow them for market (as opposed to people collecting them from the wild and decimating the natural population).

Hey thanks for all the input! I really appreciate the tips. I've just been following what the nursery recommended that I got them from but from what I've been reading they actually can go a lot longer being dry than other air plants.

I'm in Oregon. Central Oregon to be exact. It's high desert here so we stay pretty dry so that helps but it's cold and we're moving into winter so they're inside getting bright indirect sunlight from west facing windows.

Im gonna take a shot at watering less frequently. I vow to never dunk them again. Haha.

Thanks again!

Up in Oregon, outside, you could get by on an occasional hose-wetting once a month. No misting or dunking.

Consider that in Mexico, in a natural setting, Xeros could get completely soaked by hurricane water, but would likely dry off quickly in the wind afterward, and it would happen probably no more than a few times a year. You can check maps to see where in Mexico and Central America the plants are found naturally and are likely to experience storms. Xeros are rugged plants usually.

Also, Paul Isley, in a YouTube video found on his website (http://www.rainforestflora.com/welcome/videos/) mentioned that he waters by dunking plants, shaking them off (likely gently), then putting them back. Likely more dunking for some, a lot less for others. Of course, Isley runs a big green house operation in Torrance, California, they probably have a sprinkler system for the ferns and cycads, and they grow their own Tillandsias and Broms and other similar plants and don't harvest from the wild. Note, I've ordered plants from his company, and instructions on some plants say "soak overnight", but I don't do that, especially for, say, T. crocata. I emailed and asked about that advice when it came to dry-loving plants, and he said they just suggest it because the plants can get a little dry in the greenhouses and might like some water after a trip in box. So I say, when in doubt... ask here :)

I'm only about 15 minutes from Rainforest Flora, and I bought a lot of my Tillandsia there. They also supply tillies for other nurseries here. Anyway, the plants I bought did not travel far, but the tags did say to soak the plants, and I ignored that advice. I do water them with a hose, however, although sometimes I use the mist setting. I also bought some very interesting bromeliads at Rainforest Flora - they have several that I have not seen elsewhere.

Oh, lucky living close to that tillandsia (and other plants) paradise! I recall how my father, who lived in the southern part of New Mexico and had a green house, would water his Spanish moss (gathered in Florida probably) with a hose. I found that fascinating (back in the 70s), and the plant along with his orchids all seemed quite happy.