Stop Misting! Why Your Houseplant Humidity Trick Could Actually Be Killing Them – and What to Do Instead

Do you have a cute little plant mister (or an elegant one) gifted to you by a friend or neighbor? Me too. In fact, I have three of them, and the number would be higher except that I gave some away. It’s an appropriate, not-too-expensive present for someone with lots of plants, and oh so useful.

We all assumed that misting houseplants always offered a health boost, adding moisture to plump up the leaves and providing that “high humidity” atmosphere many plants prefer. But… maybe it’s not. Current research suggests that misting plants doesn’t provide as many benefits as touted, and – worse yet – can be more harmful than helpful.

Why We Mist

Leafy plants thrive in an environment that offers humidity. In fact, some tropicals are said to require 75% humidity to be at their best. But let’s face it – most of us don't have a single room in our house that offers high humidity on a regular basis. When the matter comes up, I always mention my bathroom, but the truth is that bathrooms are only humid right after you shower, but that’s (being generous) maybe an hour a day.

But even if the bathroom humidity is sufficient, nobody wants to stuff all their houseplants in the bathroom. You want your pothos arranged gracefully in your bedroom, your fiddle-leaf fig and monstera elegantly placed in the dining room, your philodendron and ficus overspilling in the living room and succulents and cacti on the patio. And what about sunlight? Most of us don’t have huge bathrooms with plenty of natural sun flowing in.

That’s where misting stepped in as an easy answer to the thorny problem. Just spray down those green leaves regularly – ideally on both sides of each leaf – and you’ve added humidity, as well as provided extra water to the plant.

Get the Solution

The Bad News for Humidity-Loving Plants

No one can deny that misting adds measurable moisture to the air: we see it poofing out of the business end of the mister and coating the foliage of our plant. However, recent studies have come to a disappointing conclusion: The mist disperses all too quickly, and cannot provide anything but temporary relief for the plant. That means that moisture-hungry plants don't get the consistent humidity they need for top health.

What's worse, the misting you propose doesn’t substitute for irrigation. Putting water on the leaves isn’t the point of watering – it’s to get water to the roots. The roots require a thorough soak to grow, establish and thrive. This means they need to absorb water directly from the soil. Focus on getting water directly to the root ball. After you water, the excess will flow right out of the pot via drainage holes.

More Bad News!

There’s more bad news. While tropical plants don’t get the humidity or irrigation they require from misting, other plants can suffer serious harm or even die. That's because misting houseplants results in water droplets collecting on leaves – which can be the perfect recipe for fungal diseases.

Fungal diseases are commonplace in houseplants and in the garden. But they can be very tricky for plant lovers. Fungal diseases develop and spread in moist environments. Diseases like powdery mildew, downy mildew, rust, root rot, anthracnose, and leaf spot are caused by fungal infections and prove extremely difficult to control once they get established. At the very least, fungal diseases stunt plant growth and weaken their systems. In a worst case scenario, fungal diseases can kill the infected plant.

To Mist or Not To Mist

This misting conundrum is best solved by compromise. The best expert advice is to mist some plants but not others, and follow simple rules to keep the misting safe.

Some of the most humidity-hungry plants are tropicals like palms, ferns, orchids, ferns and philodendron. Occasional misting won’t hurt them and may help a bit with humidity. Misting also gets dust off foliage, which is always beneficial.

But when you mist these plants, make every effort to prevent leaves from staying wet for extended periods. Constructive steps include:

• Obtain and use a mister spray that dilutes the water into fine particles. It should be more like fog blowing through than a plant shower.
• Pull out your mister and use it in the morning, not afternoon or evening. Morning misting allows the leaves to dry out completely before nightfall. Late misting will result in your plant passing the night with wet foliage.
• Don’t mist every day. Rather, mist at intervals, like every three days.
• Get the air moving in and through the houseplant space. Open windows for a time during the day, or use electric fans. This helps to dry off those leaves.
• Don’t close your eyes to problems. Instead, inspect the leaves of your houseplants frequently to catch and treat fungal infection early.
• Consider a humidity tray instead. This water-filled tray of pebbles evaporates slowly, enshrouding your houseplant in constant natural water vapor.