Humidfier getting soil too wet?

[JMurphy97]

When I put my humidifier on the next mouring the soil mix is soaked. Is this good or bad for the neps? I don't want them to rot or anything if I use the humidifier. I could just not water them or something.

 

[philcula]

Can you give some background information first on how and where you are growing your plants, and the location of the humidifier in association with your growing arrangement?

 

[JMurphy97]

I'm growing them on the top of a dresser and the humidifier is right by the plants so it blows on them all.

 

[philcula]

Does the soil mix have a chance to dry out during the day and before the humidifier is used again the next night?

 

[JMurphy97]

I put it on at night and it runs for about 9 hours on a full tank. So by the mourning it's off. The soil then has the whole day before I turn it on at about 10, 11 at night.

 

[philcula]

But has the soil dried off any? If the soil is still wet when the humidifier comes on again then you may be giving the plants too much moisture. Most Nepenthes like to dry off a bit between waterings. What species/hybrids are you growing? Do the plants sit in a tray or in individual plastic saucers that collect water in it when the humidifier is running?

 

[JMurphy97]

They are in a tray. They are all highland. I need to have it on or the humidity won't be as high at night.

 

[philcula]

Is your humidifier an ultrasonic mist type or a standard cool air humidifier that doesn't exhaust a fine mist or fog?

 

[JMurphy97]

Ultrasonic that makes a mist type fog.

 

[philcula]

The ultrasonics are good devices, but I fear you may eventually kill your plants with kindness. Yes, highland neps need the humidity at night but more importantly they need cooler night temps. With cooler night temps the humidity rises naturally in the growing area, or theoretically it should. I would suggest trying to put your plants in an aquarium if you can or at least a larger tray that has a deeper capacity so you can add a couple inches of moist gravel to sit the plants on top of and cease using the fogger. The ideal conditions would be to keep them moist during the day when it's warmer and allow them to dry off at night when it's cooler.

 

[JMurphy97]

My humidifiers have a built in fan that actually cools the area down a couple degrees anyways. Plus I have a fan that blows on rotation so that helps get the temps down. My thing is this: will they be hurt if the humidity goes from 85% and up at night and then drops down to about 60-70% range or lower during the day?

 

[wolf9striker]

Absolutely not, that humidity drop during the day is expected, and a drop to the 60-70 percent is plenty fine. Mine routinely experience humidity drops in the low 50's with no problems.