One of the most common questions I receive is whether or not monstera plants need a humid environment. In this article, I help you to understand how to care for your monstera so that it can grow up big and strong!
Do Monstera Like Humidity?
Yes, monsteras are tropical plants that need high humidity to thrive. If your home is too dry, the leaves will start to droop and turn brown. But don’t worry! You can help you keep your monstera happy with any household humidifier.
Humidity is critical for plant health. Plant roots require water to live, photosynthesis needs humidity in order to work, and plants need the moisture as a means of respiration.
When it comes to humidity, there is conflicting information found online. However, I’ve found that monstera plants thrive in the 40-60% range of moisture. The higher the moisture, the better your monstera will grow. A room temperature of 60°F is also preferred.
What Humidifier for Monstera Plant?
It’s important that your houseplants stay hydrated, especially because they spend most of their time indoors. A good quality humidifier can do the job for you.
This humidifier (Amazon link) has an adjustable mist nozzle so you can set it anywhere from light mist to heavy fog depending on how much moisture your plant needs. It also comes with a built-in timer so it shuts off automatically when the water runs out – no more forgetting about it!
Should I Mist My Monstera?
To keep your monstera plant happy and healthy, you should mist it. Misting will provide the humidity they enjoy, but not much more than that.
Simply take some warm water, mix it with an equal amount of distilled white vinegar or lemon-lime soda and then gently spray your monstera’s leaves.
You see, the water droplets that are misted around the plant evaporate quickly and spread out without doing much in terms of providing comfort for your leafy fern.
If your humidity is above 60%, then the air is already saturated with water molecules and the monstera plants won’t benefit from addition water droplets. In fact, water droplets will condensate on the leaves, which can lead to bacterial problems and insect pests.
Signs My Monstera Needs More Humidity
You may be wondering how you indentify if a monstera plant is suffering from low hujmidity or not. Well, here are the main signs to look for:
- Leaf drop: When a plant is suffering from low humidity, it will usually start to droop and lose its leaves. This is because the water in the leaf evaporates faster than usual
- Dryness on surface of soil: If you notice that there’s dry spots developing in your monstera’s soil then this is a sign that your plant is desperate for moisture
- Leaves curl: As the leaves curl over and die, it means that they’re wilting due to a lack of water
- Spots on leafs: If you notice brown or yellow spots forming on your monstera’s leaves then this is another sign that there might not be enough humidity in their surroundings!
How Do You Keep Monstera Humid?
If you live in an area with low humidity, follow these tips to keep your monstera healthy and thriving:
- Ensure the soil is moist but not wet with water
- Spray the leaves of your monstera every other day or so to increase humidity around it
- Keep a pot/bowl full of pebbles (or any stones) in front of your plant at all times and add water to them often. This will release moisture into the air
- Buy a humidifier to raise the levels of moisture in the air
- I often group my house plants together. Not only does that help raise the humidity level of one area, but it also helps prevent me from having too many individual pots to water
- Use a moss pole to create extra humidity around the plant. The moss will absorb and retain water, which slowly evaporates and increases preponderance of relative humidity (RH) around the plant
Final Thoughts
Monstera plants are notorious for their ability to grow in tough climates, but humidity can be a big factor when maintaining your plant.
I hope this article has helped you to understand how to care for your monstera plant. These plants can grow up to 12 feet tall and they need a lot of water, humidity, sunlight and nutrients in order to thrive!
I’ve been caring for monstera plants since I was little, so it really does feel like something I’ve finally got the hang of. As such, feel free to send me a message if you need any help with your monstera plant.
