Many have often wondered whether there is any real benefit to having live plants inside of the home. If you love nature, plants, and gardening, this question may appear out of sorts. But there are scores of people who aren't in the right place in their lives to care for their plants, especially indoor plants, and for some who area are already maintaining a garden, the thought of an additional garden space indoors seems too much. So many people have asked - is it worth it?
For those of you who already host plants indoors, you’ll be happy to know that several benefits do exist. These benefits transcend beyond the beauty that real plants bring into your home, and touch on health benefits and quality of life.
Here are 5 benefits to live plants:
1. Plants Help Clean the Air. Yes, it's true! A Nasa funded study, in collaboration with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, claims that commonly used interior plants help clean the air of harmful pollutants. For this reason, the Plants For Clean Air Council (PCAC) recommends 1 potted plant per 100 square feet. Based on this type of study, certain types of plants were found to be the most effective in removing a specific type of pollutant, such as the chemical Benzene – frequently found in paints, rubber, gasoline, and plastics – was best combated by the plant Chrysanthemum. For homes under 2,000 square feet, the study recommended at least 15 houseplants. Some of the houseplants recommended include:
- Philodendron scandens `oxycardium', heartleaf philodendron
- Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron
- Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana', cornstalk dracaena
- Hedera helix, English ivy
- Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant
- Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig', Janet Craig dracaena
- Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii', Warneck dracaena
- Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
- Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos
- Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa', peace lily
- Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron
- Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen
- Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm
- Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant
- Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena
To read more about this study, visit: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ssctrs.ssc.nasa.gov/foliage_air/foliage_air.pdf
2. Plants Help Control Humidity Indoors. Humidity helps prevent the air from becoming too dry. When the air is too dry, we become more susceptible to colds and flus, poor skin, and even low productivity. Plants release humidity according to the existing levels of humidity in the air - very smart! The average home has a humidity of 30%. Humidity is most important during the winter months, when it tends to drop too low. Although houseplants help raise humidity levels, they too suffer when the levels drop too low, and in these cases, it is recommended that you place a humidifier in the home. Plants may warn you of the low humidity level by displaying brown tips on their leaves.
3. Plants Help to Reduce Noise. This is very important if you live near a highway or a busy area. Noise can affect your health and raise your stress levels. If you live in this scenario, be sure to place some plants near windows, which allow noise to penetrate your indoor environment. Although plants do not completely reduce noise at high levels, they do absorb a percentage of it.
4. Improve Your Quality of Life. Here's an applicable and direct quote from the website plantforlife.info: "It may sound surprising but as little as 2 or 3 minutes in the company of plants and trees or natural environments can be enough to provide measurable stress relief!" This is why many articles have been written on how plants in the office/work-place improve productivity, so consider adding a few more there as well.
5. Plants Improve The "Energy" in Your Living Space. According to the art of Feng Shui, which is the Chinese art of placement, indoor plants are said to improve your home’s chi. According to this art form, place green plants in the area of the home you’d like to emphasize. Each corner of your home represents a part of your life, such as wealth, relationship, health, and career. The most important thing to remember about using plants to improve your feng shui is that the plants must be vibrant and in good health. To view a more in depth article on Feng Shui and to better understand what each area of your home represents, visit: http://www.myeflora.com/WebSite/Forum/weblog.php?w=4&month=12&year=2005&day=31.
These 5 benefits alone make having live indoor plants a must. Time is a constriction and deterrent for many. For those who cannot care for indoor plants, consider trying an automatic watering system made specifically for the indoors as a way of keeping your plants healthy and to make live indoor plants a viable option. The result: a better quality of life on multiple levels!
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