Is the weather getting too humid?
Your plants might feel the same way too.
Hello Plant Parents!
Do you ever wonder sometimes why your plant dies or is looking a little sad even when you’ve given them the right amount of light, watering and feeding?
It could be because of the humidity in the room.
What is humidity and why is it important for your plants?
Humidity is the concentration of water vapour present in the air. Humidity helps plants photosynthesize by signalling the plant to open its stomata.
If the humidity surrounding the plant is too high, the plant’s stomata will close. When the stomata closes, the plant will not be able to release waste or extra nutrients in it’s stems. It also reduces the plants ability to transpire. This results in stunted growth as the plants will not take in more nutrients and overheating.
If the humidity surrounding the plant is too low, the plant will continuously lose water in its stems to the surrounding air causing it to dry out and wilt.
How to manage humidity?
Tropical plants, coming from tropical rainforests, are accustomed to high humidity environments. Typically, they require humidity levels of 60-80%.
Living in Singapore, this is not hard to achieve with an annual average of 84% humidity. However, because it is so hot here, we tend to turn on the air-con. Air conditions can reduce humidity significantly.
(Humidity level without and with Air-con)
Here are several ways you can balance the humidity level in your room/house:
- Use a humidifier.
- Mist/Spray your plants.
- Group your plants together, this creates a microclimate that maintains humidity.
- Use a pebble tray.
You can also use a hygrometer to find out the humidity levels in your home.