A Brief Discussion on the Impact of Air Humidity on Succulents
Today, the editor will elaborate on the related content of succulents, discussing the impact of air humidity on succulents, which will certainly help you. Let's learn about it together!
Regarding the impact of air humidity on succulents, my view is that, except for specific plants such as tropical orchids, for the growth of most succulents, the impact is not significant, and different varieties have different requirements for air humidity, with some even being harmful.
Firstly, looking at the native environment of plants, at least succulents do not require a high-humidity environment. This is easy to understand, especially for varieties in desert areas where the air humidity is extremely low. Clearly, except for a few tropical epiphytic succulents like蟹爪兰 (Scholar's Lip Orchid), air humidity is not an essential element for the growth of most succulents. It is believed that these plants have evolved the ability to withstand extreme drought, and the flip side of this ability is a relatively weakened adaptation to high air humidity.
Of course, it is not to say that air humidity is completely useless. Many desert succulents obtain moisture mainly through dew formed by the temperature difference between day and night and moisture carried by ocean breezes, indicating that succulents can obtain the necessary water for growth through air humidity, not just relying on roots absorbing from the soil. This also proves that moderate air humidity is beneficial for the growth of succulents. However, maintaining this air humidity is short-lived, which is fundamentally different from the high humidity of tropical rainforests.
Secondly, behind the role of air humidity, it is often the temperature difference that plays a role. We cannot ignore the fact that when we create a high-humidity environment, we often adopt the method of闷养 (aerobic cultivation). However, the core effect of the greenhouse effect is the temperature difference, which is an important factor in promoting plant growth (the relationship between photosynthesis and respiration). Therefore, in this case, it cannot be simply concluded that it is the higher air humidity that promotes the growth of succulents.
Moreover, there are some illusions in small greenhouse cultivation. For example, the environment in a small greenhouse is cleaner than natural cultivation, and succulents grow cleaner and "watery." From this perspective, they are certainly more appealing than natural plants, and it is easy to attribute this to air humidity.
Thirdly, the core of growing flowers well is to grow strong roots. "Fundamentals" indicate that roots are the foundation of growth. Therefore, the key to growing flowers well is to grow strong roots. As long as the plant's roots are strong and healthy, the plant cannot grow weak. The key to growing roots is the coordination between planting material and watering, which is a very laborious task. Mastering this element makes it easy to grow flowers well. However, the role of air humidity in growing roots is not significant, at least I don't think there is any proven relationship yet.
Of course, it is not to say that air humidity has no effect on succulents. Since most succulents have Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), meaning that their stomata are closed during the day (reducing transpiration) and open at night, especially in summer, spraying water at night to cool down and increase air humidity, allowing succulents to replenish moisture and nutrients in time, is beneficial for their growth. However, the role of air humidity in the growth of succulents is often superficial. If the roots are not well-developed, even high air humidity won't help. Moreover, creating a high-air-humidity environment at home (aerobic cultivation) inevitably leads to poor ventilation, which is fatal to some succulents, such as living stone flowers, if high humidity is created in a high-temperature environment.
The above is a brief discussion on the impact of air humidity on succulents, for the reference of green plant enthusiasts, hoping to solve your problems in green plant and flower management.