Arrowhead Plant Humidity Requirements

Humidity is often disregarded when it comes to growing plants indoors. We’re more caught up in making sure we’re watering correctly or positioning our arrowheads for optimal light exposure.

Because arrowhead vines thrive in humid environments, humidity is just as important as choosing the right type of potting mix.

Our indoors often lack the humidity needed for tropical plants to thrive. So then how can we grow arrowhead plants indoors?

Luckily, there are ways to increase indoor humidity so that your arrowhead gets the care it needs.

I’m going to discuss the humidity requirements of arrowhead plants as well as the easiest ways of creating a more humid environment for your plants.

Do Arrowhead Plants Like Humidity?

Yes, arrowheads are humidity-loving plants. They thrive in an environment with elevated levels of humidity.

It’s challenging to recreate that level of humidity indoors, so we need to work with what we can achieve, namely average humidity levels.

Average humidity levels are set between 40% and 60%. For arrowhead plants, you’ll need to strive to maintain humidity levels at the higher end of that range – around 60%, which is achievable.

If the air is too dry, the plant will become droopy and will start wilting. Lack of humidity will also cause evaporation and the potting mix of the plant will dry faster.

If there simply isn’t enough humidity, your arrowhead vine will suffer from dehydration.

How to Measure Humidity Level?

There are instruments you can use to measure humidity levels indoors. A hygrometer is an example or thermostats also have a humidity measuring function.

These instruments can be extremely useful in gauging the humidity levels in your home. For humans, average humidity levels are best.

If the air is too humid, it creates the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew. The ability of some airborne pathogens to spread can also be increased if the air is too humid.

An environment that’s too humid can also cause fatigue, muscle cramps, and an exacerbation of respiratory symptoms.

An environment that’s too dry is also problematic. It can cause dry eyes, skin, and throat. You’ll also notice an increase in static and damage to wooden floors and furniture.

Therefore, keeping humidity levels in the 40%-60% range is most optimal for human beings. But aiming for humidity levels of 55%-60% if most preferable for arrowhead vines.

Factors That Affect Humidity

Humidity levels are not constant. There are factors that can influence humidity levels both indoors and outdoors.

Here are some of the most common factors that change humidity levels:

• Temperature – High temperatures can cause humidity levels to drop indoors, especially in winter when our homes are heated. High temperatures can also cause humidity levels to drop outdoors.
• Rainfall – Heavy rain or long periods with rain can cause humidity levels to rise. If you want to increase humidity levels indoors, you can simply open a window during or after rainfall.
• Sun radiation – Sun radiation can also cause the air to go dry.
• Ventilation – Whether it’s mechanical (e.g., AC unit) or natural ventilation (e.g., opening a window), or whether it’s the wind outdoors, ventilation or winds can also decrease humidity levels.
• Building materials – The materials used in the construction of your home can also increase or decrease humidity levels, depending on their type.
• Air tightness – The type of windows you use can affect how much outside air gets in your home and how your house “breathes”.

As you can see, humidity levels are not constant. Several factors can increase or decrease it. It’s unlikely for you to be able to maintain constant levels of humidity indoors.

Keeping an eye on the thermostat’s humidity readings and making necessary adjustments can help keep levels within the parameters acceptable for you and your arrowhead vine.

The good news is that there is no shortage of methods to increase humidity levels indoors.

There are ready-made solutions to increase humidity, but there are also several DIY methods that are efficient as well.

Below, I’ll offer some tips and tricks on how to increase humidity levels indoors, so that your arrowhead vines can thrive.

How to Provide Humidity for Arrowhead Plants?

Even if your indoor humidity levels are at the lower end of the spectrum, you can still do something to increase its levels.

Here are some of the best ways to provide humidity for arrowheads:

– Use a Humidifier

A humidifier is a device or system built into your AC unit that releases water vapors or steam to raise humidity levels in your home.

There are various types of humidifiers, the most common being steam vaporizers. These use electricity to create steam that cools before leaving the device.

Unlike central humidifiers built into your AC system, these systems have a more targeted use,  making it easier to humidify only the area where you keep the plant.

Some humidifiers also have a dehumidifier function, others can be programmed to automatically turn on when humidity levels drop below a certain threshold.

