A humidity dome is a fantastic tool that can aid your seed-starting adventure. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned seed-starter, using a humidity dome can significantly improve your germination rate and seedling success. In other words, more plants!

Starting seeds indoors is not only a cost-effective way to raise seedlings and start your garden, but it’s also a rewarding gardening activity. You start with this inert fleck or nugget of a seed, add just the right growing conditions, and in a few weeks’ time you have an actively growing plant. The process is no less than a miracle.

What Is a Humidity Dome?

A humidity dome is a clear plastic cover that is placed over a tray or pot sown with seeds. The clear nature of the material lets in light needed for growth of the just-germinated seeds.

It's possible to cover a tray or pot with plastic wrap or a flat piece of glass or plastic. A dome- or cloche-shaped cover has the added benefit of giving the just-emerged seedlings several more inches of room to grow, and can be used when planting seeds indoors or outside.

How Does a Humidity Dome Work?

Covering trays and pots creates a controlled environment that provides the ideal conditions for seed germination. A consistently warm and humid environment encourages seeds to break their dormancy, allowing the first roots and leaves to emerge.

A lightly watered seed tray will eventually begin to evaporate its water. With a dome on top, the water will condense on the inside of the dome and trickle downward. You’ve created a water cycle that efficiently reuses water in the system. This means the system will stay moist without frequent watering. This trapped moisture also helps prevent the soil, seeds, and young seedlings from drying out, which is one of the most common seed-starting mistakes when using trays.

This germination station from Amazon has an innovative drip-irrigation chamber that can be refilled, so you can keep seedlings hydrated without lifting the lid and disturbing your delicate seeds. It also has grow lights built into the humidity dome.

Additionally, a dome helps to create a warm environment much like starting seeds in a greenhouse would. This environment can be several degrees warmer and much more humid than the air inside a home during peak seed-starting season. If your home is cool and dry in winter, using a humidity dome will increase your chance of seed germination success.

To summarize, a humidity dome’s benefits include:

• Increased germination rates: Consistent moisture and humidity help the growing medium to stay evenly moist, and in turn that helps produce a more uniform germination.
• Regulated temperature: A consistent temperature helps seeds to sprout.
• Protection from drafts: If you are using a window as a light source for your seed-starting venture, a dome will prevent drafts from creating temperature changes around those delicate seedlings.
• Less of a need to water: By creating a mini water cycle, you’re making efficient use of the water within the system. That means you can relax a bit around constantly watering your seeds and seedlings.

When to Open Vents on a Humidity Dome​

Some humidity domes, such as the this option on Amazon, have built-in adjustable vents. These open to varying degrees to allow air to circulate inside the dome. Sometimes too much moisture builds up inside. Couple this with warmth and you have ideal conditions for the growth of fungal spores. Vents help to release excess moisture and prevent the spread of mold on seedlings.

The general rules of thumb for opening and closing the vents are:

Close vents during the early germination stage. Keep the vents closed after sowing your seeds to create a humid and warm environment that will encourage seeds to break dormancy. Remove the dome every few days to check on the soil’s moisture levels and return the dome to the tray promptly.

Open vents after seeds have germinated. Once small seedlings begin to grow, open vents slightly to introduce airflow inside the dome. This airflow will help prevent a fungal disease known as damping off. Having the vents open just slightly will still allow for some humidity to build up inside the dome.

When to Remove Humidity Dome for Seedlings​

The dome is not meant to stay on your tray for the entirety of your seedlings' time in the tray. Remove the dome when the seedlings develop their first set of true leaves. Removing the dome will help the seedlings become accustomed to the indoor environment. It also ensures the seedlings don’t become cramped inside the dome, which can lead to moldy conditions.

Keep an eye on the seedlings after removing the dome. If you think you took it off too soon, you can always place it back on the tray for a few more days.

