Some of the most popular houseplants come from tropical climates, so they thrive in areas with high humidity. If the air in your home is dry, such as B. in winter, your plants can benefit from the use of a humidifier.
The best humidifiers for plants provide more constant humidity to your tropical houseplants than spraying or using a gravel tray.
For best results, run your plant humidifier for several hours each day between sunrise and noon. The humidifier should be in the same room as your plants that like moisture, but not so close to them that moisture starts to condense on the leaves.
If you are in doubt about the humidity levels in your home, use a hygrometer to get an accurate reading. Different plants have different preferred ranges, but most people will be happy with a 40% to 60% relative humidity range.
Why Do Indoor Plants Need a Humidifier?
In addition to succulents and cacti, many popular houseplants thrive when the air is humid. Plants such as orchids and Arabidopsis (like peace lily and monstera) are used to tropical climates, to name a few.
Unlike succulents, which store water in their fleshy leaves, these tropical plants are not used to reduce humidity.
Plants can absorb water from the environment in several ways, which can vary widely from one plant to another, depending on what climate it comes from.
Some houseplants have weak root systems
Plants absorb water primarily through their roots in the soil. Plants that grow in deserts have evolved strong root systems that can use any water they can find.
Tropical plants, on the other hand, don’t need such robust root systems, because where they originate, water is everywhere!
Epiphytes evolved to absorb moisture from the air. This plant usually grows on top or on top of other plants such as trees. Some well-known epiphytes are orchids, tilapia (air plants), and monstera.
Some of these houseplants have roots in the ground, some have structured aerial roots, and some may not have roots at all! Because of this, epiphytes require higher humidity to thrive.
Some houseplants have thin-leaf systems
So when a plant absorbs water, where does it go?
There are some complex biological processes involved, but the water basically reaches the leaves, where it is stored or released into the air.
Succulents and cacti store water in their leaves for later use when water is not available. This makes them very hardy plants.
The leaves of tropical plants don’t have enough room to store water because in all the humidity and rain they never need! Because there is usually a lot of water, these plants can drain excess water from their leaves in a process called gutting.
Leaves have pores called stomata that basically allow the plant to breathe. They let carbon dioxide in and release water vapor. Depending on the humidity, they can be turned on or off. But if they are closed for too long because the air is dry, it’s as if the plants are holding their breath!
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Low indoor humidity
OK, now that we know more about how different plants grow in natural climates, let’s take a look at the environment in your home.
When the weather is pleasantly warm, your home’s relative humidity stays between 40% and 60%, which is good for most houseplants. However, in winter, when the heat is on, the relative humidity can drop to 10%.
Just as this dry air can cause dry skin and a sore throat, it can also stress tropical plants because they need more air moisture.
A spray or pebble tray is not enough
There is a popular theory that misting plants helps increase humidity. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work. Spraying the leaves of the plant will slightly increase the humidity for a short period of time. To make it an effective tool, you need to spray every 30 minutes.
Also, if you spray your plants in bright, direct sunlight, the remaining droplets can act like tiny magnifying glasses, burning specks on the leaves. Also, excess moisture can take a long time to evaporate at night and act as an open invitation to mold and fungus. no, thank you!
Nebulization is a great workout for your forearms, and that’s all it’s good for.
Placing a water-filled gravel tray near your plants is another common way to increase relative humidity. They work by introducing water into the area near the plants. Over time, moisture in the air evaporates, increasing the relative humidity in the area.
Pebble bowls are better than misting, but not as effective as using a humidifier.
Indoor Plant Humidifier Instructions
Let’s see when you should use a humidifier for your plants. What time of day should you turn it on? What about season or season? How does the state of the room work? And most importantly, how much moisture is too much?
Best start time
The best time to run a humidifier on a plant is in the morning between sunrise and noon. You can turn it on for breakfast and turn it off for lunch.
This will give your plants plenty of moisture!
If your humidity is still a little low after checking with a hygrometer, you can leave the humidifier running for a while until the afternoon.
Don’t turn it on too late in the evening or after the sun goes down. Too much humidity at night can disrupt plants’ natural transpiration process (the way they breathe).
Room condition
Different plants have different ideal humidity ranges in which they thrive. You can use a hygrometer to test the relative humidity in your home to see if it’s in the correct range.
Typically, you will need to run a plant humidifier when the humidity is below 40%. Once the air humidity is above 65%, you can turn off the humidifier.
Weather and season
Each place has its own specific climate, but generally the humidity is high in summer and very low in winter.
Some of it boils down to chemistry and physics. Warmer air can hold more water vapor, while cooler air can’t hold as much water vapor. In winter, the relative humidity drops sharply due to the cold, lower ambient humidity and warmer indoor air.
You should run a humidifier on your plants in winter, when the air is dry, and in summer when you live in a climate with low humidity.
