10 Simple Ways to Create Humidity for Plants

When it comes to gardening, you know the importance of humidity. Humidity helps plants grow and thrive by providing water vapor in the air. But what if your home environment doesn’t provide enough natural humidity?

You might find yourself asking questions like how can I create more humidity for plants or how do I increase humidity indoors. We’re here to help with some easy solutions!

The first thing you’ll want to do is take a look at any enclosed areas in your home where heat has been trapped – such as a bathroom or laundry room.

These rooms are most likely going to be hotter than other parts of your house because they don’t have windows that allow air circulation, which will lead to less moisture in the air and make it harder for plants to thrive.

But worry not, we are here to help you out with our DIY humidifier for plants methods. So without waiting further, let’s skip to the good part.

10 DIY Plants Humidifier Methods You Can Try

1. Use a bowl of water

Place a large bowl on the table or on some other platform. Ensure that it is not located in an area where people tend to stand around for too long. The height of the bowl should be just fine, neither too high nor too low.

Water should be filled in the bowl until only about 3 inches are left at the top. This is to avoid overflow and wastage of water.

Keep a check on the water level and add more water as and when required. You can also use ice cubes to increase the humidity in the room. The colder the weather, the lesser you would need to fill up the bowl with water.

This is a very easy way to increase the humidity for your plants and is the most common way that people use it.

2. Place your plants near a water source

It is highly recommended to place your plants near a water source because due to nature’s cycle of evaporation, the area near water stays moisturized. This will help plants to stay humid, and protect themselves from damage.

If you have only indoor plants, then follow the first method but add a little twist to it. Boil the water, and then place it near the plant, because the water will automatically start evaporating, and help the plants stay moisturized.

3. Wet a towel and place it near the plants

The least effective method, but still, you can give it a try. All you have to do is, take a dry towel and wet it with some water. Make sure that the towel is not dripping wet. Now, place it near the plants. The evaporation of water from the towel will increase humidity in the air and your plants will flourish.

4. Sprinkle Water on the leaves of plants (misting)

If you don’t like keeping a wet towel near your plants, then there is another easy way to increase humidity for plants. Just sprinkle some water on the leaves of your plants.

You can do this in the morning when the sun is not so harsh or at night when there isn’t much sunlight around. This will go a long way in increasing humidity. This method helps increase humidity for plants, and keep them fresh. Many vegetable vendors also do this to keep the vegetables fresh, so this is a good technique for home plants too.

5. Keep plants on the gravel (pebble trays)

A solid and most recommended method to increase humidity for plants is using pebble trays. These trays can either be made at home or purchased online. However, making one at home is quick and easy.

All you have to do is:

Check your garden for small pebbles and rocks, and collect them.
Take an old plastic tray, and put all the pebbles in it.
Sprinkle some water on it, make sure the pebbles appear to be wet and don’t leave any of it dry.
Now place your plants on top of the pebble tray, and leave them.

The above method is good for indoor plants, but if your plants are out in the garden, just create a circumference boundary of pebble rocks around your plant, and pour water on them. The pebble rocks absorb the excess water and slowly release it into the environment, thus creating moisture which will be good for the plants.

6. Group your plants together

Just like humans and pets, who cuddle during winter to stay warm, plants should also be grouped together so that they stay moisturized. If your plants are sitting idle in each corner of the room, then it is high time to bring them together.

In this way, they will share the moisture among each other which is naturally released from plants, and will also stay healthy. You can also mist the plants in the morning and see them grow nicely after some time.

7. Put the plants near the bathroom or sink

While some of you may not agree, keeping plants near the bathroom or sink helps them to stay humid. This is just another way to increase humidity for plants, and it is very effective because our bathrooms and the area near the sink are humid.

There are many guides and tutorials available on how to decorate your bathroom with plants, here’s a video tutorial you can watch.

8. Water the pots

We normally water the plants’ roots but overwatering can damage the roots, and plants may die. Therefore, to increase humidity for plants, make sure you have planted them in pots made of mud because they can absorb water, and help keep the plants humid.

So, take a water gun or a hose and shoot some water onto the pot of your plants. Make sure not to overdo it as this can lead to waterlogging and root rot, which is dangerous for your plants. The best time to do this is in the morning before the heat of the sun reaches its peak.

9. Use a humidifier (best method)

If you find it difficult to increase humidity for your plants in any of the ways mentioned above, then you can always use a humidifier. This is an electronic device that helps increase the humidity level in the air and is especially beneficial for people who suffer from respiratory problems.

This is not an expensive method, as humidifiers are also available for as low as $30, and hey, you can check out our recommendations for the best humidifiers for plants. Make sure you regularly clean your humidifier and use only distilled water in it.

10. Covering the plant with a plastic bag

This is the last method on our list and is a little bit more tricky than the others. You’ll need to cover the pot of the plant with a plastic bag and make sure that it’s airtight. Now, poke some holes in the bag and place it in a sunny spot.

The heat from the sun will cause the water in the bag to evaporate and increase the humidity level of the plant.

Make sure you closely monitor your plant’s soil and water levels as humidity tend to bring a lot of fungal problems along with it. You will need to ensure that the moisture level is high enough for the plant to survive, but not so much that fungus finds its way into the pot!

How to find out if your plants require humidity or not?

Not all plants require high levels of humidity to grow and thrive. There are a few ways that you can find out if your plants need more humidity or not.

1. The leaves of the plant will curl up if it’s dehydrated

If your plant’s leaves begin to curl up, then chances are that they need more humidity. Keep a close eye on this and monitor their daily intake of water.

2. Does your plant have spots or fungus?

If you notice that your plant has fungus or is developing dark spots on its leaves, this is a big indication that the humidity levels are way too low for it to survive.

3. If your plant has little pink flowers

Flowers indicate that the humidity level of the soil around them must be around 50% or more. With any less than that, they will dry up and die.

4. Buds will appear before the blooms

If there is a bud on your plant, but it hasn’t blossomed yet, then this is another good indication that humidity levels are too low. Buds will not appear if humidity levels are not high enough.

5. Your plant won’t wilt

If your plant doesn’t often wilt and seems to be doing fine, then chances are that it’s getting enough humidity. This isn’t a sure-fire way of checking for humidity levels as some plants don’t wilt even if they’re dehydrated. However, this is a good indicator if your plant doesn’t seem stressed with the current humidity levels around it.

6. Your plant’s leaves will have a blue hue to them

If your plant’s leaves seem to have a slight bluish tint to them, then this is another indicator that humidity levels are too low. This is because when the humidity in the air is high, the amount of water vapor present in it increases. This creates a cloud-like effect and gives the leaves of the plant a lighter color.

Wrapping Up

There you have it, 10 simple ways on how to create humidity for plants. From a water gun in the morning, potting mix delivery systems, burlap sacks, and more!

As long as you provide the right humidity levels for your plants, they will surely grow big and strong in no time.

Just be sure to monitor their soil and water levels closely as increased humidity can also bring along a lot of fungal problems.