Tag: Humidity dome

Homemade Humidity Dome

Humidity is an important factor in many plant propagation systems.  Some cloning systems come with humidity domes.  A humidity dome is a small imitation of a green house.  The humidity dome keeps the humidity high in the area it covers.  To keep your humidity dome working properly, spray fine mists on the walls of the dome.  You can also use digital timers and water pumps to automate sprinklers to spray the mists for you.

You can create single plant or large humidity domes at home.  I used a Chinese food carryout container to make an extra humidity dome.

Food Grade Plastic
A food grade plastic container recycled into a useful humidity dome.
Use a small drill bit to drill an air hole in your humidity dome.

Use a drill to put a small hole in the container. The hole will let the container get a little air flow while keeping the humidity up. The small hole will also help to prevent the temperature from rising in your humidity dome.  Mist the sides of the container with small water drops.  Put the container over your plant or clone to put it in a high humidity environment.  Fresh cuttings like to be in an environment with 90-100% humidity.  Some thermometers have humidity measurements on them.  A humidity thermometer is called a humidity hygrometer.  Technically humidity meter is incorrect for the situation you will be using the tool.  Use home made humidity domes from house hold items to stay economical and green!

Finished Homemade Humidity Dome
This is the final product. Mist the walls of the humidity dome to create a wet environment with a high humidity.

Humidity is an Overlooked Factor in Cloning Systems

From my experience and what I’ve been reading on hydroponic forums, people all around are having faster cloning rates using a humidity dome. Humidity domes come in many forms. A simple dome is a clear plastic structure with just a few holes for oxygen exchange. The structure sits so that it is covering all the plants without smashing them. Spraying a fine mist along the walls of the dome will help boost the humidity. The more plants per sq. inch of space will also increase the humidity, but having clones packed in too tightly could cause them to fight for light, air, and moisture. The struggle may cause unnecessary stress instead of beneficial humidity. Make sure to keep an eye on the temperature when the humidity dome is on. It may lock in heat in its enclosed structure. Simply remove the dome for a few hours so the temperature can lower and fresh oxygen can be swept to the leaves. This is a good time to re-mist the dome so the humidity is high when you put it back into action.