You are constantly watering your houseplants but still see their leaves becoming thinner every day. Why? That’s because most houseplants are from tropical areas and need a humid atmosphere to grow properly.
Most indoor plants, like pothos and spider plants, can survive months without water, as they have adapted to living in drought areas. However, they do need a humid environment to retain moisture from the air.
Due to this, it is important to mist your indoor plants regularly to thrive properly.
But, will misting result in pest infestation? Do all plants love misting? If all these questions surround you, then we have got you covered. Read on to get all your doubts cleared about the process of misting plants.
Should I Mist My Plants?
When it comes to misting, you need to know whether your plants love it or not.
A long controversial debate has been going on regarding whether misting plants is effective or not.
While most plant parents state that they have seen significant changes in their plants, most gardeners state that misting does nothing as the plant droplets immediately evaporate.
However, you should be aware of the growing conditions of your plants before adopting them.
As stated earlier, most indoor plants are from tropical areas, due to which they don’t need much water or maintenance for growing properly.
Due to this reason, indoor plants have become a popular option for budding plant parents.
But, you should know that these plants get their water sources from both ground and air.
They live their entire life in humid conditions, where they retain moisture from the air.
By spraying water on them, you create a false humid atmosphere around the plants, giving them a sense of belonging and a positive growth rate.
Moreover, misting can help oxygenate the soil, which further helps the roots get enough water to survive tough conditions.
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When Should You Mist?
When it comes to watering indoor plants, each has its requirements.
For example, a peace lily needs water every day, whereas spider plants can survive for months without water. However, if you plan to mist your houseplants, do it at least once in two days.
Plants do not love when their feet, in this case, roots, are soaked in water. But, they absolutely love water sprinkles on their leaves and soil surface.
If you want to start misting plants, do it during the time of dusk or before sleeping at night.
It would give them enough time to soak in the water droplets and quench their thirst. However, most plants do not like when water is sprayed on their leaves. You would read about them in the upcoming sections.
How Often Should I Mist My Plants?
If you want to mist your indoor plants, it is important to prepare a misting routine.
A misting routine is quite different from a watering schedule.
In the latter, you need to prepare a proper chart stating the amount of water plants need, days, and time to water them.
If you don’t do it properly, then there are high chances that you would either overwater or underwater your plants, both of which are quite harmful to your plant babies.
But, when it comes to preparing a misting routine, the requirements are different.
You don’t have to worry about the amount of water or timing, as you can mist your plants at any time, and there are fewer chances of overwatering them.
But, you do need to keep in mind the intervals in which you should mist your plants. Some plants require daily misting as they constantly need a humid atmosphere to survive.
On the other hand, some indoor plants prefer drier conditions and would love it if you mist them once or twice a week.
How do you know which plants need what type of misting?
By observing their growth rate with one week of constant misting. If you see better results, then mist your plant babies regularly. But, if you see curled leaves or some other signs, then stop misting them regularly.
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Should You Mist Your Houseplants Every Day?
As stated earlier, different house plants have different misting requirements. If you have dramatic plants that are always thirsty, like Peace Lily and Begonias, then you need to mist them regularly.
But, for drought-resistant plants, like a spider plant, cactus, snake plant, etc., misting once or twice a week is more than enough.
The time intervals for misting plants are directly equivalent to their watering routine.
Plants That Do Well With Misting
Before you start misting your plants, you need to know the ones that love water spraying.
Here, we would tell you a bunch of common houseplants that thrive when you mist them. Read on to find out.
Begonia
Begonia is one of the most common indoor plants that is known for its beautiful plants.
It has over 1800 species and is greatly loved by both beginners and pro plant parents.
These beautiful creatures are from tropical areas and love when the atmosphere is humid and grow properly in such conditions.
Though they love misting, you need to check for the species type before planning a mist routine for your begonia.
Pilea
Also known as the Chinese money plant, Pilea loves when you mist it.
They only need misting twice a week, and due to their great water retention capability, these plants can thrive properly with minimum misting. But, do not overdo it, as these plants will suffer from root rot and will eventually die.
Arrowhead Plant
Arrowhead plants are from the tropical areas of Latin America and make for a perfect indoor plant. They are known for their beautiful arrow-shaped leaves, due to which these plants are usually found in offices and living areas.
Though these plants do not need much water, you need to set up a humid environment if you want to see your Arrowhead plant thrive.
You can either install a humidifier in your room or mist it in regular intervals; else, it would start wilting. These plants need constant misting during winter, so make sure to spray them every day when autumn starts to end.
Croton
Croton is well-known for its colorful leaves, which enhance the beauty of your room.
The leaves are shaped in the form of a teardrop and have various colors splashed on the surface.
Though they are beautiful, these plants have specific requirements that you need to fulfill to keep them alive.
One of these requirements is constant misting.
While some gardeners state that Crotons need to be misted twice a day, others prefer once in two days.
Misting a Croton completely depends on the type of area that you live in.
If you are from a tropical area, then you can go for two days without misting your Croton, as the air has enough humidity to help the plant meet its water requirements.
However, if you stay in an area where the temperature is always down, then you need to mist it at least twice a day.
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In Closing:
Misting a plant is a habit that helps you to connect properly with your plant babies and helps them to grow beautifully.
Even if you miss out on watering your tough plants by a day or two, do not forget misting, as it would help them survive those days.
Besides, misting also helps in cleaning the dirty leaves and retaining the shine of your plants.
Before you start misting, make sure to check the list of indoor plants that love misting and the ones who absolutely hate it.