You spend countless hours taking care of your plants. You give them the right amount of sun, prune them when they need it, and you've never forgotten to water them. Okay, maybe not never but you do try your best! And yet, no matter what you do those leaves keep turning brown. What's happening?
It's all about humidity!
The title says it all–even the most experienced plant parent can end up with a dehydrated plant if there isn't enough humidity. Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air, so a room's humidity depends a lot on where you live. Air retains less moisture in colder temperatures so colder countries like Canada are usually much drier. This is especially true indoors, as turning on the thermostat also leads to drier air.
Why is humidity important for plants?
Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) through their leaves during the process of photosynthesis. When a plant absorbs this gas through the pores of their leaves, moisture will escape from the leaf. Leaves lose moisture more easily with dry air so if the humidity in a room is low, a plant evaporates more moisture than the roots can supply.
If your plant loses too much moisture, their leaves can get curly and brown around the edges. And the plant will also look limp and unhappy. A tropical plant likes humidity between 50 and 70 percent, while an average house plant only needs humidity between 20 and 30 percent.
To the rescue!
Fortunately, there’s still hope and it can be easy to save your green friends from dehydration! The most important thing is to give your green amigo a regular spray of water. You can do this by using a plant sprayer like the Wave, which is both a watering can and a sprayer. Or if you really want to get creative, take your plant into the bathroom while you shower so it can get some steam (note: please don’t take your plant into the shower with you!). You can also buy a humidifier. Any humidifier will work but some of the easiest are radiator humidifiers. Radiator humidifiers are containers that are made to hang on a radiator and can be filled with water so that it evaporates and makes the air humid. On a budget, you can also place bowls of water on your heater for the same effect.
Have some more plant problems or concerns? Please feel free to reach out at hello@plantsome.ca/ Facebook/ Instagram!
