Do Peace Lilies Need Misting? (+Ideal Humidity)

Peace lilies are popular houseplants that are great air purifiers and have unique flowers. Since peace lilies are tropical plants, many people like to mist them to increase their humidity. But do peace lilies need misting? Let’s find out. 

As a tropical plant, peace lilies like to be misted every other day as it helps with the humidity. However, if the area is not well ventilated and the humidity is already high, it might lead to pest infestation and fungal diseases. Using a humidifier is an excellent alternative to boost humidity.

Misting helps to add humidity to these plants besides keeping the leaves clean. 

The leaves of the peace lily are great at handling high humidity levels. However, misting may not suffice the humidity requirements of the plant. In such cases, you can try other methods such as using a humidifier, a pebble tray, or grouping plants together. 

Keep reading this article as we will discuss how you can mist your peace lily, the humidity requirements of the peace lily, and the other ways of increasing the humidity for these plants.

Should I mist my peace lily?

Yes, you should mist your peace lily, but if that does not match your expectations and solve the humidity requirements of the plant, you can consider other ways of increasing the humidity.

If you have average humidity in your area and want to add more to your peace lily, misting can help, but misting will not be enough if the relative humidity is lower than 40%.

The reason is that the water droplets that remain on the leaves due to misting start evaporating fast when the humidity is low. And you’ll notice that the droplets have evaporated in a blink of an eye. So, that will not add too much humidity.

That doesn’t, however, mean that you must stop misting your peace lily. Keep misting it and also find another way of increasing the humidity that will have a long-lasting effect.

However, if you live in a high humidity area, you must not mist your peace lily. In this case, the water droplets will stay on the leaves for a long time. If the plant doesn’t get proper air circulation, it will become prone to bacterial and fungal diseases and pest infestation.

Do peace lilies like humidity?

Peace lilies originate from a tropical climate. They prefer a warm and humid environment for optimum growth.

But as a houseplant, they do not get as much humidity or temperature. But still, if you can provide sufficient humidity, temperature and fulfill the other needs of the peace lily, you can make them flourish.

Let’s understand why humidity plays such an essential role in the growth of the peace lilies.

Plants that come from tropical regions love humidity, and peace lily is no different.

Without proper humidity, the plants will not photosynthesize, produce food and energy, or grow efficiently.

When the humidity is high, the plants open the stomata (pores present on the leaf’s surface) to exchange the air required for photosynthesis. But if the humidity is low, the plants will lose excess water and moisture if they open the pores for transpiration.

Therefore, the plants do not transpire if the humidity is low, which hampers their normal functioning and photosynthesis. But if the humidity is high, your peace lily will not face this issue.

How to check the humidity level of the room?

Checking the room’s humidity level is necessary as there is no other way to figure out how much humidity is present inside your house.

You can check the humidity by using a hygrometer. It is a device that was made to measure the relative humidity of a space. You can install one in the room where the peace lily is placed.

There are many portable hygrometers available in the market, and getting one will help you determine the humidity level of different rooms of your house. The humidity levels will not be the same for all the rooms.

Rooms like the kitchen, bathroom, or basement will have higher humidity levels than the house’s other rooms.

The humidity levels will also depend on the season, temperature fluctuations, and other factors.

Therefore, you must get a hygrometer to understand the house’s humidity and provide humidity to the plants accordingly.

How much humidity do peace lilies need?

Peace lilies prefer high humidity levels. Try to maintain at least 50% humidity level to have a thriving and growing peace lily in the house.

However, you can increase the humidity if possible as that will be beneficial for the plant’s growth.

Along with humidity, make sure that the peace lily is getting temperatures between 68-85°F.

Signs that your peace lily needs more humidity

You will come across these signs if your peace lily doesn’t get enough humidity. 

• Droopy leaves
• Curling of leaves
• Brown edges on leaves
• New leaves turning yellow
• Wilting of leaves
• Dry and crisp foliage

These signs are similar to an underwatered peace lily plant, but if you are sure that the peace lily is getting the right amount of water, you need to check the humidity as that might be causing all the problems.

How do you keep peace lilies humid?

The most popular way of increasing the humidity levels for the houseplants is by misting or by preparing a pebble tray for them.

While you can opt for these methods, the problem lies in that these methods do not give a long-term solution to the humidity problems.

If the humidity levels are low in your area, you must look for other alternatives that will provide a long-lasting solution.

1. Group the humidity-loving plants together

Grouping the houseplants is an excellent way of adding humidity to all the plants. These plants transpire, and during transpiration, they release a small amount of moisture around themselves, increasing the humidity level around the plants.

However, make sure to group only the humidity-loving plants.

2. Add a humidifier to increase the humidity

Purchasing a high-quality humidifier is an investment that your plants will thank you for. A humidifier can alter the humidity levels of the room by releasing moisture.

Getting a humidifier is a fantastic way of increasing the humidity for your peace lily plant, and it will maintain the required humidity level efficiently.

Before you purchase one, measure the room and get one that can add humidity to the whole room.

3. Add an aquarium to raise the humidity

Get a small or medium-sized aquarium that will be suitable for your room. When the water of the aquarium evaporates, it will raise the humidity around that area.

You can place your peace lily near the aquarium, and the water will evaporate and slowly add humidity to the plant.

The aquarium water is also beneficial for the houseplants. If you plan to change the aquarium’s water, instead of throwing it away, water your plants with it. This water is rich in nitrogen and can act as an excellent fertilizer for your plants.

4. Add a moss pole

Adding a moss pole can raise the humidity for the peace lily. Moss is well-known for its water retention ability. The water will slowly evaporate from the moss pole and increase the humidity around your peace lily plant.

5. Relocate to the bathroom or kitchen

We have mentioned that rooms like the bathroom, kitchen, or basement have higher humidity levels. So, you can relocate your peace lily plant to these rooms if it is not getting sufficient humidity.

However, do this only if these rooms have enough light and airflow to keep your peace lily healthy.

6. Reduce the temperature of the room

Lowering the temperature of the room can increase the humidity for your peace lily. How? A study states that warmer air will hold less moisture than cool air.

However, be careful as you don’t want to lower the temperature too much to stress the plant. Maintain the average temperature that is required for your peace lily.

But yes, lowering the room temperature can increase the humidity level.

7. Add an indoor greenhouse

You can create a mini greenhouse made up of plastic or glass. Like a usual greenhouse, this will trap the moisture inside and increase the humidity for your plants.

Choose one that goes with the size of your peace lily. Such greenhouses are available online, so you can get one by placing an online order.

If you don’t want to get one online, you can even create one yourself. This will also work as a great piece of decor.

Final words

Peace lilies will appreciate being misted. So, you can mist your peace lily multiple times a week. But, if you are looking for a long-term solution, you might need to think beyond misting.

Misting will only work for a short while, and the amount of humidity it provides will not be sufficient for your peace lily. This is the reason why many people don’t prefer misting.

You can opt for any other long-term solution of raising the humidity for your peace lily. You can opt for a humidifier, get an aquarium, or create a mini-greenhouse inside the house. You can continue misting along with these.

However, do not mist if the water droplets are staying on the leaves for an extended period. This can cause various problems, such as pest infestation.

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Ref: ScienceDirect, NCBI, University of Vermont, Nationalgeographic, NC state university, University of Florida, The University of Arkansas, Queensland Government.

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