“This ultimately creates a better exchange of oxygen and moisture. Misting one to two times per week can refresh your plants and keep them happy and thriving.” So it's OK to keep that pretty misting bottle near your plants—just don't let that be the only water they get.
“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.”
Misting creates humidity, and some tropical plants appreciate it (though there are more effective methods for increasing humidity around your plants), but it should supplement watering. To water properly, pour water directly on the soil until it runs out the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
The frequency of misting plants greatly depends on the season as well as the level of humidity in the air in your zone. However, in general, it is recommended that you mist your plants at least a few times per week after considering existing moisture levels around.
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!
Types of Plants That Like Mist
Tropical houseplants and plants that love high-humidity—such as the Chinese Evergreen, Boston Fern, and Majesty Palm—will benefit most from misting, says Plunkett. (Zebra plants, orchids, arrowhead plants, and begonias are just a few others that love mist.)
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.
Water dripping from leaf to leaf can also spread pathogens like harmful fungus and bacteria from leaf to leaf. Therefore, you shouldn't mist a plant with a condition like powdery mildew or a bacterial infection. Generally, you want to avoid misting so much that water is dripping off the leaves.
Most houseplants will thrive just fine without the use of a mister, Gillette says. Epiphytes will benefit though from a light misting every morning.
“Spritzing your plants is not the correct way to water your plants. In fact, it doesn't water them at all,” she says. While spritzing can provide some moisture, unless the plant really thrives in humidity (ferns, orchids, or bromeliads, for example), Hovis says spritzing can do more harm than good.
Your Spider Plant will do well in normal household humidity but will thrive with a bit more humidity. Brown leaf tips may indicate the air is too dry, so mist your Spider Plant regularly using a Mister.
2. Misting. This method of watering is not recommended for succulents at all. Instead, you should only mist your succulents when propagating cuttings, as mature succulents store water in their leaves.
Plants need fresh air to grow and dispose of their waste. The quality of the air plays a crucial role in photosynthesis. That makes fresh air important for taking your grow to a higher level. In nature fresh air is obviously readily available.
Humidity. Monstera Deliciosa enjoys a humid environment, which is why we recommend frequent misting of its leaves. Alternatively, you can place your plant close to other plants, which increases the humidity of the air around them.
As for misting — for the plants that need to be misted to thrive like air plants and ferns — it's best to mist them in the morning *and* the evening whenever possible. The morning mist helps to prepare them for the day ahead, while the evening misting helps create a little extra humidity.
In general, houseplants' potting soil should be kept moist, but not wet. They normally need watering once or twice a week in the spring and summer, but less in the autumn and winter. However, depending on the type of houseplant, this is not always the case.
It is not unusual to see an inside temperate that is more than 10 degrees Celsius lower than the outside temperature when the night humidity is below 35%. Plants prefer a higher humidity at night. A relative humidity of less than 75% at night is not desirable.
Misting does increase humidity around the plant. But for how long? When the mist lands on the plant, it sits there as water droplets. Over time, this water evaporate into vapor and spreads out in the whole room just like the water from the above pebble tray.
Humidifiers release moisture into the air that the plants absorb. The moisture they absorb helps them to grow. Also, when evapotranspiration occurs, it takes the excess vapor in the air which comes from the humidifier, leaving your plants hydrated at all times.
However, snake plants don't really benefit from misting, as they're native to arid regions and are used to dry conditions. The thick leaves of a snake plant also help to prevent water loss, so misting is usually unnecessary.
Let the water sit in the mister for about 24 hours prior to misting. This will help the chlorine evaporate from the water over time. Utilizing distilled water if it is available to you could be beneficial as well. Using filtered or distilled water, you avoid water build up and spots on leaves.
Placing a drip tray under your plant is key. If a drip tray is not available, simply put your plant in a basin, mist it and then put it back to its former place.