Humidifiers & Plants – Answering All Your Questions!

I’ve been seeing a lot of questions going around regarding humidifiers and how they work with your plants.

“Do they really help? Why should I use one? Where do I even put it?”

I decided I’d make this massive Q&A article to help you get a better understanding of how humidifiers interact with your plants and if they’re worth all the fuss.

Spoiler alert: They’re worth it.

Let’s not waste any time and get right into these questions!

Why Should I Use a Humidifier for My Plants?

This question has a two-part answer so I’ll break it down one at a time.

1. Other humidifying options usually don’t cut it for plants. Have you tried humidity trays? They’re not exactly the most effective method for humidifying your plants seeing as their effects start to fall off after a few days. A humidifier’s ability to stay on for hours at a time means the humidity they produce can last much longer than what a humidity tray could provide.
2. Sometimes plants need higher humidity than what your surroundings can provide. Plants have evolved naturally through plenty of years to survive in their most common environment.
   For example, plants that have been in high humidity areas have become accustomed to not having to absorb & hold water. Instead, they rely on the constant supply of water vapor in the air to nourish them.
   Constantly trying to water these plants instead of humidifying them is like feeding a newborn baby solid foods. They just don’t know how to have them.

By picking a humidifier for your plant & humidity solutions, not only are you picking the most effective option but you’re also picking the option that most plants require!

When Should I Use a Humidifier for My Plants?

You should be turning on your humidifier for your plants every morning, leaving it on just until about lunch. This will create enough humidity in the air for them to last throughout the day.

Consider getting a humidity gauge as well to get a better idea of what the humidity is like. If it’s too low you can always let the humidifier run for a while to bring the humidity levels up to the recommended level for your plants.

Whatever you do, avoid turning on your humidifier when the sun has gone down. Since there’s no sunlight, the water vapors won’t evaporate and will sit on the soil & plants, leading to them becoming soggy and weak. Excessive moisture in the air without sunlight can also lead to the growth of harmful mold and mildew.

What Are The Benefits of a Humidifier for Plants? Is a Humidifier Good for House Plants?

Here’s a straightforward question with a straightforward answer:

By raising the humidity in the air you’re helping your plants retain more moisture which is, of course, beneficial to their growth.

Getting a humidifier for your house/indoor plants is one of the best things you can do for them.

Due to increased humidity in the air, natural processes like evapotranspiration will choose to evaporate more water vapor from the air, instead of drawing moisture from your plants.

While there are other solutions to raising the humidity levels in your home, a humidifier is the best choice amongst them. Misting is effective at raising humidity levels only for a short time period. It would need to be done every half hour in order to keep up with the constant humidification a humidifier provides.

How Do You Add/Increase Humidity to Your Plants?

To increase the humidity that your plants are getting, there are a few simple things you can do.

• Get a Humidifier

This one’s obvious based on the article but – buy a humidifier! I’ve said a few times already in this article but I’ll say it again. A humidifier is the best permanent solution when it comes to increasing the humidity in an area for your plants.

• Make a Humidity Tray

A humidity tray is a quick and easy DIY project that can help contribute to raising the humidity for your plants. Typing out how to make a humidity tray would be kind of confusing so I went ahead and found a short 2-minute video that shows you how to make one.

• Group Your Plants

The last way you can increase humidity for your plants is by grouping them into clusters.

Not only does grouping your plants together make them and the area look better but there’s also actual science to encourage it!

By grouping your plants, the moisture the plants emit will essentially trap itself inside this “bubble”, and therefore will retain some of that moisture aka humidity!

Where to Place Humidifier for Plants?

As long as the humidifier is in the same room as your plants they’ll be fine.

Personally, I keep my humidifier about 4-6 feet away from my plants. This gives the plants just enough space to breathe comfortably while still absorbing water vapors without becoming weak or soggy.

If your humidifier has a spout or hose that you can set up to hang over the plants then I would recommend you do that! A hose is a nifty little tool to get more moisture directly onto your plants, helping them absorb it easier.

Is a Cool Mist Humidifier Good for Plants?

Yes, a cool-mist humidifier is perfectly fine to use for plants!

The thing is, there are some factors you should consider for your indoor grow area before purchasing a cool-mist humidifier. You might actually need a warm mist humidifier and not even know it! Here’s a list of factors to consider when considering either warm or cool:

• Temperature

This is probably pretty obvious but I have to state it anyway: temperature is probably the number one determinant on whether you should buy a warm mist or a cool-mist humidifier.
If you find that the area where your plants are has trouble staying warm, you might want a warm-mist humidifier.

Vice versa applies to cold-mist humidifiers. If it’s getting too warm in your grow area, a cool-mist humidifier is the right pick for you.

• Sanitation/Maintenance

Warm-mist humidifiers create the warm water by heating it to its boiling point. A positive side effect of the water being boiled is that it eliminates any bacteria in the water and prevents the growths of mold inside the humidifiers tank. At the end of the day, this translates to you not having to clean the humidifier too often.

On the flip side, because cool-mist humidifiers keep the water in the tank at room temperature, that moist environment inside the tank is prone to mold growth. To prevent this, you’ll have to clean the tank and components of the cool-mist humidifier often.

• Power Consumption

As you just read above, warm-mist humidifiers heat the water to boiling while inside the tank. As you can guess, that uses electricity! Not a whole lot but it’s still a small factor to consider.

Since cool-mist humidifiers simply store the water at room temperature, there’s little electrical usage from them (besides the whole humidifying thing).

Wrapping Up

Summarizing everything in this article – if you’re serious about growing plants indoors, buying a humidifier is the right choice.

It’s the most effective and longest-lasting method for keeping your growing plants healthy.

I hope I’ve answered all the important questions you had when it comes to humidifiers and plants. If I haven’t, please feel free to comment on this post with your questions and I’ll be sure to get back to you with an answer!

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