Making a DIY Humidity Dome

Amazon has several different germination kits with humidity domes that get you on your seed-starting journey right away. However, you can create do-it-yourself humidity domes from everyday materials.

As mentioned earlier, plastic wrap stretched over the top of a pot or tray will create a warm and humid environment. You can poke holes through the plastic for venting. The wrap won’t allow for the seedlings to grow very tall.

You can also make a DIY mini greenhouse using plastic jugs. Milk jug seed starting is a popular option. Just make a horizontal cut through the jug to separate the bottom (in which you’ll sow your seeds) from the top (which you’ll use as the “dome”).

Another DIY option is to use takeout containers that have a clear plastic lid. Again, poke holes through that lid when it comes time for venting.

Do You Really Need a Dome?

It’s possible to germinate seeds in a tray without a dome if you have a naturally warm and moist environment. This might occur if you are starting your seeds in a warm sunporch in mid to late spring, or if you use a humidifier and keep careful watch over your seed trays.

Using a humidity dome simplifies the seed-starting process. It can be especially useful for those new to seed-starting or for seeds that require more precise growing conditions, such as those of warm-weather crops like tomatoes and peppers. If you live in a dry or cold climate, a humidity dome can be super helpful in providing just the right conditions to coax your seeds into growing.

More Seed-Starting Inspiration

• Make the perfect DIY seed-starting mix with these easy recipes to ensure strong, healthy seedlings.
• Wondering how deep to plant seeds? Get it right every time with this simple trick.
• Try germinating seeds in paper towel: the easy, no-mess method for faster growth.

Orchids are prized for their exotic blooms, but achieving healthy growth can be a delicate balance. The plants require regular watering, fertilizing, and compatible light and temperature levels.

In particular, knowing how to water orchids – and how often to do it – can seem a confusing aspect of orchid care, with hacks such as watering orchids with ice cubes devised to make the process easier. Indeed, getting moisture levels wrong is one of the most common orchid care mistakes.

However, in addition to watering plants correctly, humidity plays a crucial role in their well-being.

Do Orchids Like Humidity?

Yes, orchids do like humidity and thrive in moist environments that mimic their natural habitats. Most orchids, especially those grown as houseplants, are tropical epiphytes. They evolved to grow in warm, moist climates. Rather than growing in soil, the roots are exposed to the air, which must be humid enough for the orchid roots to absorb an adequate amount of water. Conversely, terrestrial orchids get most of their water through the soil.

Some types of orchids can tolerate less humidity than others, while no plants should be grown in 100% humidity.

How Much Humidity Do Orchids Need?

There are many different types of orchids, but most are tropical and native to ecosystems with high humidity. Virtually all orchid types will grow best with humidity between 40% and 70%. This is a good benchmark for growing almost any orchid as a houseplant, but there are some variations by type:

• Phalaenopsis – or moth orchids – are tropical epiphytes, meaning they live on tree branches without soil. The roots get moisture and nutrients from the air. As houseplants, these orchids should have a minimum of 50% humidity to thrive and bloom.
• Vanda orchids make up a genus of about 80 species of tropical epiphytes. They are fussier and, therefore, less popular than moth orchids as houseplants. They need a minimum of 65% humidity in the air to grow well.
• Cattleya orchids are widely hybridized – you’ll find many different forms and colors of cattleya houseplants. A minimum of 50% humidity is ideal for this tropical epiphyte.
• Dendrobium is a large genus of epiphytes that can be deciduous or evergreen. As houseplants, they tend to be top-heavy with flowers and require staking. They tolerate less humidity better than other types of orchids. Ensure your dendrobium orchids get at least 40% humidity.
• Paphiopedilum – or slipper orchids – are named for their characteristic shape that resembles a delicate slipper. These orchids are terrestrial rather than epiphytic, growing on the tropical forest floor. A minimum of 40% humidity is required.
• Miltonia – or pansy orchids – resemble pansies in that they have face-like features. They are tropical and epiphytic. They need at least 40% humidity to grow well.
• Miltoniopsis is a type of reclassified pansy orchid, and it's important to know whether you have this variety. Miltoniopsis grow at higher elevations and require more moisture. They need at least 60% humidity. Although officially reclassified, many growers still refer to both types of pansy orchids as Miltonia.

