The right plants can help improve the air quality inside your home or office.
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Before we had children, my husband and I had a selection of flourishing house plants. Then we adopted two SPCA moggies and soon the elegant fronds in my palm collection were shredded. Eventually, all the plants lost form after various upheavals by overenthusiastic kittens. By the time our real baby arrived, the situation was out of control. In our rented one-and-a-half bedroom apartment, the plants were well and truly doomed. When we finally moved into our own house, I reduced the number of dependants, passing the surviving plants on to more deserving families.
Perhaps it was the plants that got us into such trouble in the first place. The presence of house plants in significant numbers can increase the levels of oxygen to the blood and therefore the brain. I’m unsure whether this resulted in souped-up fertility, but I’m willing to risk it for that extra shot of oxygen I need now more than ever.
The presence of three types of plant in sufficient numbers would regulate the air well enough for us to survive in a sealed bottle, given an adequate supply of nutritional requirements such as water and food and exercise. The first is the golden cane palm (Dypsis lutescens), which converts carbon dioxide to oxygen during the day. It is also one of the more attractive palm varieties, with slender yellow stems and a compact habit.
In a sealed room, you would need four plants around 1.5m high to provide enough oxygen for one person. In New Zealand this would be more of an extra benefit than a necessity, because we can open our homes for fresh air much of the year, and fortunately the quality of the air is usually good.
The second plant has a common name that would not normally be encouraged into our bedrooms, regardless of how loving our inter-family relationships are. Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) is ideal in this environment, because it converts carbon dioxide into oxygen through the night when we are less likely to have windows open, especially in winter months. The required ratio of plants per person in a sealed environment is once again reasonably substantial: between six and eight clumps, each about the diameter of a frisbee.
Imagine the crispness of your thinking after a night breathing all that revitalised air – never mind the $1460 you could save in a year by giving up that $4 morning coffee!
The third plant effective for indoor conditions, particularly a work environment, is Epipremnum aureum, or the money plant (perhaps another reason to have one in the office). It helps remove chemicals such as formaldehyde from the air. Nature’s ability to clean up some of the messes we humans leave behind is something to be admired.
Although house plants are an attractive way to improve the health of our environment, the range of suitable ones is limited to those that will perform inside, so it’s no wonder they fall in and out of fashion.
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There are a few creative ways to make house plants look more chic. For example, water plants grown in a glass bowl (you will need to treat it for algae) make an impressive centrepiece. Plants with floating leaves, like water lilies, work splendidly; the leaf and the flower are part of the arrangement, but the stem and roots, if planted in pebbles, also look beautiful through the glistening glass. Although not necessarily especially beneficial for air quality, submerged plants such as the common oxygen weed can also look good when artfully arranged, and on a low table, a bowl of floating greens such as a simple Hydrocotyle leucocephala can look elegant.
Do not collect from or empty plants into natural waterways without knowing what varieties you are dealing with, as you could cause ecological damage. A water-plant specialist or pet store will be able to advise on the range of plants to suit your taste.
For the real connoisseur, there’s always an indoor arrangement of orchids with the roots bound in beautiful moss balls. I imagine attempting this at home right now. Images come to mind of two children swirling around it in a maniacal maypole dance. However, for those with a more serene home environment, it could be worth exploring.
Of course, like the kids and the cats, house plants are only worth having if they are looked after; otherwise they can become another source of domestic blues as they succumb to the curling fingers of rot. Most plants benefit from being taken outside for a breather a couple of times a year, even if just for a few days of spring and autumn air. Avoid the harsher sun of summer and cold snaps of winter. In the meantime, the occasional fresh shower can cheer up a sad house plant. Ideally, you should take the time to dust the leaves, then apply a foliage food or a good drink of a nitrogen-based fertiliser. Regular watering is a must. For a preoccupied owner, self-watering pots make this job easier – although they do, of course, still require top-ups.
Always remember to protect your flooring, especially carpet. With ceramic saucers, for example, the water will seep through cracks in the glaze and cause damage over time. If you have large plants, rotate them frequently to prevent indentations forming in the carpet. Rotation also gives them more even light exposure.
As for my household, with the current population numbers looking stable, I’m going to take a risk and add a couple of golden palms to the madness and perhaps toss a mother-in-law’s tongue into the bedroom. After all, life’s for sharing.