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.
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.
In general, plants that require high humidity levels will benefit from a cool mist humidifier, while plants that prefer lower humidity levels will do better with a warm mist humidifier.
Dry climates can be tough on tropical indoor plants, so consider using a cool-mist, ultrasonic, or warm mist humidifier near your indoor plants for at least 6 hours a day. You can weigh the pros and cons of each type of humidifier to see which type is best suited for you.
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.
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.
Humidifiers are devices that add moisture to the air. They can ease sore throats, dry nasal passages, and cracked lips or skin. Cool mist humidifiers can spread harmful bacteria that can make you sick. Warm mist humidifiers rarely disperse harmful bacteria, but the hot water or steam can scald you.
Benefits of warm mist humidifiers
The high temperature reduces the growth of bacteria and germs, plus they don't make a lot of noise. Since humidifiers are typically used in winter, the warm mist of air can be nicer than a cold one, too.
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.
If it is a warm humidifier, ones that heats and evaporates the water, any water will be fine. However, tap water will leave scale behind on a warm humidifier, so distilled water or RO would probably be best either way.
A humidifier is the most obvious solution to dry air. But are humidifiers good for plants? Yes—the added moisture benefits most houseplants (and people, too). If you don't want to install a whole-house humidifier, place a small room humidifier or vaporizer near plants instead.
As a rule of thumb, all cacti, drought tolerant plants, and the great majority of succulents, should never be misted!
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.
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.
For safety, always use cool-mist humidifiers for children. Hot water or steam from a warm-mist humidifier or steam vaporizer can burn a child if he or she gets too close. Hot water might also cause burns in the event of a spill. Humidifiers add moisture to the air.
In dry, warm climates, you may want to humidify a room without heating it, making cool mist humidifiers a better choice.
Because they keep air warm while also keeping it humidified, warm mist humidifiers are best for people who suffer from dry nasal passages or breathing difficulties. Cool mist humidifiers do provide much-needed moisture to a room, but don't provide any real warmth—so if you need heat, stick with a warm mist option.
“Some plants thrive in humidity,” explains Hank Jenkins of the Plant Provocateur in Silver Lake. “If you don't give them moisture, their leaves will dry out. If you want new foliage and growth, you need to mist them.”
Warm mist humidifiers boil water to create steam. This is then sprayed into the atmosphere of your room to increase the amount of moisture in the air. They are a great help if you are suffering with nasal congestion and throat irritations. Warm mist humidifiers can also be useful with medications.
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%.
No, not all indoor plants need high humidity, but most prefer humidity above 50%. Some are happy at the same level we are, and some tolerate dry air better than others. For hardier plants, the humidity of your home may be okay, no humidifier needed, especially in a typical humid New Zealand summer.
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.