JEWELS OF THE JUNGLELOW USING BEAUTIFUL TROPICAL PLANTS THAT CLEANSE YOUR INDOOR SPACE
By Linda Gay
Beauty and Breath is what tropical plants create in our home. You could say we have a symbiotic relationship with plants. They breathe the carbon dioxide we exhale and convert it to crisp, clean air necessary for our health and well-being.
The beauty, the greenness, the delicate and intricate patterns on the leaves of Maranta and Calathea are design worthy and humans recreate their beauty in art form.
Think of your garden outside. Trees and shrubs are protecting you and your property from pollutants and particulates by filtering and dissolving these unseen irritants of our health. Plants have a greater role than to keep the HOA from sending us letters! We must keep our plants healthy so they can successfully continue their role as our green protectors.
This is why green spaces and green plants are so important in densely populated cities, to reduce the toxic emissions of humans. As a city quickly grows and develops, the trees and greenscapes shrink and disappear.
Building highrises to house us has created new challenges such as indoor pollution caused by materials used to build the structures, resulting in a rise in asthma and respiratory problems with children and immune compromised adults.
Houseplants are regaining popularity because their “special skills” were identified and published by NASA and BECAUSE we LOVE the look and feel of plants in our home.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf
In 1970 NASA’s think tank was trying to alleviate the fuel energy crisis by making homes more energy efficient by using superinsulation and reducing fresh air exchange. These redesigned buildings became so airtight coupled with synthetic building and furniture materials started making people sick with itchy eyes, skin rashes, drowsiness, respiratory and sinus congestion, headaches, and other allergy related symptoms.
When growing and caring for these indoor purifiers, we need to keep them healthy by watering well when we do and let soil dry out before watering again. Use a liquid fertilizer half strength and add to the water. Wipe the leaves or shower them off in the sink to keep pests down and the dust off the leaves.
Some of the best indoor plants are: Bamboo Palm, Dracaena Janet Craig, Pothos, Sansevieria, Spathiphyllum, Green Spider Plant and Chinese Evergreen.
* * * You can contact Linda at lgay4756@gmail.com
