9 Houseplants You Should Be Misting Regularly

While I spend a lot of time tending to plants in my outdoor garden, I love how houseplants bring a piece of the natural world indoors. I have pothos and philodendrons trailing down from high shelves and a jade plant brightening my desk. However, I’ve also seen a few leaves wither during my houseplant journey.

If there are dry yellow leaf tips or wilted leaves, they may be suffering from a lack of humidity. Many houseplants are native to humid tropical regions, so they suffer when placed in bone-dry homes. Fortunately, you can raise your home’s air moisture and keep these species happy.

I’ll share a list of houseplants that thrive in moderate to high humidity. To keep these species happy, plan to mist them regularly or use a humidifier to boost the air moisture.

Should You Mist Your Houseplants?

Misting adds moisture to the air and benefits houseplants that thrive in high humidity. However, spritzing the air around your beloved philodendron or orchid only increases the humidity for a brief period. The tiny water droplets eventually fall out of the air and settle on the plant’s leaves and other surfaces.

So, if you want to use a spray bottle to keep the humidity high, prepare to spray your plants multiple times a day.

Misting also has its drawbacks. If you have houseplants that you mist regularly, constantly wet leaves are more likely to develop fungal diseases. 

I’m not saying that misting isn’t a good idea, but it has limitations. Humidity-loving species often benefit from a humidifier, especially if your home is naturally dry. You can also place them in a naturally humid area like a bathroom.

That said, here are some species that require moderate to high humidity. Whether you opt for a spray bottle or humidifier, the following houseplants will benefit from a boost in air moisture.

Prayer Plants

	common name Prayer Plants
	botanical name Maranta leuconeura
	sun requirements Bright, indirect light
	height 8-18”
	hardiness zones 11-12

Prayer plants are known for their large, oblong leaves that bend up and down in response to light. The upright leaves resemble praying hands, hence the plant’s common name. Their leaves contain beautiful markings in shades of green and red.

These houseplants prefer indirect light and well-draining soil that mimics the Brazilian rainforests they call home. They also require humidity above 50%, so they’re great candidates for regular misting or a humidifier.

Prayer plants are slow growers, so don’t be alarmed if they remain the same size for a few months. Eventually, their stems will elongate, and they will produce new leaves. If your specimens remain the same size for more than six months, ensure they’re receiving enough light and water.

Nerve Plants

	common name Nerve Plants
	botanical name Fittonia albivenis
	sun requirements Bright, indirect light
	height 3-6”
	hardiness zones 11-12

If you want a houseplant that puts on a show, the nerve plant is one of the best options. These low-growing houseplants are super sensitive to moisture and will shrivel up when they become too dry. They can bounce back when you water them, but a repeated dry and wet cycle will cause stress.

Keeping high humidity and moderately moist soil are key parts of maintaining healthy nerve plants. When they’re healthy, they display beautiful foliage—their small leaves are covered with branching veins that resemble the netting on the outside of cantaloupes.

Wilting nerve plant leaves could indicate a problem with soil moisture or humidity. As long as the soil is moderately moist, low humidity is likely to blame.

Bird’s Nest Ferns

	common name Bird’s Nest Ferns
	botanical name Asplenium spp.
	sun requirements Bright, indirect light
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 9-12

This group of tropical ferns includes multiple species in the Asplenium genus. All of them are epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants rather than in the soil. You can plant them on a piece of driftwood or in a pot filled with bark when growing them at home.

While some ferns have lacy leaves, bird’s nest ferns have long, unserrated fronds. The fronds are arranged in an upright circular pattern that forms a unique, nest-like structure.

Since these ferns thrive in warm, moist areas, they often grow well in bright bathrooms or kitchens. You can also grow them in other rooms, especially if you boost the humidity with a spray bottle, pebble tray, or humidifier.

Orchids

	common name Orchids
	botanical name Orchidaceae family
	sun requirements Partial shade or bright, indirect light
	height 3-60”, varies by species
	hardiness zones 3-12, varies by species

If you’re like me, you can’t pass up the beautiful, blooming orchids you see in nurseries and stores. However, caring for orchids at home is trickier than admiring their beauty.

