Pothos grow well with higher humidity levels so increasing humidity above 50% will help pothos to grow. Increase humidity easily for your pothos by misting, using a humidifier, surround them with other indoors plants, place them in your bathroom or use a greenhouse.
This article will explore the top 6 ways to increase humidity for pothos, the benefits of humidity and the ideal levels for the best plant growth.
Humidity is about the amount of water vapor or droplets in the air. Tropical plants like pothos love a warm, humid climate to grow well. Here are my top 6 ways to increase humidity levels for your pothos.
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1. Misting
Misting is the easiest and cheapest way to increase humidity for pothos. Simply take a clean spray bottle which can be purchased for as little as $1. Fill it with clean, cold water and spray your pothos leaves in the morning.
Make sure the spray nozzle is twisted down and the bottle is spraying a fine mist. This will temporarily increase the humidity levels for your pothos. Small water droplets will land on the leaves so the plant can absorb it.
It is important to do this early in the day so that the water can dry out quicker. If larger water droplets sit on the leaves for too long it can increase the chance of fungal growth. Avoid misting the plant at the end of the day or night.
For more on misting pothos, check out my previous article here: Should I mist my pothos plant? | Pros and Cons + Best ways
2. Humidifier
Humidifiers are easy ways to increase humidity for pothos plants in your home. Humidifiers can be small, low cost and an easy way to increase humidity. Humidifiers will release a small amount of moisture in the air and are great if you are growing tropical plants in a dry area.
You can turn the humidifier on for 1-2 hours during the dry months of summer to increase the humidity to 50-75%. The easiest way to test the humidity in your home is to use a ‘humidity sensor’. Otherwise, just turn the humidifier on for the 1-2 hour period as any extra humidity will benefit pothos in dry heat.
Check out small humidifiers on Amazon.
3. Surround pothos with other indoor plants
Increase the humidity around pothos plants by surrounding them with other indoor plants. As each plant transpires or releases water from its leaves it can be trapped and create a microclimate around your plants. Humidity levels will increase around your pothos and improve growth.
4. Place pothos plants in the bathroom
Finding a humid place in the home is a perfect spot for pothos. The bathroom or even laundry are great places that capture warmth and moisture. Pothos will thrive in your bathroom as the warm water of the shower or bath creates steam and increases humidity levels in the air.
5. Greenhouses
Indoor or outdoor greenhouses are another way to increase humidity for your pothos. Small greenhouses can be a stylish way to display your plants and will increase humidity for your pothos. After watering your pothos, the greenhouse will capture water as it evaporates in to the air. This will increase humidity levels and help pothos to grow fast.
When the weather warms remember to open the lid and allow any excess moisture to escape.
Check out mini greenhouses on Amazon.
6. Gravel trays
Humidity levels can be increased by placing a gravel tray filled with water next to your pothos plants. To increase humidity levels, there needs to be somewhere for the moisture to come from. The water in the gravel tray will gradually evaporate or be release into the air around the pothos increasing humidity.
Benefits of higher humidity for pothos
Pothos plants are tropical so love a warm, humid environment. Higher humidity levels means the plant has access to more moisture which can be absorbed through its leaves. Warm weather combined with good moisture levels will mean the plant can grow bigger, faster and fuller.
Ideal humidity levels for pothos
The ideal humidity levels for pothos range between 50-75%. This amount is perfect to allow the plant to absorb extra moisture but to avoid any fungal growth on its leaves. You can increase humidity levels by
Check your weather app to see what the humidity levels are in your area to see if you need to increase humidity levels at all. In my region, in summer the humidity levels usually range from 60-70% which is ideal for pothos.
Tropical and sub-tropical areas will naturally have good humidity levels for pothos. Remember that if you are running air-conditioning indoors this can dry the air out so you may need to take one of the 5 steps listed above to increase it again.
How to measure humidity
To know what the humidity levels are at your home there are 2 easy ways. First is to check your weather app. This will give you a general sense of what the humidity levels are in your region at different times of the year. If you keep your home open with lots of air flow, indoor humidity levels will be similar to outdoor levels.
During the hotter or cooler months your indoor humidity levels will be different to outdoors, especially if you are running an air-conditioner or heater. To find out indoor humidity levels, grab a low cost humidity tester. You can test the humidity levels indoors at different times of the day and find out if the levels are high enough for good pothos growth.
Check out humidity monitors on Amazon here.
Pothos and Humidity | Summary
Pothos will grow better in humidity levels around 50-75%. Tropical and sub-tropical areas will naturally have higher humidity levels leading to good pothos growth. For dryer areas you can increase humidity levels by misting, using a humidifier or and indoor greenhouse.
Pothos are hardy plants and will still grow well indoors in dry areas if they are watered regularly. If you want to take your plant care to the next level however, invest in a humidifier for faster and larger plant growth.
Happy growing.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.