Many of the most popular houseplants originate from warm climates. These tropical plants tend to grow lush, dramatic foliage for year-round interest; if you want winter-blooming houseplants, they’ll almost always come from someplace warm. But here’s the thing: Tropical plants really, really love humidity, and indoor humidity is an issue. Most of us don’t keep…
Why Showering Is Great for Indoor Tropical Plants
Just to be clear, we’re not suggesting you literally haul a few pots into the shower while you’re lathering up. But the shower does provide a great opportunity to give your tropicals a “spa day,” especially in winter when the air tends to be driest (and challenging low humidity is the norm).
Gather an armful of plants and put them in the shower, then turn on the water. If you have a handheld shower head, you can use it to wash each plant for a few moments, which not only removes dust (dust blocks the light plants need for photosynthesis) but also flushes away any possible pests. As each plant is thoroughly cleaned and watered, set it aside and move on to the rest. When you’re done, turn off the water, close the shower curtain or door, and give them a half-hour or longer to revel in the enclosed, warm, steamy space while their soil drains. (Tip: Only attempt this hack with houseplants that are in containers with drainage holes.)
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The Benefits of Giving Your Tropical Plants a Shower
There are lots of other humidity-boosting hacks for your plants, but none works this powerfully. A steamy shower is the closest thing to genuine tropical heat and humidity, so even an hour once a week will give your plants the conditions they need to truly thrive. Other benefits include deterring spider mites, which like dry conditions, loosening compacted soil with a thorough watering, and rinsing out accumulated salts from fertilizer and watering. (If you have hard or softened water, rinse them well with distilled water instead of tap water.)
If you have a large walk-in shower or a wet room, you can even keep a few select humidity-loving plants right in the shower itself. For the rest of us, a windowsill or ledge in the bathroom (or just outside it) is almost as good, provided space and lighting permit.