Orchids generally grow on plants or rocks in their native environments rather than in the soil. This means they require coarse potting material and have unique watering requirements. They also require humidity above 50%, so it’s key to place them in a humid area or boost the humidity.

Once you learn to care for these gorgeous flowers, you can add more to your home. There are thousands of species and even more varieties.

Calatheas

	common name Calatheas
	botanical name Calathea spp.
	sun requirements Bright, indirect light
	height 8-36”
	hardiness zones 11-12

Also known as prayer plants, the members of the Calathea genus are different from the prayer plant Maranta leuconeura. You can find close to 60 Calathea species, as well as many more varieties. Many of these plants have beautiful patterned foliage, making them sought-after houseplants.

Although they are beautiful, their sensitivity to environmental conditions makes them bad options for beginners. They need consistently moist soil, and their sensitivity to minerals means they require rainwater or distilled water. Misting to keep the humidity above 50% is also key to keeping these houseplants happy.

If you keep the air warm and moist and provide indirect light, these houseplants can thrive! Don’t worry about leaves moving up and down—this is the plant’s natural response to light.

Guzmania Bromeliads

	common name Guzmania Bromeliads
	botanical name Guzmania spp.
	sun requirements Varies by species: Bright, indirect light, partial shade, or shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 10-12

The Bromeliad family includes thousands of species, including soil-grown species like pineapples and hanging ones like Spanish moss. However, the colorful plants in the Guzmania genus are some of the most commonly grown houseplants. These epiphytes feature sleek, elongated green leaves and colorful bracts that resemble a large cup-shaped flower.

These houseplants are relatively forgiving, but they require a coarse and well-draining potting material, warm temperatures, and regular misting. Like many epiphytes, they perform best when the humidity remains above 50%.

Guzamania bromeliads flower only once in their lifetime, but the blooms last for multiple months. The actual flowers are very small, but they’re surrounded by large, colorful bracts.

Staghorn Ferns

	common name Staghorn Ferns
	botanical name Platycerium spp.
	sun requirements Bright, indirect light
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 9-13

Native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, the staghorn fern is easily recognizable thanks to its large, antler-shaped fronds. In the wild, the epiphytes grow on trees with small shield fronds protecting their roots and long antler fronds cascading toward the ground.

Staghorn ferns are grown in small clumps of organic material like peat moss or coco coir. These clumps are then mounted to pieces of wood, and the fronds grow downward.

Since staghorn ferns aren’t grown in a normal potting mix, they require high humidity to remain healthy. However, you should regularly water the plant by adding water to the organic material or removing the fern’s base from the wall and dunking it in water for ten minutes.

Fiddle Leaf Figs

	common name Fiddle Leaf Figs
	botanical name Ficus lyrata
	sun requirements Bright, indirect light
	height 4-10’ when grown indoors
	hardiness zones 10-12

Fiddle leaf figs aren’t the easiest houseplants to care for, but their impressive size and large leaves make the challenge worth it. Healthy plants can outgrow their caretakers, and their slender trunks are covered with lush green leaves.

However, when fiddle leaf figs become unhappy, their leaves become yellow or brown before dropping from the plant. Placing your fiddle leaf fig in an area with lots of bright, indirect light will help keep it happy, as will maintaining moderately moist soil.

Although fiddle leaf figs don’t require as much humidity as some other houseplants on this list, they’re sensitive to extremely dry air and appreciate misting. If the humidity drops below 30%, boost it with a humidifier or regular misting.

Monstera

	common name Monstera
	botanical name Monstera spp.
	sun requirements Bright, indirect light
	height 3-15’
	hardiness zones 10-12

The Monstera genus consists of about 60 species and even more varieties. It includes popular houseplants like Monstera deliciosa and Monstera adansonii and lesser-known species that people rarely keep in captivity. All of these plants are native to tropical regions in Central and South America.

Many monsteras have holes in their leaves, which are botanically known as fenestrations. Plenty of indirect light and moderately moist soil encourage these desirable holes and support plant growth.

Most monsteras prefer humidity above 50%, so try placing them in a bathroom or boosting the moisture around your plant by misting them with a spray bottle or adding a humidifier.