Humidifiers

Balgay.Hill

With nothing going on in the garden i've started to buy a few tropical house plants.
Being the OCD type, i always try to give plants exactly what they need.
Have any forum members bought a humidifier, and if so, did it make any difference to your plants?
Any recommendations for a particular model?
I would rather pay a bit extra for something decent, than waste money on some of the 'toys' i see advertised.

Pete.8

I have a Bionaire humidifier that is many years old (and I've not used it in the last 3-4 years at all).
It's a bit like a kettle with a 600W (I think) element and a good size water tank, so it boils away and the vapour looks much like a boiling kettle as it comes out of the 'chimney'.
It would raise the humidity in my lounge by about 10% according to the display on the machine - but that reading is on the machine itself, so it's bound to be more humid in that area.
At 600W and a unit of leccy now being around 30p, means it costs nearly 20p per hour to run.
I can't say if it helped the plants, as I didn't have any houseplants then.

I've see some impressive vapour coming from more modern ultrasonic units, but I've never had one. They would be a lot cheaper to run.

Balgay.Hill

Thanks, Pete.
The ones i've been looking at hold 5-6L and run around 20-25W on max.

Fire

Is it possible to have the house plants in humid areas like the kitchen, utlitity/clothes drying area or bathroom?

Balgay.Hill

Fire said:

Is it possible to have the house plants in humid areas like the kitchen, utlitity/clothes drying area or bathroom?

I could do that, but i want them to be in my living room, as i like to have the plants where i spend most of the day.

Plantminded

Hi @Balgay.Hill, it might be worth considering some other options before purchasing a humidifier.  Any plants requiring higher humidity levels are best suited to the bathroom or kitchen if there is sufficient light, space etc.  You can also create a microclimate of higher humidity by placing groups of humidity lovers together.  You can also raise humidity levels by placing plants on trays with a shallow layer of pebbles and keep this saturated with water.  Plus, you can use a mister, although the benefits of this are debatable.

As long as you get your watering regime right, your tropical plants should respond positively.  I have a simple humidifier in my living room which is a ceramic pot, attached to a radiator which you top up regularly with water - I bought this to avoid dry eyes and coughing when the central heating is on and it works! 

Enjoy your new houseplants!

Balgay.Hill

Thanks @Plantminded
I already have pebble trays, and the plants are close together.
A meter in amongst them states the humidity as being 45-50% humidity. I would like to raise it to 60%.

Pete.8

I have seen tropical displays in local garden centres where the plants are in a group and there's an ultrasonic bit that creates a mist that drifts around the plants. That would be ideal.
I don't know what they're called though.

Fire

Is a terrarium an option? A smaller glass container could keep plants in the living room at the desired humidity. I think they look lovely, too.

Blue Onion

I have an ultrasonic humidifier for my boys bedroom, as Utah is extremely arid and I read that it will help his asthma.  I can adjust how much vapor is coming out.. and when they have colds I ramp it up to max.  By morning it's nearly used up an entire gallon of water.  I've read they only really increase humidity locally within a room, but that is exactly what you need.. so I suggest you look into a model that has a large reservoir and adjustable output.. then find what level allows it to run all day while you are gone but still increase the localized humidity.  (I have seen research that shows pebble trays only increase humidity in the inch of air above the tray.. not up to the level where the plants are.. so I stopped using them personally and have not seen a negative impact).  

Balgay.Hill

Pete.8 said:

I have seen tropical displays in local garden centres where the plants are in a group and there's an ultrasonic bit that creates a mist that drifts around the plants. That would be ideal.
I don't know what they're called though.

Most of the ones i've looked at work like that, with a hot or cold mist option.