Winter is not my favourite season, as I prefer to do my growing outside. However, as soon as it gets too cold outside, I get growing indoors. Winter is infinitely more livable with a higher rate of humidity. Our homes are adversely affected by the dry air we are living with. Our furniture cracks, our hair stands on end and our houseplants are crying for just a little bit of humidity in the air that surrounds us.
This dryness in the winter is more prevalent in our climate. Warm air as we have in the summer will hold more water, raising the relative humidity rate. Relative humidity is the amount of water that is held in the air relative to the maximum amount of moisture the air could be holding if saturated. Even in the summer, our air is kind of dry, but in the winter, it is even drier. Winter is dry but when it gets very cold, the relative humidity is less, which makes the cold weather even worse and when the temperature plummets to minus stupid the humidity is almost non-existent.
On the prairies, our homes are so much drier in winter as there is a large temperature differential between the great outdoors and inside our homes. The very cold air contains little moisture and when that air is warmed it feels extremely dry. The air will actually “grab” moisture from any available surface like our skin and our houseplants. The battle against desiccation is endless.
A couple of years ago, I made an investment that cost around $100. I purchased a middle of the road cold air humidifier that would hydrate our living space. The water reservoir is easy to fill and takes about three minutes of time each day to fill it up. What it has done for us is provide a much more hospitable atmosphere in which to live. It is amazing that none of our clothing has static electricity while we are at home. Once we leave to go to school and work, the static takes no time to invade. The solution is not endless cans of static guard, but simply to walk back into the house and miraculously our clothes become less clingy. Our skin becomes almost dewy and our hair begins to naturally curl. Our houseplants are happier and exhibit fewer problems with pests and diseases.
Sometimes an investment like a humidifier is delayed due to other techniques that we hope will hydrate our space. For example, misting plants is a task that is often enjoyed by many. However, misting has a beneficial effect for a minute or two. As the air is so dry, that little bit of moisture is quickly slurped up and really is a waste of time, except for the fact that it makes us feel better.
If you would like to help your plants feel more hydrated, try grouping them together on trays that are filled with pebbles covered in water. This will raise the humidity directly around the plants and will make them much more comfortable.
Another effective way to help raise the humidity in your home without investing in a humidifier is to simply lower the temperature in the home. For every degree F of decreased temperature, the relative humidity increases by four per cent. So if you can reduce the temperature each night and when you are away at work or at play, the humidity will increase to a level that will make both you and your plants smile.
— Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture and can be reached at 306-931-GROW(4769); by email at [email protected] or check out our website at saskhort.com.
