Importance of indoor plants

Indoor plants like money plant, snake plant, rubber plant, peace lily, aloe Vera, mother in law’s tongue, cactus, fern etc. are house plants. They grow inside the residences/offices/hospitals/gyms/showrooms and so on. They are grown in the interior for decorative purposes and for psychological effects. They improve our health by filtering impurities from indoor air.

They require correct mixture of soil and compost, light levels, temperature, humidity, water, proper fertilizers and correct size of pots. The indoor plants require proper soil mixture that includes soil conditioners and compost. They do not require direct sunlight for photosynthesis.  The light through windows is enough. They require just moderate watering. Too much watering or too little watering should be avoided.

They require 15 to 25 degrees of temperature and a low humidity for their good growth. The soil in the pots gets depleted of their nutrients very quickly. Therefore it is necessary that we change the soil mixture very often. Moderate size pots which comes with a hole at the bottom is preferred for growing indoor plants.

Indoor air is air within the flat, office, school, building, hospital or a theatre.  The indoor air is contaminated by smoke, chemicals, household toiletries, use of gadgets and so on. Indoor air pollution will make a large impact on our health if we do not take appropriate measures to control it. Indoor air pollution is more dangerous than the outdoor air pollution as we live more in the indoor than in the outdoor.

Modern living has made us expose to gases, chemicals, fumes, toxins, smoke, viruses, and bacteria. The quality of air that we breathe indoors is very poor. So we suffer from asthma, bronchitis, and such other diseases. Growing children and aged people suffer the most from the poor quality of indoor air.

There are several air purifiers and air humidifiers sold in the market. But they do not filter the indoor air as efficiently as plants do. So growing indoor house plants in each room is the best remedy to improve the quality of air. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis as they are the green lungs of the world. Indoor house plants are the best indoor air cleaners and filter the toxic elements and pollutants present in the indoor air.

Our indoor air contains pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, trichloroethylene, and ammonia. The following house plants as suggested by NASA can be kept indoor to filter the pollutants.

Off the ten plants suggested by NASA, six plants are the best and the top plants in purifying our indoor air. They are Bamboo palm, Snake plant, Areca palm, golden pothos and peace lily. 

Indoor air is filtered effectively by these plants if they are kept appropriate places.

The indoor air that we breathe in our homes and offices is contaminated with pollutants, chemicals like dust, dirt, fumes due to cooking, tobacco smoke, pollens, VOC, bacteria, and virus so on.

Plants that help to clean indoor air should have rich foliage. They should have large leaves. If there are more leaves in the plant then they can filter air efficiently. Plants absorb the pollutants and toxins through the pores present on the surface of the leaves. During photosynthesis, the leaves of the indoor plants absorb not only carbon dioxide gas but also other gases, including volatile organic compounds.

The indoor plants have the ability to remove the harmful compounds from the air by phytoremediation technique.  Phytoremediation is a direct use of green plants to remove the pollutants. This will mitigate pollution in air, water and soil. The microorganisms living in the soil of the indoor potted plants play a vital role in neutralizing the VOC and other pollutants

Indoor plants purify air through the pores present in the leaves. Pollutants are absorbed through the microscopic opening in the leaves called stomata. Root microbes biodegrade the pollutants. Water vapour and phytochemicals are emitted into the air through a process called Transpiration. Convection current caused by the transpiration pull pollutants to the roots. Carbon dioxide gas enters the pores of the leaves while water and oxygen exit through stomata of the leaves.

Health hazards of breathing contaminated indoor air:

The advantages of growing indoor plants are

• Indoor air is purified and filtered
• We breathe oxygen rich air.
• Indoor air is free from unwanted odor.
• Improvement in health.
• Plants release stress and calm our mind.
• Plants give aesthetic appearance to our houses/offices.
• Plants give positive energy to the people.

Grow indoor plants and enjoy  the benefits…..