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I’m relatively new to house plants so would appreciate any advice!

My Polka Dot Begonia is currently in its nursery pot inside a ceramic pot. I need to raise the humidity around this plant and I’m aware it can‘t be done through misting as the leaves shouldn’t be getting wet (correct me if I’m wrong!).

I‘ve heard about adding humidity through pebble trays and I’m wondering if it would work in the same way if I was to put the pebble tray inside the ceramic pot? The ceramic pot is slightly bigger than the plastic pot so if I could find a tray the same size as the ceramic pot and put the tray inside (then sit the plastic pot on top) do you think the water would evaporate in the same way? I hope this makes sense I’m not sure how else to describe it!

There might also be something else I’m not considering here so I welcome any comments, thank you!!

Megan
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  • My experience is that stemmed Begonias (so far two I have in my garden) tolerate a lower moisture in the air compared to rosette-forming ones (stemless with fibrous roots). Don't know how moist is air in your city, but if you find the leaf edges are turning brown then you should use a humidifier. You may have a chance to do without it but be on the lookout. – Christmas Snow Dec 04 '20 at 18:11

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Polka dot Begonia is one of the angel wing type Begonias, but they don't especially need a lot of humidity in the air, normal house humidity should be fine, see here.

It should not be necessary to provide a pebble tray method for this particular plant, but for plants that do need extra humidity, it is better to have a container that is at least an inch (preferably two) inches bigger than the pot the plant is in so that as the water evaporates, it effectively creates a humid micro environment round the plant's foliage. An open tray is usually more efficient because the water will evaporate more readily than it will contained inside an outer pot. However, if you had a large enough outer pot, you could put a layer of large pebbles on the bottom of that and keep it half topped up with water, with the plant pot sitting on top, not in contact with the water. This method may not be so effective; it may be the water takes so long to evaporate it becomes 'sour' and rather unpleasant smelling.

Bence Kaulics
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Bamboo
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I think you need to raise humidity in the whole house with a humidifier. I had "angle wing " begonias for many years , The house ( Chicago area) had a regular humidifier ( for personal comfort).

blacksmith37
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Depending on the plant's size you can consider using a terrarium or some sort of glass dome to trap the humidity around the plant.

IKEA's HÄRLIGA is a popular choice for a glass dome as it comes with an esthetic wooden base.

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Bence Kaulics
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