Herself's Houseplants

Maybe you really do have a green thumb and it’s the air in your house that is doing in your plants?

A new home can be even more dangerous. Just bring in a plant, and it will tell you.

“Fresh paint, fresh carpeting, fresh furniture — the plants are dying. You could see the leaves just burning to a crisp,” said Bruce Jacobson, a plant expert who does indoor landscaping for offices and buildings. “What were they doing? They were cleaning the air.”

Jacobson said newer buildings and homes have chemicals in the air that plants can help filter.

Experts said not to be too disappointed if your plants die. It could just be a sign that your plants are doing their job.

“Every time we replaced them, they did better and better, and after about six months, the plants were just fine,” Jacobson said. [ read more Healthy House Plants]

Plants, for your health has a chart of which plants are recommended by them to remove which toxins.

Now that the weather has warmed up all over the country it’s time to put houseplants outside for a break. Besides you’ll be busy all summer and they will be easy to take care of this way.

First off put them in a shady location, not sunny. The house plants you have inside even in the sunniest windows will only tolerate shady conditions outside. Also you will be bringing them back in again come fall. If you adapt them in the sun all summer they will not do well when you bring them back inside.

Try to put them some where they will get rain water when it rains. The rain water is more acidic than your tap water and the plants love that. The rain water will also wash away much of the salts from tap water and fertilizers that have built up over the winter. Don’t forget to sprinkle them with the hose if it does not rain. They’ll need more water outdoors in the heat than they do inside.

Your orchids and other flowering plants are much more likely to reflower for you if you put them outside where the temperature changes 15′-20′ between day and night. Be careful with the phalaenopsis orchids. They can only tolerate temperatures between about 50-80 and shade. They are the only house plant I do not put outdoors.

Clas Bergvall did his PhD dissertation on the subject of what house plants do for people.

He discovered:
- Americans spend ~$147 on house plants each year
- Plant filled rooms contain 60% fewer airborne molds and bacteria
- Poinsettia is the favorite indoor flowering plant
- Best plants for decontaminating the air and balancing humidity are: Areca, Reed and Dwarf date palms, Boston ferns, English ivy and Peace Lilies.

But most important is that house plants bring us closer to nature.

More Information:
Indoor plants can reduce formaldehyde levels
Study Documents the Power of Indoor Plants

Tillandsia are part of the Bromelaid family of plants.

These are not so much grown in air as they are grown with out soil.

They still need regular soakings with water and fertilizer.

The plants have tiny scales which absorb nutrients. The more and larger the scales are the more light and less water the plant receives while out in the wild. The glossier ones want less light and more water.

Most prefer bright, indirect light. I have mine in a partly shaded east window and they are doing well there.

Some people grow these quite successfully in baskets and hold the plants under running water a couple of times a week.  I find I do best with them in terrariums.  I have mine sitting on glass beads in a terrarium.  I keep the water in the beads but don’t let it get high enough to touch the plant.  Mine are thriving this way.  Use which ever method works best for you.

See also:
Ball Moss