The pothos plant has the scientific name Epipremnum aureum and belongs to the arum family Araceae. This plant is native to the Society Islands of French Polynesia.
The pothos plant is a tropical plant that prefers warm and humid climates. In particular, moisture plays an important role in their development and growth. Maintaining the ideal humidity for each type of plant is the key to maintaining plant vitality.
Therefore, many gardeners regularly mist the pothos plant to maintain moisture. However, does pothos like to be misted? Does misting help maintain effective humidity for pothos plants? Join us to find out and answer questions in this article.
What Does Humidity Mean For The Pothos Plant?
As you know, the pothos plant is a plant that lives in tropical and subtropical forests around the world. They will grow and thrive in warm and humid environments. Therefore, when they are grown indoors, humidity is still an important factor for the growth of this plant.
The Pothos plant has stomata below the leaf surface to exchange air from the environment. If the humidity is too low, and the dry temperature is hot, the plant will not be able to open the stomata because it will lose a lot of water during evaporation.
So, in order to maintain the amount of water in the plants, they close the stomata completely. However, this phenomenon will affect photosynthesis, leading to poor plant growth and plant growth rate.
Does Pothos Like To Be Misted?
You should not mist regularly for pothos plants to increase humidity. Misting is not a method to help maintain and balance humidity in the long run. It only has the effect of providing temporary moisture and evaporates quickly when there is a high temperature.
As you know, pothos plants will grow and thrive when the humidity is at least 50%. If you live in an area with low humidity, you can add moisture to the environment to create the most ideal living conditions for the pothos plant.
You can mist your plants from time to time if the humidity is low and the plants are wilting. However, if the climate is too arid, misting will not bring the effect you expect. In addition, you need to incorporate a humidifier or a pebble tray to provide enough moisture in the air.
You also should not mist regularly for pothos plants because the short-term increase in humidity is not conducive to the growth of this plant. A climate that is too humid for a short period of time creates favorable conditions for harmful fungi and bacteria to attack plants.
For example, if you live in an area with 60% humidity and poor air circulation, misting will create conditions for fungus to grow because water cannot evaporate and the surface of the leaves is always wet.
Currently, there are two opposing opinions about misting the pothos plant. One advocate of misting claims that it offers many benefits such as providing moisture, cleaning leaves, and preventing pests when using neem oil for misting. However, opposing opinions say that misting only provides moisture for a few minutes, wet leaves easily create a favorable environment for fungi to grow and damage leaves.
In the end, I can come to the following conclusion:
- Misting is not the best method for maintaining humidity.
- In each case, you can mist to reduce shock or stress to the plants.
- The mist is only when humidity is too low in hot, dry climates.
- Misting is not recommended when humidity is high and air circulation is poor.
- It takes a combination of methods to maintain the ideal humidity for plants.
How To Check The Humidity In The Room?
You can use a hygrometer to measure the temperature in the room. This is one of the easiest and most reliable ways. A hygrometer is a small portable device that can accurately measure the relative humidity in a room at different times.
Humidity levels will also fluctuate depending on the area you live in such as temperature, weather and seasons of the year, and rainfall per year. In your house, humidity also varies from room to room. Typically, bathrooms, kitchens, and basements will have higher relative humidity than bedrooms and living rooms. Because water will appear in these areas or areas with poor air circulation.
Related Post: Do Pothos Like Direct Sunlight? Right Amount Of Light You Need To Know
How To Increase The Humidity Of Plants In The Room?
If you live in an area with a year-round hot, dry climate that causes low humidity, there are a few methods you can consider to increase humidity. Oftentimes, many people will recommend adding a tray of pebbles or misting them for an extra boost of moisture. However, they only have a temporary effect and cannot maintain moisture for a long time. Here are some ways to help you maintain the ideal humidity for your pothos plant for a long time.
Add A Small Greenhouse In The Room
A mini greenhouse made of glass or transparent plastic will be an ideal environment to keep the pothos plant moist. They will create a separate environment with ideal humidity indicators for plants. However, pay attention to air circulation to avoid water having difficulty evaporating.
Add A Small Fish Tank
A small aquarium can help maintain the ideal humidity for the pothos plant. As the water in the aquarium evaporates naturally and this process is very slow, so it increases the humidity in your room and thus creates a perfect environment for the pothos plant to grow. In addition, you can also use water from the aquarium for irrigation as it is rich in nitrogen and other minerals.
Group The Trees Together
You can group multiple plants to increase humidity. When plants change seasons, they release small amounts of moisture into the air. So this moisture will be beneficial for pothos plants to perform gas exchange and photosynthesis. However, avoid grouping low-humidity plants with higher-humidity plants because they won’t be as effective.
Use A Humidifier
Using a humidifier is the most effective way to keep the humidity in the room at an ideal level. Humidifiers can create higher humidity levels and stay in the environment for a long time. Therefore, you should choose a humidifier of the right size depending on the size of the room to maintain the ideal humidity.
Leave A Few Bowls Of Water In The Room
A few bowls of water in the room will have the mechanism of acting like an aquarium. The natural process of water evaporation will increase the humidity in the room. Alternatively, you can also boil water so that the water evaporates to the outside to increase the humidity. However, you need to ensure that the air is well-ventilated because a humid environment and poor air circulation will lead to mold diseases for plants and walls of the house.
Lower The Temperature In The Room
As you know, the amount of moisture in the air is equal. Therefore, warm air is less able to hold moisture than cold air. To increase the humidity, you can reduce the temperature in the room to maintain the ideal humidity for the pothos plant.
Add Moss Around Plants
Moss can help retain a significant amount of moisture around the pothos plant. Therefore, using moss placed around this plant also helps to stimulate the growth of roots in the air, enhancing the overall growth of this plant. A column of moss that retains moisture will also add height and plant growth.
Conclusion
The pothos plant is a plant that prefers warm and humid air because it lives in tropical forests and at low altitudes. This plant can also survive in extreme conditions. However, maintaining moisture during the hot and dry months will make a difference in growth.
Misting is not an effective method to maintain humidity for long periods of time. It only helps to increase moisture for a few minutes in cases where plants are dehydrated and wilted. Misting will help plants reduce shock and absorb water vapor quickly through the stomata on the leaf surface to become lush again.
To maintain the humidity in the room, you can use a mini glass room, place a tank, and a few bowls of water, reduce the room temperature, and use moss columns around the plants. However, a humidifier will still be the best choice for maintaining the ideal humidity in your room.