Sprinkling is an additional care procedure that aims to create conditions with high air humidity for the plant. Is this really good for specimens kept indoors? It’s time to dispel all doubts once and for all.
Sprinkle potted plants with boiled water at room temperaturewhich is free from spores of fungal diseases and bacteria. For this treatment, we use a clean sprayer set to a light mist. We just need to fill it with water and press the handle. A water jet will be sprayed through the nozzle.
Remember to spray the specimens from above – the water must flow down the leaves and stems. Never do it from the bottom, because then we expose the flowers to attack by pathogenic fungi that contribute to the development of fungal diseases.
It is best to spray the specimens in the morning or evening. During this treatment, sunlight cannot fall on the leaves because they could burn them.
Another way to increase air humidity is to place air humidifiers near potted plants. We don’t have to buy them specially in the store – just pour water into a small vessel. We can even put them in a pot if we have space.
READ ALSO:
In spring and summer, we sprinkle potted plants twice a week. In winter, air circulation is lower, so we need to perform this treatment more often, even every day, e.g. in the case of Martens’s moth.
Of course, the issue of sprinkling depends on the species of the specimen and the air humidity. Some apartments have dry air and high temperatures, so this treatment should be performed more often in such conditions.
If the air in the apartment is dry but cool, we do not recommend spraying the flowers frequently. Due to the combination of cold and water, they may contract fungal diseases.
What if the apartment is humid but some of the sensitive houseplants are drying out? Then we do not spray their leaves with water, but e.g. move them to another room with higher air humidity.
Potted plants that need irrigation include: dracaena, monstera, calathea, arrowroot, aglaonema, orchid, anthurium, palm, ferns, philodendrons and crotons.
This treatment may harm specimens with leaves that are thin, parchment-like, fleshy, thick, brittle, covered with bristles or wax, velvet or suede-like to the touch. We also do not spray flowers with fungal diseases.
Not all houseplants are bothered by dry air. Some of them do not need high levels of humidity. We are talking about, for example, aloe, kalanchoe, howorsia or ezeveria.
