Do Orchids Like Humidity?

Congratulations!

You bought yourself a beautiful orchid.

Now as you brought your plant home, no doubt you started to think of how to care for it so that turns into that beautiful flower that you have dreamed it to be.

One question you may have asked yourself is: Do Orchids Like Humidity?

Well, in this post, I am going to answer that question as well as a few other related questions.

Let’s get started…

Do Orchids Like Humidity?

The answer: Yes, orchids like humidity. In fact, most orchids prefer humidity levels to be anywhere between 50 to 80 percent range. With that being said, there are some varieties that do well in humidity levels around 40 percent.

How To Know If Humidity Levels Are Too Low For Your Orchid

During those cold winter months when the furnace is working hard to keep us warm, it is also doing a great job sucking the moisture out of the air.

You know the air is dry when you begin to notice more static electricity, dry elbows or you might suffer from chapped lips.

The same is true with orchids. There are signs that will tell you that the air is too dry and something needs to be done.

What should you look for?

The first place to look is at the leaves. Wrinkly, drooping leaves are a clear indication that there is not enough humidity in the air and something needs to be done.

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3 Ways To Increase The Humidity Levels For Your Orchids.

Create a small greenhouse environment. One of the easiest ways to increase the humidity levels is by creating a small greenhouse environment around your plant.

This can be down with a shallow waterproof tray (as known as a humidity tray), some water, and decorative stones, beads or pebbles.

First, take your tray and put down a layer of decorative stones, beads, or pebbles. Once that has been done, you are going to fill it with water to where the water level comes just above the stones.

Lastly, you are going to place the pots that have your orchids on top of the pebbles.

The idea here is that as the water evaporates it will provide your orchid with humidified air.

Like I said this is a low maintenance way to increase the humidity levels, but there are a few cautions.

One, be sure to check the water level frequently. It goes without saying that in order for this to work, there needs to be water in the shallow tray to being with.

Next, make sure that the orchid’s roots are not in the water itself. This will make the roots rot and affect the overall health of the plant.

Finally, be sure to monitor the humidity. Make sure it is working effectively before setting it and leaving it. If you don’t see an increase in humidity you may need to try another approach listed below.

Gardenista’s Tip: An easy way to monitor the humidity levels is with a humidistat. Simply plug it in and place it near your plants. From time to time look at it to make sure the levels are ideal.

Additional Reading: 25 Orchids Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Misting. If you are an orchid lover you no doubt have read about misting your plants. It is a great way to water your plants without soggy soil.

In addition, to providing water, it also gives your plant the humidity that they need.

As far as how to do it, well, it is pretty straight forward. Just get yourself a spray water bottle and start misting away.

The one drawback to this approach is that in many cases, the plants may need to receive this treatment daily sometimes several times a day to keep humidity at its desired level.

If you decide to go with this approach be sure to do it every day and be attentive to any signs of low humidity.

Purchase a humidifier. Another easy way to provide your orchid with the humidity it craves is to purchase a humidifier.

One that I would recommend is the Pure Enrichment Humidifier. It is relatively small, allowing it to be placed just about anywhere and best of all it is quiet.

One caution when it comes to using a humidifier creating too much humidity. When you see signs of mold or fungus you know that it is time to cut back on the about of time you use the humidifier.

Choose a variety of orchids wisely. Lastly, if you are having a hard time keeping those humidity levels at 50 to 80 percent, but you still love these beautiful flowers, then you may need to take a look at the plant itself.

As we mentioned earlier there are many varieties of orchids that can thrive in low humidity areas.

With that being said, it might be wise to choose one that will be better suited for your environment.

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Here are a few varieties that excel in humidity levels around 40 to 50 percent:

• Cattleya
• Oncidium
• Paphiopedilum
• Phalaenopsis

And for even lower humidity levels, check out these varieties:

• Dendrobium
• Catasetum

Let’s do a recap…

So, do orchids like humidity? Yes, they do.

What can you do to ensure that your plants flourish?

3 takeaways from this post

1. Do your research beforehand. Be sure to choose a variety of orchids that will work best for your environment. Remember there are many that can survive in humidity levels as low as 40 percent.
2. Choose a method to keep the humidity at optimum levels. In this post, we have mention 3 different ways, creating a greenhouse environment, use misting or use a humidifier.
3. Buy a humidistat. This small tool for monitoring the environment for your plants and keeping those optimum humidity levels.

Now it is your turn. Share with us your experience with orchids in the comments below.