What Happens to Orchids That Don’t Have Enough Humidity?

Because they do not get moisture from the soil, orchids will struggle to thrive or even survive if humidity levels in the air are too low. Even the most hard-to-kill orchids will begin to lose more water than they take in and will dry out.

It’s easy to tell if your orchid is too dry. The leaves and roots will look shriveled and wrinkled rather than plump. Another sign of low humidity is deformed flower buds.

An orchid will not necessarily die if humidity levels are less than optimal, especially if only slightly. However, lower humidity levels will make it less likely that your orchid will bloom again.

Lack of blooming is a common complaint among new growers, and it can be addressed by ensuring an orchid has all of its ideal conditions met, including humidity.

How Can I Increase Humidity for My Orchids?

Humidity can be a serious issue when growing orchids as houseplants. The air in the home tends to be dry, with humidity as low as 25%. Winter is especially challenging, as heating systems pull moisture out of the air. In summer, air conditioning can also cause low humidity.

It is not impossible, however, to provide orchids with more humid air in the home. One of the easiest ways to raise humidity levels right around a plant is with a pebble tray. Fill a shallow tray with pebbles or rocks and add water. Set the plants on top of the rocks. The water will evaporate and raise the humidity level in the air immediately around them.

Another solution is to use a humidifier. Again, this should be near the plants. Humidifiers can raise humidity too high, which can cause different problems from dry air. One issue is that water collects in the leaves of the orchids. This can lead to crown rot. If using humidifiers, consider also using a fan to circulate the air around the plants.

You might be tempted to spritz your orchids with water to address their humidity needs, but this isn’t the best solution. Spraying only temporarily raises humidity levels, and it can cause water to collect in the leaves.

However you address humidity, a simple tool can help you maintain the ideal percentage for your particular type of orchid. A hygrometer measures humidity and can be found in garden centers. Keep it near your orchids to monitor humidity levels and make adjustments as needed.

Orchids love humidity, which can present a challenge when growing them as houseplants. It’s not difficult, though, to monitor and increase humidity as needed. Get the humidity right, and you should enjoy many years of blooms.

Finding houseplants that do well in low humidity is a dream come true for many people. It can be a challenge to provide a high humidity environment, such as with daily misting, humidifiers or pebble trays. With today’s busy lifestyles, decorating with low-humidity plants is a timesaver. 

Plants that like dry air are few and far between, but many plants will tolerate low humidity. From cacti to general houseplants, here is a sampling of plants to try. 

Houseplants For Low Humidity

Low-humidity houseplants thrive in 25 to 30 percent humidity, which is typical for the average home. Compare this to the relative humidity of 70 to 80 percent that most plants need, and you can see why including some low humidity plants in your home can save some effort. 

Not surprisingly, several cacti and succulents do well in this type of environment, such as torch cacti, Kalanchoe, and jade plant. A bamboo palm is on the list as well as other houseplants for dry air such as a rubber plant, Chinese evergreen, and snake plant. 

If the humidity in your home drops below 20 percent, plants can sustain injury. Symptoms of low humidity include dry, curling leaves, brown leaf tips, or small leaves. During winter is when the home humidity is likely to drop below 20 percent. To measure the humidity in your home, you can buy a portable humidity monitor. 

