I've recently gotten into houseplants and most of mine are thriving in water. However, I've been diving deeper into researching how humidity affects them. Living in a tropical climate, we naturally have high humidity, but it also gets really hot. Since most of my plants are in my room, I use the air conditioner frequently, which makes me wonder if the lower humidity from the AC could harm my plants in the long run.
2 Answers
The humidity drop is only a problem if the indoor humidity swings over 30-40%. If it stays relatively stable, most plants should handle the AC well. Just monitor them and see how they respond to the changes.
Yes, using air conditioning can lower humidity, which might stress your plants over time. I experience similar conditions with high heat and humidity here. I add a humidifier when the AC is running to keep my plants like anthurium and alocasia happy because they don’t do well in dry air. However, varieties like philodendrons, hoyas, and begonias seem fine even with the AC on.