Humidifiers of any kind are by far the most efficient way to provide enough humidity to your plants. Some allow you to measure humidity levels and adjust humidity based on those readings.

The upside of these humidifiers is that they work quickly and allow you to fine-tune humidity levels. The downside is that they cost money and you need to buy them.

If you’re not keen on investing in a humidifier, don’t worry! I have some other useful tricks on how you can increase humidity levels.

– Set Up a Pebble Tray

A pebble tray or an evaporation tray is a normal tray filled with water and pebbles. The pebbles are only half-way in water. You can place your potted arrowhead vine on top of these pebbles to maximize the amount of humidity that reaches your plant.

The reason why this is designed like this is to prevent the roots of the plant from sitting in water. If the roots keep absorbing and sitting in water, it can cause root rot.

You can periodically fill the tray with water or when watering the arrowhead vine, allow the excess water to stay in the tray.

The water will evaporate and elevate humidity levels around the plant. The reason why a pebble tray is a good alternative to a humidifier is that it’s cheap and easy to set up.

The downside is that it doesn’t have a built-in humidity gauge, but if you do have a thermostat in your room that measures humidity levels, then you’ll be able to assess the impact it’s making.

– Move Arrowheads to Kitchen or Bathroom

Some rooms in our home are naturally more humid than others. For example, your bathrooms and your kitchen.

These rooms can be a prime spot for your arrowhead vines and other humidity-loving plants. A kitchen is also often warmer than other rooms, especially if you’re doing a lot of cooking and baking.

The only issue is adequate light. Often bathrooms don’t have natural light coming in and would not qualify as an ideal location for your plant.

But if your kitchen or bathroom does get natural light coming in through a window, you can rest assured your arrowhead plant will thrive there.

That said, other rooms of your home can make just as good of a spot if you use a humidifier of a pebble tray to keep humidity levels high enough for your arrowhead vine.

– Take Advantage of Rainy Days

This isn’t a solution that you can use all the time, but sometimes it helps. I use this especially after periods of drought or after heat waves.

But cracking the window during rain or just opening up the windows after rain can help increase humidity levels and bring some much-needed relief for your plants.

This method isn’t a substitute for maintaining optimal humidity levels. It’s just a way to take advantage of outdoor natural humidity levels.

As you can see, there are a few options available for tweaking humidity levels indoors.

If your arrowheads aren’t getting enough humidity, they will start to show symptoms of dehydration that can range from leaves being all droopy and wilting to browning leaf margins.

Another issue with dry air is that it can promote the proliferation of some pests. Pests can also damage leaves. Brown spots, curling leaves are just some of the symptoms of a pest infestation.

Leaves that are already damaged will usually not bounce back, so it’s important to prevent dehydration by keeping an eye on humidity parameters. It’s also essential to prevent pest problems and treat an on-going infestation as soon as possible.

Can You Mist Arrowhead Plants?

Yes, arrowhead vines can benefit from regular misting, but the effect is not as strong as if you would use a humidifier. Using a humidifier has a much stronger effect on humidity levels.

Misting – just like cracking up a window when it’s raining – can offer momentary relief to the plant, and you’d need to be misting often to achieve the desired effect.

My only concern with misting is the possibility of several leaf diseases becoming exacerbated.

Misting can exacerbate fungal issues and even some pest problems. Some pests can thrive in a humid environment. It’s important to keep leaves dust-free by regularly wiping them off with a clean, damp cloth to prevent these issues.

Another thing that misting can cause is mineral build-up on the leaves. If you’re using tap water to mist your plant, you can cause problems because of the chlorine or other chemicals that might be added to your tap water supply.

It’s best to allow tap water to aerate so chlorine gasses can escape. This also holds true for watering the plant with tap water.

And as a side note – never water your arrowhead plants from above. The same problems that misting can cause, watering from above can also cause.

Conclusion

There’s no question that arrowhead plants need elevated levels of humidity. If your home is low in humidity, your arrowhead plants will struggle.

To prevent this, you will need to artificially increase humidity around the plant. It’s enough to raise humidity only in the immediate environment of the plant, you don’t need an elaborate central humidifier system for this.

A simple humidifier or the alternative methods I mentioned can go a long way in keeping your arrowhead vines happy and thriving, even indoors.