Types of Indoor Plants for Low Humidity

Here are suggested houseplants for dry air: 

• Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea erumpens)
• Candelabra cactus (Euphorbia)
• Chin cactus (Gymnocalycium)
• Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum)
• Hedgehog cactus (Echinocactus, Lobivia, Rebutia)
• Jade plant (Crassula arborescens)
• Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe)
• Pincushion cactus (Mammillaria)
• Philodendron (Philodendron) especially heartleaf philodendron
• Prickly Pear (Opuntia)
• Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) 
• Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
• Torch cactus (Trichocereus)
• Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)

If plants are suffering due to low humidity, you can locate plants in the kitchen or bathroom, where the humidity is highest. You also can group plants together, which will raise the humidity. The jury is still out on whether daily misting increases humidity, plus it can increase the chance of fungal infection.

A pebble tray or pebble saucer is a simple, easy-to-make gardening tool used mostly for indoor plants. Any low dish or tray can be used along with water and pebbles or gravel to create a humid local area for plants that need a little moisture.

Most plants we keep as houseplants are tropical plants. They thrive in humid, jungle environments, but our homes aren't usually able to replicate that. Adding humidity to houseplants, especially in winter, is key to keeping them happy. And a simple pebble tray is a great place to start.

Read on to learn more about pebble trays and how to make a pebble tray yourself.

What is a Pebble Tray?

A pebble tray is exactly what it sounds like: a tray that is full of pebbles. It’s also full of water, of course. The main purpose of a pebble tray is to provide humidity for plants, typically houseplants. You can find humidity tray kits on Amazon or DIY one with a boot tray and some pebbles.

Most houseplants are tropical varieties, but most houses have dry, conditioned air. A pebble tray is a simple, low-tech way to provide those plants with a healthier, more humid local environment. Orchids are examples of houseplants that can really benefit from a pebble tray. With a tray in place, you won’t need to spend as much time misting these water-hungry plants.

You don’t have to use a humidifier or increase the moisture in the air throughout your entire home if you just create strategic pebble trays. The plant sits on top of the pebble in the tray and benefits from the moisture created by water in the tray.

Additionally, a humidity tray for plants provides an area for drainage. When you water your plant, the excess will run off into the tray, protecting the floor and other surfaces.

How to Make a DIY Pebble Tray

Making a humidity or pebble tray is one of the simplest of all gardening DIY projects. All you really need is a shallow tray of some type and rocks or pebbles.

You can buy purpose-made trays at garden centers or humidity tray kits from Amazon, but you can also use old drainage trays from pots, cookie sheets, the top saucer of an old bird bath, or anything else that is about an inch (2.5 cm.) deep.

Fill the tray with a single layer of pebbles and add enough water so that it rises just about halfway up the rocks. You can use decorative pebbles from a garden center, rocks right out of your own garden, or inexpensive gravel.

Set potted plants on top of the rocks. Just keep adding water as the level drops and you have a simple, easy source of humidity for your houseplants.

Sit back and let the pebble tray go to work! Refill water as needed, but make sure it doesn't reach the bottom of the plant pot.

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Growing plants in a greenhouse offers many advantages such as earlier seed start times, bigger yields, and a longer growing season. The simple effect of an enclosed garden space combined with focused sunlight creates an ideal growing site. However, humidity can often be an enemy in such conditions. Condensation is a common by-product of moisture, close confines, and high temperatures, especially where the exterior of the greenhouse is buffeted by cold temps.

Humidity in a greenhouse is important but managing it is crucial to preventing fungal and other issues. Learn how to reduce greenhouse humidity when necessary to prevent common plant problems.

Greenhouse Humidity Info

Is greenhouse humidity important? Well, depending on what you are growing in your greenhouse, humidity may be necessary or just a common effect. Some plants, like most tropical specimens, need humidity. Other plants, such as many succulents, will develop rots and mildews that can kill them. It is important to keep a careful balance of the amount of ambient moisture for each type of plant.

Why reduce greenhouse humidity? Spring and fall are when humidity levels rise the most in greenhouses. Sunlight increases evaporation and plant transpiration, which is held as vapor inside the structure. At night, cooler temperatures cause condensation which may form as droplets on leaves. Some plants love the increased moisture in the air, but it is a common cause of fungal disease.

