Do Philodendron Like To Be Misted? (+Ways To Boost Humidity)

Philodendrons originate from the tropical regions where they get a lot of humidity. These plants prefer warm temperatures and high humidity levels. High humidity levels are essential for the growth of philodendrons. Many houseplant owners like to mist their plants to increase the humidity. However, do philodendrons like to be misted? Let’s find out.

Philodendrons like to be misted as they prefer high humidity levels, and it also helps keep the leaves clean and shiny. However, if the area is not ventilated or humidity is already high, then misting might attract pest and fungal diseases. Mix neem oil in the mister before misting.

Philodendrons will require more humidity than most of the houseplants. You can use a hygrometer that will help you determine the humidity level inside your house.

Philodendrons will develop problems if the humidity levels drop below 50%, so you should never neglect the humidity requirements of the philodendron if you want to see it healthy.

Read this article to find out different ways of increasing the humidity levels for your philodendron.

Should I mist my philodendron?

Philodendrons like to be misted as they need a lot of humidity. However, if you stay in a dry region, then misting will not help much. You need to use other methods to increase the humidity for the philodendrons.

In case the humidity is high, and the air circulation is lacking in the area where your philodendron is placed, there can be chances of pest infestation or leaf damage. If the water from the misting remains on the leaves for long and doesn’t move due to lack of ventilation, it will create a perfect environment for pest infestation.

If you ask houseplant communities about misting, you will get a divided opinion. While some will say that misting is excellent, others suggest that misting can cause other problems for the plants.

Let’s understand what these people have to say about misting.

Misting supporters	Against misting
Increases humidity	The humidity doesn’t last long
Cleans the leaves and foliage	Increases risk of pest infestation and diseases
Misting with neem oil solution prevents pest infestation	Can cause leaf damage

Although misting can increase the humidity for a while, it doesn’t help for long. If you want to keep the humidity level raised for your philodendron, you should consider other options.

To increase the humidity for the plants with misting, you’ll need to mist every few minutes that is tedious and not practical. Therefore, we have listed some better alternatives of misting in this article below.

Do philodendrons like humidity?

Philodendrons originate from tropical America, where they grow in a hot and humid climate. If we can mimic the same when we keep them as houseplants, they will grow best.

However, let us first understand why humidity is such an important concern for the philodendrons.

Humidity is essential because this plays a vital role in the health and growth of plants.

The transpiration rate of the plants depends on humidity. This is because plants transpire through the stomata, which don’t open in low humidity levels.

Stomata are present below the surface of the leaves, and these small holes help the plants exchange air from the environment.

However, when the humidity levels are low, the stomata don’t open as the plant will lose water. The plants don’t transpire in such conditions to conserve water.

The lack of transpiration slows down the process of photosynthesis that affects the growth and health of the plant.

Therefore, providing proper humidity to the philodendron is crucial even when it is kept in a limited and controlled environment.

How to check the humidity level of your room?

You can check the humidity levels of the room with the help of a hygrometer. Hygrometers are small portable devices that are created to measure the relative humidity of a room. You can purchase one online.

Not all the rooms have the same humidity levels in your house. For example, the bathroom, kitchen, or basement will have higher humidity levels than your living room or bedroom.

The humidity level depends on other external conditions such as temperature, weather, and season.

So, getting a hygrometer can be very useful. These come in affordable ranges and will help you to track the humidity of your house.

Signs philodendrons need humidity

Some common signs that can tell you that your philodendron requires more humidity include:

• Yellow leaves
• Droopy leaves
• Wilting of leaves
• Crispy foliage
• Brown edges on leaves

These signs can be caused for other reasons, but if there is no other problem in the philodendron, humidity is the issue, and you need to do something about it.

How to increase the humidity for philodendron?

Suppose you are facing a lot of humidity fluctuations in your area or living in a low humidity zone. In that case, you need to take some steps to increase the humidity for your houseplants to ensure that they are thriving.

There are various ways of increasing humidity for the houseplants, some of which are misting or using a pebble tray. However, these methods don’t do much in the long run.

So, we have listed other effective methods of increasing the humidity for your philodendron and other houseplants that will work better than misting or using a pebble tray.

Use a humidifier

We have already mentioned that you can use a humidifier to increase the humidity for your houseplants. A high-quality humidifier is a good investment as it can go a long way and is a convenient and affordable method of increasing humidity levels.

Get a humidifier that suits the size of your room. Humidifiers are recommended as these can add higher humidity levels that remain in the environment for longer.

This is the easiest and effective method of adding humidity around your houseplants, significantly when the humidity levels drop below 50%.

Add an aquarium

Add a small or medium-sized aquarium to your room, depending on its size.

An aquarium can increase the humidity of the room. When the aquarium’s water evaporates slowly, it increases humidity by adding moisture to the air. This creates an ideal environment for your philodendron.

You can even use the aquarium water to water your philodendron and other houseplants. It is a good source of nitrogen and other minerals that can be very helpful for houseplants.

Group your philodendron with other houseplants

Grouping plants together is a good and easy way of increasing the humidity for your plants. The reason behind this is transpiration.

The plants release some amount of moisture in the air when they transpire.

Grouping many houseplants together will raise the humidity in that area as all the plants will transpire and release moisture that will help maintain high humidity levels.

However, you should not group humidity-loving plants with plants that require low humidity, as that will not be helpful.

Lower the temperature of the room

Low-temperature levels can help with the humidity.

Cold air retains more moisture whereas, warm air retains less moisture. Therefore, if you live in a low humidity area, lowering the temperature can help retain more moisture for the philodendron.

In case no other option is available, you can lower the temperature inside the room to help the plant get the correct humidity.

Keep some bowls of water

If you don’t want to get an aquarium or don’t have space for one, you can use some bowls of water instead.

If you keep a few bowls of water in the room, the water will slowly evaporate from the bowls and add moisture to the air.

You can even boil the water and keep that in the room so that the steam rising from the boiled water can increase the moisture level.

However, you should be careful as lack of ventilation can lead to molds on the wall or any other part of the room.

Add an indoor greenhouse

Yes, there are mini-greenhouses available made of plastic or glass that retains moisture around your houseplants. It helps the plants get enough humidity and works as a décor piece in your house.

If you live in an arid environment, getting an indoor greenhouse is an excellent way to add humidity to your houseplants.

These mini-greenhouses create an environment for the high-demanding plants where they can thrive.

If you have enough space inside your house, you can get a bigger greenhouse.

You can always buy a good greenhouse from Etsy if you can’t find it nearby.

Add a moss pole

You can add a moss pole that can add some moisture around your philodendron.

A moss pole can also support the plant that can add height to the plant and help develop the plant.

It also helps the plant develop aerial roots that enhance the overall growth of the philodendron.

Moss poles come in different sizes, and you can get one as per your requirement.

Final words

Philodendrons are known for surviving different cultural conditions, but adding some humidity to the plant during the cold months can be very helpful for your plant.

You should not keep the philodendron wet just because it loves moisture. Keeping the leaves or the soil wet for too long can lead to various other problems, so you should reevaluate your watering schedule during the cold and dry months of winter.

If you intend to keep your plant healthy by providing it some extra moisture, you can consider any of the ways discussed in this article and use it to increase the humidity level for your philodendron.

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Ref: Evaluation of Different Species of Philodendron Under Indoor Conditions, University of Florida, University of Vermont, ScienceDirect, Academia, Wikipedia, Britannica.