A: To a plant, there's no difference in the mist temperature. However, warm misting humidifiers sanitize the water as they heat it to vapor. That means there's a slightly smaller chance that humidity-borne diseases can develop with a warm mist temperature.
The temperature of where your houseplants reside is important to take note of when purchasing a humidifier. If your plants are staying in a place where they're too warm, then you need a cool-mist humidifier. However, if they're staying where it's too cool, then you need a warm mist humidifier.
Plants can benefit from both warm and cool-mist humidifiers, but the choice between the two depends on the needs of the specific plants and the environment they are in.
Although any humidifier is sure to benefit your plants, ultrasonic humidifiers are an especially great choice. “Ultrasonic humidifiers are popular for plants because they produce a fine mist easily absorbed by the plants,” says Root.
Warm mist humidifiers, also called vaporizers, are not recommended for plants. That's not to say you can't use them, just that the distance from your plants should be increased, and there's the added risk that comes from containing boiling water.
A: To a plant, there's no difference in the mist temperature. However, warm misting humidifiers sanitize the water as they heat it to vapor. That means there's a slightly smaller chance that humidity-borne diseases can develop with a warm mist temperature.
After you have purchased your humidifier of choice, then comes the question: where do you put it? In general, keep the humidifier elevated off the ground and place it about 3-5 feet from your plants.
You wouldn't use humidifiers for plants that don't need a lot of water, such as cacti, succulents, and snake plants. However, there are a few specific things you'll want to consider when choosing the best humidifier for plants, as described in the next section.
Humidifiers can also be a handy alternative to misting by producing a steady stream of light mist to increase relative humidity around your plant. As long as your misting apparatus produces a nice, fine mist instead of a spray of large water droplets, you're good to go!
Misting is highly recommended at least once a month, and more often with species that enjoy it (see full list below). Be sure to spray the top and underside of your leaves, and if using for cleaning your leaves, wipe the leaves down with a cloth after misting to remove dust.
Types of Plants That Like Mist
(Zebra plants, orchids, arrowhead plants, and begonias are just a few others that love mist.) "It's best to mist each of these plants as you see the top inch of the soil become dry to the touch," he says.
Some plants want daily misting; others are OK with two to three times a week.
As a rule of thumb, all cacti, drought tolerant plants, and the great majority of succulents, should never be misted!
Too much of anything is not always a good thing. We think that it is appropriate to mist in doses of 1-2 times per week depending on the plant's temperament and environment. Over-misting plants can attract pests. Make sure to spray the undersides of leaves, lightly.
Unlike warm-mist humidifiers, cool-mist versions add moisture to indoor air without boiling water and producing steam. With no potential to burn or scald, cool-mist humidifiers are the only humidifier type that pediatricians recommend for households with babies and young children.
Generally, as the temperature increases, humidity should too to compensate for the increase in transpiration. Higher humidity is more desirable in the vegetative phase of your plants' life cycle; in the day time (21-28°C), you want humidity around 65-80%, while at night (15-23°C) you need to aim for 55-70%.
Do not place your humidifier so that it blows directly onto your plants. Many people make this mistake. You don't want your plants to be constantly wet otherwise this can cause fungal issues or worse. Instead, aim your humidifier so that it doesn't directly wet any of your plants.
When conditions are too humid, it may promote the growth of mold and bacteria that cause plants to die and crops to fail, as well as conditions like root or crown rot. Humid conditions also invite the presence of pests, such as fungus gnats, whose larva feed on plant roots and thrive in moist soil.
Other than that, we can recommend that larger humidifiers are placed in the corner of your bedroom. Not only are they out the way, it means they're in the optimal place to provide full room coverage. If you have bought your humidifier solely to sleep better, somewhere nearer to your bed would make sense.
Mist your plants.
Keep a misting bottle filled with clean water near your growing area and spray the plants every so often. Misting is especially helpful at the beginning of the winter season when the humidity drops rapidly with the temperature.
Avoid putting it too close to them so that if they play and accidentally knock it over, they won't cause a water spill that can lead to some accidents. Placing the humidifiers at least 3 feet away from their beds is recommended.
Otherwise, the area directly around the humidifier can become to moist. This can create several problems, slippery wood floors that can cause falls or mold / mildew if carpeting is directly below. Our recommendation of the best place to put the humidifier is on a small table about two feet off the ground.
Place your plants in steamy settings to keep them contented.
Therefore, ferns, which rate among the highest humidity-craving plants, probably will thrive best in the bathroom. Since they don't require high levels of light, they shouldn't mind the frosted privacy windows often found there.