This is when managing humidity is most important. Humidity in a greenhouse promotes such diseases as botrytis blight and powdery mildew.

How to Reduce Greenhouse Humidity

Air circulation is crucial to managing ambient moisture. You can increase this by means of vents, fans, and plant spacing. With suitable ventilation, you can replace the moist interior air with cooler, dryer exterior air.

During the night, reduce the temperature of heaters to prevent the condensation that forms from the extreme temperature ranges of cold outside and warm inside.

Fans or blowers are effective in houses without vents. Often, these are used on timers and work in conjunction with a heater to move air and keep temperatures consistent. Using a humidistat can help manage air moisture and keep it at optimal levels.

One of the simplest ways to prevent excess humidity is by avoiding standing water in the greenhouse. Puddles, water in saucers, or in trays will evaporate and form droplets. Using drip irrigation will help direct water only to roots, avoiding excess moisture. It also prevents plant leaves from remaining wet where fungal pathogens can breed.

Plant spacing, well-draining floors, and slatted benches are other ways to minimize humidity. Watering early enough in the day for excess moisture to evaporate can also help control the problem.

Bottom heat is effective as well, as the warm air rises and creates air movement. These are inexpensive ways to manage humidity and in most cases will provide adequate control.

Increasing the humidity in your home can benefit your respiratory and skin health and can help prevent nosebleeds, especially in wintertime or in dry climates. Using natural humidifying plants is a great way to increase the humidity in your home while beautifying the indoor environment. Plants constantly pull water from the soil so that they can keep all their aboveground parts hydrated. Some of this water ends up in the plant’s cells, but most of it evaporates into the air from the leaves. We can use this to naturally humidify our homes.

Transpiration of Houseplants

When the air is relatively dry, a plant acts almost like a straw. Dry air creates a “pull” that brings water from the soil into the roots, through the stems, and up to the leaves. From the leaves, the water evaporates into the air through pores called stomata. This process is called transpiration. Growing plants use transpiration to maintain a constant movement of water through the plant. Transpiration delivers water and associated nutrients up to the leaves, and it helps the plant cool down too.

Plants That Add Humidity to Home

So, what plants humidify the air? Nearly all plants add some humidity, but some are much better humidifiers than others. In general, plants with large, broad leaves (like many rainforest plants) provide a greater humidifying effect than those with needle-shaped or small, rounded leaves (like cacti and succulents). Large leaves allow plants to absorb more light and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, but they also allow more water loss to the atmosphere. Therefore, desert plants typically have small leaves with minimal surface area to conserve water. Plants in rainforests and other environments where water is abundant, but light can be scarce, are typically large. We can take advantage of this pattern to humidify our houses using rainforest plants and other large-leaved plants. Houseplants that increase humidity include:

• Dracaena
• Philodendron
• Peace lily
• Areca palm
• Bamboo palm

For more ideas, look for tropical plants with large leaves such as:

• Ginger 
• Asplundia
• Monstera
• Ficus benjamina

Increasing air circulation around your houseplants will also help them humidify the air more efficiently. Make sure your plants are watered well to maximize the humidity they provide but be sure not to overwater them. Overwatering won’t increase transpiration rates, but it will make the plants susceptible to root rot and other problems and could kill the plant. Also, don’t add so many plants that you raise humidity levels past what is healthy for your furniture and appliances.

Winter mold, mustiness, and dampness in the home are caused by excess humidity. The problem happens in warm, muggy regions too. Dehumidifiers and other solutions can have some effect, but plants are a prettier, more natural way to remove some of the clammy air and damp ambiance. Humidity-absorbing houseplants serve dual purposes as they harvest the moisture they need from the air and bring the outdoors in.

