| Benefits of Houseplants | Page 1 Of 1 | |
|
Houseplants for Decoration
Posted On 2010-05-21 , 11:45 AM
Houseplants come in many variations of color, variegation, texture, size, leaf shape and structure, and floral characteristics. Many can be found to complement all styles of home decoration.
When it comes to houseplants, Mother Nature has provided us with an amazing variety.
We can find great variety in color. There is the solid green leaves of the English Ivy or Peace Lily. And among those plants with variegated leaves there is great variety in the pattern and colors. The Chinese evergreen has grey green patterns on it's leaves. Areas of yellow highlight the leaves of the Golden Pothos. Yellow stripes appear like trim on the edges of the Mother in Laws Tongue. And for a bright cool area there is the beatiful Croton with its shades of red, green and yellow creating a splash of color that will brighten any room. Everyone is familiar with the Poinsettia and the bright red brachts it displays at Christmas.
We also have many houseplants with beautiful floral displays. For winter color we have the Cyclamen and Christmas Cactus. Through most of the year, potted Mums in many different colors can be found at your florist shop. The Peace Lily has a beautifully shaped white flower. Orchids are grown for their spectacular and intricate flowers.
Texture in houseplants is also greatly varied. There are the hard waxy leaves of the Hoya or Mother in Laws Tongue and the soft fuzzy leaves of the African Violet. Many succulents have thick, tough leaves that hold a supply of water letting them go long periods of time between waterings.
You can find houseplants that grow as bushes like the Ficus Benjamina or that produce a tuft of leaves at the end of a single tall stem like many dracaena. The Peace Lily sends up individual leaves from the soil. Palms send up fronds from a central base or trunk.
Nature provides us with an abundance of variety in our houseplants. We may not find all forms attractive and that is a matter of personal preference. We need to select suitable plants from the varieties available to add a touch of nature to our interior spaces.
comment
|
White Mold or Fungus on Houseplant Soil
Posted On 2010-03-03 , 5:09 PM
Mold and mildew are types of fungus. They grow from tiny spores that will float in the air from one place to another. They produce millions of spores. Once you have a mold or fungus infestation, it is very difficult to get rid of but can be controlled.
Fungus likes higher temperatures ( 75 to 90oF), high humidity, stagnant air, and darkness. If we control these factors, we will have some success in controlling the fungus.
1. Keep the temperature in the lower range (60 to 70oF). The mold will not grow as well at those temperatures.
2. Usually it is not difficult to keep the humidity at an acceptable level. Too high a humidity is often caused by overwatering or using plant pots without drainage holes in the bottom.
Always make sure that the plant has dried sufficiently between waterings. Test the soil with your finger down at least 1 inch (2 inches in pots 10 inches in diameter or greater) If the soil is not dry that far down, the houseplant does not need to be watered yet.
If the pot has no bottom drainage, the soil will remain much moister lower down in the pot. The water has no where to go but up and will raise the humidity near the surface of the soil.
3. While it is best to keep most house plants out of drafts, some air movement is needed. This circulation will disperse the oxygen and humidity given off by the plant throughout your room and replace the air around the plant with new room air. This will benefit you and your houseplant. It will also help dry out the surface of the soil where the fungus will start to grow.
4. Mold and fungii grow best in darker conditions. If you place your houseplant in a brighter location, the mold will not grow as well.
These are just some of the methods we can use to discourage the growth of mold and fungus on the soil around our houseplants.
comment
|
Houseplants Remove Toxins
Posted On 2009-11-08 , 3:28 PM
Now the Other Side of the Story
Houseplants do remove toxins from the air in your home. But how effective they are at improving indoor air quality depends on some other factors as well.
Firstly, houseplants can only remove VOCs ( volatile organic compounds) at a certain rate. The rate at which VOCs are removed from a room can be increased to a certain extent by adding more plants. We run into a problem in that houseplants take up space, the space in which we live.
There is another way we can ensure we benefit from our houseplant's air cleaning work. We have to reduce the rate at which toxins are added to our room air. Some things we can do to help are:
- using paints and other decorating products that are designed to be more eco friendly when we redecorate.
- using eco friendly cleaning products when we clean that give off less VOCs.
- insisting on organic cleaners for carpet and upholstery cleaning.
- not smoking in the room. It does little good to have houseplants cleaning the air if someone sits in the living room smoking a big cigar or even a cigarette.
- dust the room to reduce the amount of dust particles. Dust particles are picked up by small movements of air and are carried around the room. We can see this in the dust collecting on surfaces and on the leaves of our houseplants.
Secondly, we can keep our houseplants acting as efficiently as possible by:
- keeping the leaves clean so that they can breathe and maximize the transfers involved in photosynthesis.
- provide the conditions the plant needs to remain healthy and strong. A strong healthy houseplant will be a better air cleaner than a sick weak plant.
By taking care of the houseplants and taking care that the materials we are introducing into our living space, we can get the best benefit from our indoor houseplants.
comment
|
Houseplants Benefit Us in Many Ways
Posted On 2009-10-16 , 12:01 PM
Houseplants Benefit Us in Many Ways
Much has been written lately about the ways indoor houseplants benefit us by removing volatile organic compounds ( VOC's) from the air, but there are many other benefits our houseplants can and do provide.
- Houseplants produce and give off oxygen, replacing the oxygen we remove when we breathe.
- As the plants grow, they take up the water from the soil to use it in producing new plant material. Some of this moisture is given off, raising the humidity in the room. In the dry air of the winter, this makes the air easier for us to breathe, a definite benefit to those with asthma or other breathing problems.
- Houseplants can make the visual impact of a room more pleasing. They can round off sharp edges and provide a texture in a room filled with the straight lines and flat surfaces found in most rooms today. They can add colorful accents to the decor and draw out the features of the other furnishings of the room.
- They can create an ambience in a room that will create a calming effect. This calming effect will reduce the stress levels felt by the occupants of a room.
- Many houseplants have also been grown for their medicinal properties. Many keep an aloe vera plant in their home for the ready fresh supply of the gel contained in the leaves. This gel has long been used for the treatment of cuts and burns.
- Many herbs can be grown indoor to provide a fresh source of garnishes and spices to season our foods. They are also a good source of many nutrients our body needs. Parsley, for example, may be used as a garnish on the plate or combined in the food ( as in pesto). Parsley is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K.
These are just a few of the ways in which we benefit from growing houseplants in our home or office.
comment
|
| Benefits of Houseplants | Page 1 Of 1 | |
