Indoor Plants
With many more people working from home it is useful to know that by adding a few indoor plants to your home and office areas helps not only to lower your stress levels but also helps you to become more relaxed. This will in turn create an environment conducive to becoming more efficient and productive, helping to sustain a happier and energised atmosphere.
More importantly, house plants can help to remove airborne toxins which are emitted by all electrical appliances and man made materials. They can also help you to become re-connected with nature in a man-made environment, introducing you to some of the basic principles of horticulture. The list however is endless, but here a few I have selected.
To maintain a moist environment and to avoid over watering it is advisable to have your houseplants on plant saucers or grouped within a tray. Small pebbles should be placed at the bottom of the saucer / tray and plants should be watered from the bottom directly onto the stones to avoid the plants sitting directly in water. Plants can drown in this situation. This way they will take up what they require. All plant roots need oxygen to keep them healthy and to stimulate growth; under or over watering will kill your houseplants.
Easter / Christmas Cacti - needs bright light, not direct sunlight, water sparingly, feed with Epson Salts during the growing season for beautiful flowers.
Spider Plant – a very forgiving plant, prefers bright light, water freely, feed with a general houseplant food as directed.
Good Luck Plant – prefers a light situation away from direct sun, water freely, feed as above.
African Violet – beautiful flowers, needs careful watering, remove any dead leaves to avoid disease.
Begonia – Variegated foliage, many patterns and colours, keep away from direct sunlight, warm humid condition, avoid getting water on the leaves as this will cause them to rot.
Heart’s Tongue Fern – medium light, moist warm conditions, water freely, and mist occasionally.
Dracaena – foliage plant, good light, thrives in moist conditions which can be achieved by misting with a fine mist spray.
Zebra Plant – dependable foliage plant, bright light out of direct sun, water as required, needs a ‘rest period’ over winter (less water) resume water and feeding in growing season.
Prayer Plant – foliage plant whose leaves fold up at night, easy to maintain and grow. Requires medium light, mist leaves occasionally
Weeping Fig – a beautiful smaller leaf foliage plant, which requires careful watering, lower light levels, so in a corner of a bright room would be ideal but not too dark, all plants do require light to photo-synthesize.
Flowering or scented Geraniums - both like a bright position, water freely and feed during the growing season to maintain a good crop of flowers, always remove the dead flowers from any flowing plant as this will stimulate the production of more flowers. The scented varieties when rubbed with the fingers release oils producing beautiful scents, rose, lemon, eau de cologne and many more.
There are so many types of plants to choose from…..some trail over the pot, others climb and will need support. There are plants for every situation and personal taste.
Taller foliage plants – Rubber Plant, Cheese Plant, Palms, Yucca, Castor Oil to name but a few are easy to grow and look wonderful in a large pot in your lounge, grouped by smaller plants.
Applying the above recommendations will not only create a much calmer, safer and pleasant working environment, it is also very relaxing, good for your mental and physical wellbeing due to their healing properties but also aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
First Aid for plants - sickly plants can be helped to recover by placing them in your bathroom (a tropical hospital environment) where the moisture from your warm bath or shower will help them to rejuvenate.
