In many places I have read that you have to spray the plants at least once a day, which worries me a lot because not always a good idea. For example, if I did it myself, I would soon see how the leaves were filled with mushrooms. And it is that in my area, both inside and outside the house, the air humidity is so high that the plants, if the soil is moist enough, have no problem to quench their thirst.
But things change if the air humidity is low. In these circumstances, it is good to water the plants with water, because if this is not done, the leaves will turn brown and will surely end up falling.
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What is air humidity and why is it important for plants?
Image – Flickr/James Manners
Air humidity is nothing more than the water vapor present in the atmosphere.. This comes both from plants, which expel it during perspiration, and from oceans, rivers, lakes, and any other watercourse. Therefore, the closer we are, for example, to the sea, the more humidity there will be.
This is very important for plants, and even more so for those that live in areas where there is little rain. In fact, the most famous columnar cactus in the worldthe saguaro, survives on the morning dew; in addition to the rainy seasons.
We don’t often think about it, but for a nice big cactus to grow, it needs to be hydrated. It’s more: specimens have been found that have stored between 8 and 9 thousand liters of water insidesomething really surprising if we take into account the severe drought that can exist in its place of origin.
But also necessary for tropical plants. In jungles and rainforests, rainfall is usually frequent; so that all the flora that inhabits them has adapted to live in conditions with very high humidity. And that’s also why they suffer a lot when kept indoors where the environment is very dry.
What problems do plants have when the humidity is low?
If a plant is in an area with low air humidity, either because it is exposed to drafts or because it is very far from a stream, then you will have these symptoms:
- The tips of the leaves will start to look yellowish first, then brown.
- Later the leaves may fall. They don’t have to be completely dry; they might even be green.
- If they have flower buds, they will also dry out.
When should plants be watered?
Now that we’ve talked about what air humidity is and how important it is for plants, let’s focus on the main topic of this article. Should all plants be sprayed? And when? Well, answering the first question, we will have to do it in these cases:
- If they are exotic plants that are kept indoors.
- If they are tropical plants that are outdoors.
But in addition, it should only be done if the air humidity is low. As I said at the beginning, it is a very, very serious mistake to spray them when it is high, because it attracts fungiwhich can kill plants.
What time of day should it be done? In summer, it will be done in the morning and at the end of the afternoon, because the demand for water is greater; the rest of the year it will suffice once a day. But yes, it is important that when spraying them, do not give them direct sunlight or light, otherwise the leaves will burn.
What type of water to use?
as soon as possible, clean rainwater should be used. It is the most suitable for plants, the one they can absorb and get the most out of. But of course, in many parts of the planet this is not possible. For example, in the Mediterranean, the rains generally fall in spring and autumn; what to do the rest of the year? In these situations, you will need to use a drinking water.
In other words, never use water with a high concentration of lime or other heavy metals, as these will end up clogging the pores of the leaves.
Summary: Is it okay to spray plants with water?
We love plants and we want to take care of them in the best possible way. Therefore, it is good to read about them, learn about their care so that they look beautiful. But it’s important to ignore everything these books, web pages, etc. say, for the simple reason that that the information we have just read does not have to adapt to our reality.
For example, someone who lives in Spain but likes to read gardening books from the UK, must be thinking that the climate they have there might not be the same as the one they have in Spain, so the plants need care. a little different. Even without going any further: In Mallorca I don’t need to water the plants with water because the air humidity is very high.; but another person who lives on the peninsula, in an area where the humidity is very low, will have to do it.
For everything to go well, we must know the degree of humidity in the place where we have our plants. Only if it is low, i.e. below 50% most days, should we spray them. How to know that? With a home weather station like this:
It is inexpensive and takes up little space. It can therefore be placed anywhere.
As you can see, spraying may be necessary, but this is not always the case.