Reducing Humidity with Plants

Using plants in the home can be useful in many ways. One of the more interesting uses is their use as dehumidifiers. What plants absorb humidity? Actually, most plants harvest some moisture from the air through their leaves, but a few are extremely efficient at the process and take much of their moisture through their leaves. This is good news since high moisture levels in the home can be associated with respiratory problems and threaten the structure of your house.

You may wonder how plants can reduce humidity in the home. The answer is found in a plant's foliar uptake. This is its ability to absorb dew, fog, or other forms of vaporous moisture through the stoma in the leaves. This moisture moves into the xylem and then down the roots.

Plants that like moist soil are more likely to evolve this adaptation, but some plants in arid areas with little rainfall may also be able to process moisture in this manner. Therefore, if you pick the right plants that absorb humidity, you can reduce the excess ambient moisture in your home and prevent mold and mildew issues.

What Plants Absorb Humidity?

Even if you are going for a rainforest effect in the home, too much damp, sticky air does not produce the tropical sultry tones found in such places. In fact, you are more likely to have musty curtains and other fabrics, clammy surfaces, and weeping walls.

The peace lily is one attractive foliar plant with an interesting spathe that will help reduce moisture in the air. Classic Victorian-era plants such as English ivy, parlor palm, and Boston fern provide elegant notes to décor while removing some of that stickiness from the air. It is possible that reducing humidity with plants like these can help keep excess moisture from the air and possibly save your sagging wallpaper and musty back room.

The plants listed above all tolerate or crave moisture but a surprise plant for reducing humidity is Tillandsia, which cannot tolerate excess moisture at all. However, it absorbs most of its moisture from the air, making it great for absorbing humidity. This is because it is an epiphyte and does not live in the soil. Instead, the plant attaches to a log or rock, inserts itself into a tree crotch, or snuggles into a crevasse.

This little plant is also called air plant because of its epiphytic nature and ability to live in a soilless situation and still feed and water itself. The fun part about Tillandsia is the many forms, some of which have bright flowers. You can also mount Tillandsia on many different media or simply place them in a decorative bowl or directly on a shelf. They are easy to care for and may eventually produce little pups that you can divide, making even more humidity-absorbing houseplants.

It's hard not to fall in love with a Boston fern. Although it may conjure up images of dramatic, old-fashioned Victorian parlors, Boston fern works just as well in a modern environment. The Boston fern thrives in low light and requires only moderate care to keep it lush and healthy. However, the plant is native to tropical climates and without a high level of humidity, the plant is likely to display dry, brown leaf tips, yellow leaves, and leaf drop. Read on to learn more about improving Boston fern indoor air.

Increasing Humidity of Boston Ferns

There are several ways of increasing the humidity of Boston ferns and creating the ideal Boston fern indoor air. The easiest way to increase Boston fern humidity is to place the plant in a humid environment. In most homes, this means a kitchen or a bathroom with a window or a fluorescent light. However, Boston ferns tend to be large plants, so this isn't always a practical solution for improving Boston fern humidity. Misting Boston ferns is another simple way to raise the humidity around the plants. However, many plant experts think that misting Boston ferns is a waste of time and that taking care of Boston fern misting needs is a daily chore that, at best, keeps the fronds dust-free. At worst, frequent misting that keeps the fronds wet is a good way to invite diseases that can kill the plant. A humidity tray is nearly as easy and much less time-consuming, and it provides humidity without drowning the plant. To make a humidity tray, place a layer of pebbles on a plate or tray, then place the pot on top of the pebbles. Add water as needed to keep the pebbles consistently wet. Most importantly, be sure the bottom of the pot is sitting on the damp pebbles but never directly in the water. Water wicking up the drainage hole creates soggy soil that may cause root rot. Of course, an electric humidifier is the ultimate solution for increasing the humidity of Boston ferns. A humidifier is a great investment if the air in your home tends to be dry, improving the environment for both plants and people.

