Consider misting your plants once or twice a week during the cooler months because the air is dry, and require less frequent misting in warmer months when humidity levels are higher.
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.
“A lot of people don't understand the importance of misting,” adds Jenkins. “Misting is one of the top things that you can do for your houseplants. I advise my clients to mist their houseplants one to two times per week.”
Some plants want daily misting; others are OK with two to three times a week.
Letting the leaves get too wet and / or allowing them to stay excessively wet for a prolonged period of time can encourage mold growth on the leaf surface, so it's always important to ensure you don't ever allow puddles of water to form on your plants' leaves - this applies when watering as well as when misting.
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
(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.
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.
Misting can be especially helpful on warm days when temperatures may get too high for plants and they may lose a lot of water. If you mist your plants in the morning, the water will evaporate off the surface of the leaf during the day.
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. Taking a look at the SH8830 humidifier, it has both the cool mist and warm mist setting depending on the choice you make.
Recent studies show that touching plants alters their genome, reducing their growth by upwards of 30%. It's crucial to avoid unnecessary contact as much as possible to prevent your plant from getting stressed.
It's best to use filtered water if it is available. If you do not have filtered water available. 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.
“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.
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.
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.
Use filtered or rain water that doesn't contain chlorine, fluoride or other chemicals. Always mist your plants in the morning so the leaves can dry out during the day.
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 greatly increases the humidity level around the plants and lowers the temperature, creating the type of habitat in which they thrive. There is a nozzle mist head known as Fogg-it that fits on the end of your garden hose and sprays a super fine mist on plants.
Most plants tolerate normal temperature fluctuations. In general, foliage plants grow best between 70 degrees and 80 degrees F. during the day and between 60 degrees to 68 degrees F. at night.
A true classic, snake plant (also known as Sansevieria or mother-in-law's tongue) thrives on neglect. This super-easy plant grows in low or medium light and can go for long periods without taking a drink. It's the perfect plant for frequent travelers who may be on the road for extended periods.
Set your mister on a timer for 10 to 15 minutes mid-morning," she suggests. "Alternately, set the plants in a tray of pebbles and hand-mist the pebbles and leaves with a mist sprayer. Avoid spraying directly onto the leaves. You want to create moisture in the air around the leaves.
Consider misting your plants once or twice a week during the cooler months because the air is dry, and require less frequent misting in warmer months when humidity levels are higher.