"pretty sure they thrive on emotional turmoil, lol."
Ha, same experience here—ferns are drama queens. Curious though, anyone tried humidity trays under plants? Wondering if they're actually effective or just another gardening gimmick...
I've tried humidity trays under my maidenhair fern—honestly, didn't notice much difference. But running a small humidifier nearby worked wonders. Maybe trays help smaller plants more than bigger ones...? Curious if anyone else noticed this.
I've had similar experiences with humidity trays—honestly, I think they're a bit overrated. When I first started keeping houseplants, I set up trays under everything from ferns to pothos, thinking it'd be the magic solution. Didn't really notice much difference either, especially with bigger plants. But when I renovated my office space last year, I decided to try a small humidifier instead (mostly because the trays were messy and annoying to refill). The difference was night and day. My fiddle leaf fig perked up noticeably within a week, and even my stubborn calathea stopped getting crispy edges.
My theory is that trays might slightly boost humidity right above the soil line, but that doesn't do much for larger plants whose leaves are higher up. A humidifier circulates moisture more evenly in the air, so it reaches all parts of the plant. Just my two cents...but after seeing the results firsthand, I'm definitely team humidifier now.
"My theory is that trays might slightly boost humidity right above the soil line, but that doesn't do much for larger plants whose leaves are higher up."
This makes total sense to me. Humidity trays always struck me as more of a placebo than anything else—maybe helpful for tiny plants or seedlings, but not really practical for bigger foliage. I had a similar realization when I tried to keep my monstera happy. The tray underneath just made a mess and didn't seem to help with leaf curling at all.
Eventually, I switched to a small ultrasonic humidifier placed strategically near my plant shelf, and the difference was pretty immediate. Leaves looked healthier, growth sped up a bit, and even my notoriously finicky peace lily seemed happier. I think it's all about consistent moisture distribution rather than just localized humidity near the pot.
Glad you found something that works better...it's always satisfying when you finally nail down the right solution after trying so many different things.
I get what you're saying about trays not being enough for larger plants, but I wouldn't completely dismiss them. I've found that grouping several plants together on a large humidity tray actually creates a noticeable microclimate. Sure, it won't match a humidifier's effectiveness, but it's a decent low-tech solution if you don't want another gadget running all day. Plus, my pothos and philodendrons seem to appreciate it...maybe monsteras are just pickier?
