The effect of humidity on your houseplants.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor present in the air.

The majority of houseplants prefer a relative humidity of between 50 and 70 per cent. This is not too hard to maintain during the summer months, but during winter when we have to use heaters, the humidity drops as the temperature rises.

When the temperature reaches a comfortable level for us humans, the air will be far too dry for houseplants.

The key is to create a small pocket of moist air, known as a micro climate, around your houseplants.

Any of the following tips will create a humid micro climate for your houseplants:

• Use a humidifier in the room containing your houseplants.
• Place pebbles between the saucer and the pot and fill the saucer with water to the top of the pebbles.
• If you have a number of houseplants, group them together and they will create their own micro climate with the moist air they expel naturally during respiration.

  If the air is very dry, place gravel in a large tray and fill it with water to the top of the gravel. Place your houseplant pots on top of the gravel.

How to tell if the humidity is wrong

Common signs of too little humidity:

• The tips of the leaves will turn brown and will shrivel.
• The edges of the leaves will turn yellow and the leaves may wilt.

Common signs that the humidity is too high:

• Patches of grey mould will appear on the leaves and flowers
• The leaves and stems will have patches where they have started to rot