There are lots of tips and tricks for keeping indoor humidity levels high, especially in the close vicinity of plants that need lots of humidity, like orchids. What do you do if your indoor humidity is too high though? As insulation techniques improve the seals on homes and greenhouses across the country, reducing humidity becomes a vital task. Not only does high indoor humidity increase the risk of damage to your home, it can cause problems for your plants.

Can High Humidity Hurt Plants?

There are some plants that are natives to sweltering tropical locales and love nothing more than air so thick with moisture that a normal person can barely breathe, but your typical indoor plants aren't among them. High indoor humidity levels cause serious problems for most inside plants by encouraging the growth of fungal and bacterial diseases, which often need very high humidity to infect tissues. The same goes for plants in greenhouses --greenhouse humidity control is vital to preventing the spread of disease. Splashing water caused by nighttime condensation further increases the risk of moving spores from infected plants to clean specimens nearby. Active disease can ravage your greenhouse plants and destroy months or years of work.

How to Reduce Indoor Humidity

Reducing indoor humidity in the home is sometimes a much easier task than in the greenhouse, since there's not as much water being constantly added to the environment. Homeowners with high humidity should check that their central air conditioning and heating are working properly --these systems are very good at helping to maintain a reasonable level of humidity. Checking your pipes, basement, and crawlspaces and other potentially cold surfaces for condensation may eliminate another source of moisture in the air. If surfaces are sweating, they can be insulated to put a halt to the formation of water that may be damaging your home and hurting your plants. Greenhouse operators have other options for humidity control and should increase the air circulation in the greenhouse right away. Watering less frequently and improving the drainage in your greenhouse will eliminate sources of excess moisture that may end up in the air. Adding bottom heat to plants to create microclimates will help prevent condensation on plant surfaces, reducing the risk of disease exponentially.

Before you bring new houseplants into your home, they probably spent weeks or even months in a warm, humid greenhouse. Compared to a greenhouse environment, the conditions inside most homes are quite dry, especially in winter when the furnace is running. For this reason, it is important that you learn and practice appropriate humidity houseplant care to ensure the longevity and health of your beloved plants.

Humidity for Houseplants

Indoor plants need humidity levels between 40 and 60 percent, and suffer from stress when the humidity for houseplants is outside that range. If you don't have a hygrometer to measure the humidity inside your home, watch your houseplants for signs of stress. Consider raising humidity levels when your houseplants exhibit these symptoms:

• Leaves develop brown edges.
• Plants begin to wilt.
• Flower buds fail to develop or drop from the plant before they open.
• Flowers shrivel soon after opening.

How to Increase Humidity

Increasing humidity levels in the home is not difficult and will prove beneficial in the long run. Misting plants, growing them in groups, and using water-filled pebble trays are the most popular methods for raising humidity. Misting plants with a fine spray of water raises the humidity around the plant, but the effect is temporary. You should not mist plants with hairy leaves, such as African violets, however. The “hair” on the leaves holds water in place, encouraging diseases and leaving unsightly spots on the foliage. Placing houseplants in groups not only looks terrific from a design perspective, but it also creates a pocket of humidity. You can increase the humidity even more by placing a dish of water in the center of the cluster. Keep a container of water nearby to make it easy to replenish the water in the dish. Another way of increasing humidity levels around your plants is to set them on a tray of pebbles and water. Place a layer of pebbles in the tray, then add water until the pebbles aren't quite covered. The pebbles hold the plant above the water so that the roots don't become waterlogged. As the water in the tray evaporates, it increases the moisture in the air around the plant.

Humidity Houseplant Care

Rooms where you use a lot of water are often very humid. If a plant in a kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room shows symptoms of stress from high humidity, move it to another part of the house. On the other hand, plants that show symptoms of low humidity will benefit from spending some time in the humid parts of your house. Most houseplants originate from humid jungle environments, and moisture in the air is essential for their health. You'll be surprised at the way your plant will respond to adjustments in humidity, and you'll have the satisfaction of enjoying lush, thriving plants.