Misting is good," she says. Most houseplants will thrive just fine without the use of a mister, Gillette says.
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.
Misting your houseplants can be helpful to hydrate the leaves, cool the plant down in warm temperatures, and regulate water absorption. You should mist in the morning, taking care to spray the tops and bottoms of the leaves, and go for a nice, light coating.
An Essential Tool. This said, a good mister is still considered an essential tool for houseplant longevity. That's because misting is one of the best ways to keep your houseplants clean and healthy. Over time dust settles on leaves making it more difficult for light to be absorbed for photosynthesis.
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 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.”
Soap and water
Mix a tablespoon of soap in a spray bottle with water and spritz your plants to keep bugs like aphids and spider mites away. We also recommend L'Original, a black olive soil soap spray specifically formulated for plants to keep them clean and pest-free.
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.
Some plants want daily misting; others are OK with two to three times a week.
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.
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.
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.
But below are some things to think about and look for to help you get it right for your plants. It's good to remember, plants will use more water if more water is made available to them, so you can allow them to dry out a little between watering and they don't need to be wet all the time.
Most palm types, Ficus, Bamboo, and Schefflera, and others thrive in higher humidity. Most other non-succulent plants benefit from higher humidity because it reduces transpiration, leaf tipping, and can discourage mite pests.
Dawn dish soap can save your plants from pest infestation, but it can damage them as well — this may sound contradictory, but it's true! Too much of it dissolved in water can burn the leaves of your sensitive plants. If you want to make this work, do these things: For a gallon of water, 1 teaspoon of it is fine.
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.
Some plants don't need extra moisture, but here are some that love it: Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa), anthurium, orchids, fittonia, palms, African violet (but see next point), ferns, philodendrons, spathiphyllum, corn plant (Draceana fragrans 'Massangeana'), ctenanthe, banana, schefflera, arrowhead plant ( ...
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.
The way to avoid overwatering is to give plants water only when they need it. Don't follow a rigid schedule, such as watering every weekend. Instead, water only when soil is dry to the degree that's right for that particular plant. One of the top reasons houseplants die is due to overwatering.
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.
Avoid showering plants that don't like to get their leaves wet (such as African violets, Cyclamen, and Begonias).
Ice-Cube Method. Just put two ice cubes on the soil in the plant, as they melt, your plant will get water without any mess.