Should You Mist Your Orchids? Benefits and Risks of Misting Orchid Plants

Misting your orchids is one of the most popular ways to water an orchid. However, it can also be one of the most controversial topics in orchid care, with some people swearing by it and others decrying it as harmful. So what’s the truth?

Misting orchids is a method of providing them with the humidity they need to thrive. There are pros and cons to misting orchids, so it is important to weigh these before deciding whether or not to mist your orchids.

Well, in this post I will try to explain the benefits and risks of orchid misting and help you decide if you should mist your orchids or not.

Misting Your Orchids

If you are an orchid lover, then you may have heard people talking about misting orchids. Misting an orchid is a practice that can be beneficial to your orchid in many ways. But what exactly is misting an orchid, and why do you need to do it?

What is Misting?

Misting is simply a method of spraying water onto your orchid in order to hydrate it.

Misting isn’t something that you should do every single day because doing so can actually cause damage to your plant. But if you do it on occasion and at the right time, then misting can actually be very good for your orchids.

Why You Should Mist Orchids?

Here are some important points why you can consider misting your orchids:

Orchids Are Epiphytes

The most common species of orchid that you’ll find growing indoors are epiphytic orchids, which means unlike your other houseplants orchids attach themselves to tree branches and absorb a lot of water and nutrients through their aerial roots.

if they don’t get moisture through their aerial roots, the roots can quickly dry out and even die if you aren’t careful.

Orchids Flourish in a Tropical Rainforest

Orchids thrive in the tropical rainforests of South America, Central America, Southeast Asia, and Australia. While you might be able to keep your orchid alive for a few months without misting it, it’s unlikely that your orchid will be healthy for very long.

In its natural environment, an orchid receives rainfall daily. While misting isn’t the same as rainfall, it does help maintain humidity levels around the plant.

The air is typically very humid in the tropical rainforest, especially during the rainy season. When you bring an orchid indoors, it no longer has access to all that humidity.

Misting is an easy way to replicate those natural conditions. The idea is to add moisture to the air surrounding your orchid so that the leaves and roots absorb the water.

Orchids Take Water Through Their Leaves

Orchids grow in places where it rains a lot. When it rains, they try to drink as much rainwater as they can. the water then goes to the roots and gets distributed properly.

What Are The Benefits Of Misting An Orchid?

There are a few inherent benefits to misting an orchid. it can improve the overall health of your orchids, and make them look more beautiful.

Some of the major benefits of misting your orchids are

Increases Humidity:

One of the main benefits of misting an orchid is that it can add some humidity to the orchid.

Orchids like a certain level of humidity, and if you live in a dry area, then misting may be necessary.

However, it is important to be aware that this will only provide a short-term solution. Instead, you should consider other methods of increasing humidity levels for your orchid plants.

Provides Hydration:

Another benefit to misting is that it provides some water to the orchid. This makes sense because the mist is just very fine water droplets, after all.

Your orchid will appreciate this hydration. Of course, you will still need to give your orchids regular watering.

Fertilizes Your Orchid:

Another benefit to misting your orchids regularly is that you can fertilize them as well.

You can use specially prepared orchid food mist to both feed and hydrate your orchids at the same time. This saves you time and effort because you don’t have to hydrate your plant and then fertilize it separately. Just one application does both jobs!

Some commercial mists even have essential nutrients and vitamins

Lastly, Apart from increasing the humidity level, and fertilizing the plant, misting is a also good way to clean your plants. It removes accumulated dust and other particles on the leaves and flowers.

How to Mist Orchids?

Orchids are unusual in the plant world in that they don’t absorb water from their roots. Instead, they have developed a water absorption method through their leaves.

This means that when you water an orchid, you should focus on misting the leaves and aerial roots and not the soil.

To mist your orchids:

Use a spray bottle with a fine mist nozzle. and fill up the bottle with clean, room-temperature water.

By holding the bottle 12-inches away from the orchid lightly mist the leaves and aerial roots without saturating the orchid plant.

Use a paper towel to remove any excess water that may have gotten into the crown.

Tips For Misting An Orchid

One thing that many people don’t know about orchids is that you should mist them on a regular basis. It is important to learn how to do this properly so you do not harm your plant.

If you want to get the most out of your misting sessions, there are a few things that you can do:

Maintain Air Circulation:

The key to good orchid health is proper ventilation. This is especially true when you are misting an orchid,

it is important to maintain good air circulation. If you’re misting your orchids but have them sitting too close together, you may just be adding moisture to the air and not providing many benefits to the plants themselves.

Don’t let them sit in a stagnant, stuffy environment without any airflow. This will cause more harm than good, sometimes leading to problems like fungus gnats and root rot.

To avoid this, make sure that you mist your plant in an area where there is adequate air circulation. If you don’t have any fans around, open up the windows for a bit to let some fresh air in.

Use The Right Spray Bottle:

Water spray bottles can be found in just about every grocery store, but not all spray bottles are created equal! Choose a bottle that has a fine spray setting so that you’re using mist rather than soaking the leaves of your plant with water.

There are also spray bottles specially designed for watering houseplants, so those would be ideal for this job.

Be Mindful Of The Type Of Water Used:

While it’s easy to find a mister at any home improvement store, you need to be mindful of the type of water used. Tap water is perfectly fine for misting your orchid. It has already been treated and filtered to some extent by the water company.

However, if your tap water contains added chlorine or fluoride then you should not use that water. Rainwater is by far the best option to mist your plants.

Mist The Aerial Roots:

Aerial roots only have a very thin layer of chlorophyll around them which allows them to absorb moisture and nutrients from the air and environment surrounding them.

