If you’ve ever stepped into a botanical garden, or been lucky enough to travel to the tropics, you’ve been blown by warm, humid air. When I was first introduced to houseplants and tropical plants, I was struck by how much humidity some of them needed to thrive.

Caring for my new plants seems easy: just give them more humidity, right? Unfortunately, I live in an area with lots of sunshine but not much natural humidity (zone 10b). I also grow plants that hate high humidity, so I didn’t want to just increase the overall humidity in my garden.

So, what can I do for my precious plant that likes to bathe in moist air?

First, I tried out the humidity trays, they were just trays half full of water and pebbles. I put my plants on top of them and hope for the best. It worked — kind of. After a while, even that failed and I decided to buy a humidifier to solve my problem.

The problem is, most humidifiers are made for people, not plants. I had to dig into the characteristics of humidifiers to find the best one for my green baby. Here are my recommendations for choosing the best plant humidifier, along with some of my recommendations. I’ve listed my recommendations quickly at the top, but I’ve also covered them in more detail below.

ECO Farm Hydroponics 8L Capacity Air Humidifier Grow Room Tent

Features:

This ECO Farm humidifier is designed with a super simple control knob and 360° rotating nozzle, giving you full control and customization of the mist output and direction of the mist flow. For safety, the unit will automatically shut down once the tank is empty. This humidifier operates almost silently in the background, safely and quickly humidifying dry air in frequently used spaces. A humidifier made just for you, easy to clean and refill in everyday life. The unique handle design and anti-slip groove make the humidifier more convenient to carry. This humidifier can work continuously for 14 to 28 hours. Note: Please clean the humidifier at least once a week!

PureGuardian H965 Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier for Grow Room

Features:

The PureGuardian 70 Hour Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier is a typical benchtop or small space humidifier. Weighs only 2.4 pounds. At only 13 inches tall, this humidifier is almost portable. It boasts a remarkable 1-gallon reservoir with 70 hours of runtime and microbial-inhibiting Silver Clean™ technology. Silver Clean™ technology is an antimicrobial layer within the reservoir that limits the growth of mold and mildew. With silent operation and ultrasonic high-frequency vibration, it emits a fine mist into the air through the multi-directional humidity vent on the top. This fine cool mist is evenly distributed in small rooms up to 320 square meters.

Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier

Features:

The Pure Enrichment Cool Mist Humidifier uses MistAire™ Ultrasound to hydrate the dry air in your indoor garden in minutes. This powerful and beautiful desktop ultrasonic humidifier is packed with smart features that make it the perfect solution for improving air quality in medium-sized rooms. With a 1.5L water tank with ample capacity, you can feel the moisturizing effect for up to 25 hours of continuous safe operation. High and low speed settings combined with 360° spray nozzles help you consistently balance and regulate the humidity in your indoor garden all year round.

What factors should be considered when buying a humidifier?

Capacity
The capacity of a humidifier refers to the amount of space it can effectively work in. That said, a humidifier with a 200-square-foot capacity won’t be very efficient for a 500-square-foot room.

How do you know the correct size humidifier for your room?

These appliances usually have a rating that indicates their equivalent amount of space in square feet. However, it doesn’t hurt to buy a humidifier that extends beyond the size of the room.

Tank size
Typically, a humidifier contains water to humidify the air. Therefore, it has a tank to hold water.

Humidifier tanks come in different sizes, depending on the room capacity of the humidifier. Typically, humidifiers for large rooms have a tank capacity of more than 6 liters.

Filling Design
As we said before, you need to refill the tank regularly. So if you need to fill your tank with ease, you should look at tank fill designs.

Tanks with a top-of-the-line integrated filling design are best because they reduce the chance of spilling.

Clean
This is another thing that bothers most people. You’ll need to clean your humidifier regularly to remove dirt and dust that can clog the system. So, for a better user experience, you need to look for an easy-to-clean humidifier.

Humidifiers with a design that is too wide are very easy to clean. Additionally, the components of the device should be easy to disassemble and attach to gain access to the interior.

Shutdown system
In some of these air humidifiers, you have to manually turn it off. This means you have to get very close to the tool, check the humidity level, and then turn it off.

On the other hand, other devices contain automatic shut-off systems. Therefore, they automatically shut off when the set humidity level is reached or when the tank is empty of water. Therefore, these tools are easier to operate.

Noise Levels and Settings
Quite frankly, humidifiers are often quite noisy devices — even so-called “quiet” humidifiers. The only difference is that they significantly reduce the level of minor inaudible noise.

Noise levels are expressed in decibels, the lower the level, the quieter the machine. Generally, the noise level of humidifiers used in bedrooms, offices or living rooms must be below 30db.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing the best humidifier for your space comes down to knowing your needs and considering all your options before making a purchase. If the humidifier you choose is too big or too powerful, it won’t be able to generate enough moisture in your grow tent. Conversely, if you choose a plant that is too small or underpowered, it will not be able to adapt to the warm, moist environment the plant needs to grow.