You may think that having indoor plants in your home is all about making it a more beautiful place to live, and that’s certainly a big part of the attraction. But you may not know that house plants can also help with your health and the atmosphere in your home.
Plants and people can actually have a very beneficial relationship with each other, with plants improving the home atmosphere and making it healthier, and people ensuring that plants are kept healthy, and survive.
How do plants improve your health and environment?
As part of tbe process of photosynthesis plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This is the opposite of the human respiratory experience, so you can see how plants can help you to breathe easier by increasing oxygen levels in the area around them. Also part of photosynthesis is the release of water into the air by houseplants. This release of water increases humidity and can help relieve any breathing issues you may have.
In addition to helping you breathe, plants also help to purify the air in your home by removing toxins such as formaldehyde and benzene. This makes for a heathier environment.
What can you do for your plants?
If you want your plants to survive and be healthy, in order to provide the benefits to you and your home, you need to look after them. It’s vital that you remember all of the following tips for helping your houseplants remain healthy.
- All plants need water to survive, but you should be careful not to over water. Most plants should be allowed to dry between watering and you should watch out for signs of mold or brown tipped leaves. Never let a plant stand in water indefinitely. Even plants like African violets, which have to be watered from the bottom, should never stand in water for more than 30 minutes.
- Plants need to be fed when they are growing or blooming. They should be fed every 10 to 14 days with a liquid fertilizer.
- If the roots of a plant are growing through the pot, or showing on top of the soil, the plant probably needs repotting.
- A plant needs to have the right amount of light to be fully healthy. If a plant has been subjected to too much light then you may notice scorch marks on the leaves which may also be wilting. If a plant is not getting enough light then its foliage may start growing towards the light and it may be stringy in appearance.
You need to remember all of these points, and take good care of your houseplants. If you remember to water and feed them correctly, and to give them the right amount of light, then you should have a plant that’s around to improve the atmosphere in your home, and purify the air, for a long time to come.