This is why you need to focus on misting the aerial roots when you decide to give your orchid a drink.

Don’t Mist The Potting Media:

Misting the potting media can cause damage over time to both your plant and the plant’s root system by encouraging root rot, mold, and mildew growth.

Should You Mist Orchid Flowers?

There is no harm in misting orchid flowers but this is not essential. Orchids don’t absorb moisture through the flowers misting will only make them look dewy and hydrated.

Should You Mist Orchid Leaves?

Yes, you should mist the leaves, especially if your orchid has been sitting in a dry environment for a long time.

Orchids absorb moisture through their leaves and are watered via their roots. Misting is only necessary if the air around is dry and there is not enough moisture for the orchid to absorb through its leaves.

How Often Should You Mist An Orchid?

The frequency of misting depends on the conditions in your environment and the type of orchid you have.

The humidity level of your growing area plays a vital role in deciding how often to mist orchids. If you live in a humid area, you do not need to mist your orchid regularly.

If on the other hand, you live in a dry climate, then you should mist your orchid every day.

Most growers will recommend that you mist once a day or every other day. Choose whatever works for you and your plants.

How to Tell if Your Orchids Need Misting:

There are indicators that will tell you when the humidity level is low and your orchids need misting.

In some cases, the leaves turn brown or yellow, or the leaves begin to curl. You can also see some buds dropping without blooming.

While you can easily tell if your orchid does not have enough moisture by looking at it, using a hygrometer (a device that measures humidity) will help you determine how much moisture your plant needs.

The ideal range is between 50% and 70%. If it is below 50 percent, then it’s time to mist your orchids.

You can do this twice a week or more, depending on how your plants react to the moisture.

Is It Better To Mist An Orchid Instead Of Watering It?

Misting and watering both play important roles in the growth of some orchids. Misting your orchids is a great way to provide them with humidity, but it doesn’t hydrate the potting media. To do that, you will still need to water them.

Misting an orchid doesn’t provide enough water or moisture to an orchid for it to survive. An orchid needs regular watering, usually once a week on average.

What Are The Risks Of Misting An Orchid?

However, this method can lead to issues if you aren’t careful about misting your plant. Consider the risks before choosing to mist your orchids:

Fungal Infections:

When you mist your orchid the leaf surface becomes wet. This provides an ideal environment for fungal spores to land and germinates on the plant.

These fungal spots can spread to other parts of the plant and eventually cause the entire plant to rot and die.

Crown Rot:

Even small amounts of standing water in the crown of an orchid can lead to crown rot and kill your plant. If you choose to mist your orchids, then do so early in the morning so there is enough time for any moisture on the leaves to dry up.

Fungus Gnats:

Fungus gnats are small black flies that lay their eggs on rotting organic matter like wet potting media. When fungus gnat larvae hatch, they feed on fungi, which is what they find in moist potting media.

The problem is that they also feed on the living roots of orchids in the process.

When you mist your orchids daily and don’t give the potting media a chance to dry out, you end up creating the perfect habitat for fungus gnats.

Salt And Mineral Build-Up On The Leaves:

If you are using an orchid food mist, fertilizer salts can build up on the leaves. A weekly misting with distilled water will rinse off fertilizer and mineral deposits on orchid leaves and help prevent leaf burn.

Should You Mist Your Orchids?

Misting your orchid is one of the most common ways to keep it happy and hydrated. It’s quick, easy, and doesn’t require a lot of your time.

There are many people who mist their orchids every day but there are also others who don’t and this creates a debate about whether misting is good for your orchid or not.

As an orchid grower myself, I can say that misting is good for your orchid if done properly. However, you should know what you’re doing because if not you might end up doing more harm than good to your plant.

Alternative Ways to Provide Humidity To Your Orchids

Although misting adds humidity to orchids it can lead to fungal diseases, which are particularly dangerous for orchids.

Fortunately, there are better ways to add humidity to your orchid. Consider the following options before choosing to mist your orchids:

Use A Hygrometer:

The first step is to measure the humidity around your orchid. You can do this with a hygrometer, which is an inexpensive device that measures relative humidity (RH).

Orchids like 50-70% RH during the day and 65-85% RH at night. If your RH is lower than this, then it’s time to create more humid conditions for your plant.

Use A Humidifier:

Instead of a mist system, it’s better to use a humidifier to increase the humidity around all your houseplants. A humidifier will also help keep your skin from drying out during the dry winter months.

Use Humidity Trays:

If you don’t want to buy a humidifier, simply set your plants on top of humidity trays like these and fill them with pebbles and water. The pebbles prevent the pot from sitting directly in the water (which would cause it to become soggy).

As the water evaporates from the tray, it increases the humidity around your plant.

Group Your Plants Together:

Grouping plants together is an inexpensive way to increase humidity without purchasing an appliance. This works best with small houseplants or orchids in a windowsill garden or on a shelf or table where you can keep them close together for several hours each day.

You can also create a tropical terrarium by keeping the plants in a closed glass container.

Keep Orchids In The Bathroom:

Keep orchids in the bathroom where they will benefit from steam from showers and baths.

Conclusion:

Misting is one of the easiest ways to provide humidity to your orchids. However misting has some drawbacks like fungal infection, root rot, etc. if not done properly.

There are other ways to provide humidity to your plant which may be simple or complex depending on your expertise. Choose the one that suits you the best.

Whichever way you go, just know that there are plenty of people out there who use mists with success.

I hope this post was helpful for you. Feel free to share the post with others too.

Thanks for reading.