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THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS ABOUT HOUSEPLANTS
I have good news and bad news about houseplants.
The good news is that houseplants are natural air purifiers that absorb and eliminate dangerous gasses from our home environments.
The bad news is that some houseplants are actually poisonous themselves, and can be toxic when ingested - a particular concern in homes with infants and toddlers.
Henry Ziemiecki, a Master Gardener from Shakopee, described the good news at a recent meeting. Dangerous gasses enter our homes via a variety of unsuspecting avenues. Formaldehyde, for example, is common in most carpeting, furniture foams and some of our clothing. Plants that absorb formaldehyde include philodendron, spider plant, bamboo palm, corn plant, chrysanthemum and sansevieria.
Gasoline, other fuels, plastics, tobacco smoke and various synthetic fibers release benzene into our home atmosphere. Plants that remove benzene include English ivy, Dracaenas and peace lily.
Another dangerous gas is trichloroethylene, emitted from dry cleaning solvents, paints, varnishes, solvents, adhesives and other chemicals. Plants that remove trichloroethylene include peace lily, Dracaenas, Gerbera daisy and chrysanthemum.
Ziemiecki cited a controlled experiment conducted in 1989 by NASA in which 87% of air pollutants released into a sealed chamber were absorbed and eliminated by plants in a 24-hour period.
How many houseplants should you have to purify your air? Ziemiecki recommends one houseplant per 100 sq. ft. of floor space. So, if you live in a 2,500 sq. ft. home, you should have 25 houseplants, according to this formula.
What about the bad news...houseplants that are poisonous? Few houseplants are regarded as downright dangerous (if ingested). Two plants are known as the "deadly jewels" - rosary pea and castor bean. You may not have these two plants growing in your home, but their seeds are popular as jewelry ornaments. When the seed is drilled to fit onto a necklace, toxins are released. So, the danger results from beads being consumed by a child who may discover them on the floor or in a drawer.
Two Christmas plants that can cause concern are Jerusalem cherry and mistletoe. The greatest risk comes from ingesting the berries, so hang your mistletoe high, out of reach of young children.
One other houseplant that is generally regarded as fatal, if ingested, is oleander. On my recent visit to Greece and Turkey, which I wrote about in this column, I marveled at the beauty of this flowering shrub that seemed to be growing everywhere. If you have oleander growing indoors, enjoy it for its beauty, but make sure the toddlers don't sample its shiny leaves. There have been deaths reported from people who cut oleander branches and used them for hot dog-roasting sticks!
One other good news/bad news thing about houseplants is household humidity. Plants raise the moisture level in your home. That's good news if your house is too dry, and bad news if the humidity in your home is too high.
We have so many houseplants that the current humidity in our home is about 42%. When the outside temperature drops below zero, ice builds up on the window glass and damages the wood. Our home atmosphere - thanks to all our plants - is extremely healthy and pure, but it's hard on our window frames when the mercury plummets. To help hold down humidity, we try to remember to run the fans when we shower and we enjoy plenty of fires in the fireplace.
The bottom line is that there are far more rewards from houseplants than drawbacks, so stop in at your favorite garden center this winter and pick out something green to cheer up your home.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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