Most people struggle with too low RH, leading to stunted growth, burnt tips, and dehydrated leaves. We all know that.

But I may have quite the opposite problem: my hygrometers never display a value of <50%, even during winter.

In summer, it often stays at about 60% (40-70%, depending on weather), and right now, due to the autumn weather conditions, I’m quite struggling to get it lower than 70%, even after opening the windows/ doors and letting the air flow through the apartment (we Germans call that Querlüften) a few times daily.

Right now it sits at constant 80%.

I live in a very modern apartment with great insulation, so mold isn’t going to be a problem. During very cold winters, there’s some condensation on the windows, but no moist walls or whatever.

Still, even though my Calatheas, ferns, and Nepenthes love it and thrive, I don’t identify as a gecko and think I shouldn’t be living in a fucking terrarium…


Here are a few pics attached.

There are some moldy stocks (especially on Calatheas), leaf damage (airflow?) and many of my orchids struggle, in particular my Phalaenopsis, where half of them thrive, and the other half is already in the trash because they rotted away in a blink of an eye.

Is that due to the humidity, or because of my semi-hydro (passive LECA hydroculture) cultivation?

Image

Image

Image

Image