Importance of Plants in the Home – Should You Start Indoor Planting Now?

Plants are our best friends and provide the necessary elements that are essential for us to live on this planet. We know that plants provide us with the necessary oxygen and take away harmful carbon dioxide. They also protect us from natural disasters like cyclones, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. It can also help to maintain the temperature of this planet. So plants are important living beings for our existence on the earth.

Plants usually use sunlight to produce food of their own by photosynthesis. But some species don’t need direct sunlight and can produce food using any light source. These species are compatible with indoor planting.

So there’s all the hype about indoor planting for its health and natural benefits. We can even decorate our home with beautiful and colorful indoor plants. Moreover, it can help you feel relaxed, happy, energetic, and focused on your work. If you want to know the importance of plants in the home, this article is just for you.

Unsurprisingly, home plants are good for our environment and planet. It has many beneficial sides to encouraging people to start this good habit. Besides, many people love to work in a natural environment that can only be provided by indoor planting. So indoor planting in your home and workplace will be an ideal choice. Indoor gardening also provides day-to-day benefits. So let’s discuss the benefits of having plants indoors.

Improve The Quality of Indoor Air

 A NASA survey in the 1980s shows that plants help scrub the contaminants from indoor air.

Back then, NASA researchers were looking for techniques to purify the indoor air of spacecraft and found that indoor plants do the trick. They purify the air and significantly reduce airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

So you should decorate your home with indoor plants and use a natural air purifier for a better home environment.

Can Boost Respiratory System

We all know that the main perks of having a plant are providing crucial oxygen and taking away harmful carbon dioxide. Besides, research shows that indoor plants can reduce respiratory infections in children by 12 percent. So the importance of plants in the house is indispensable.

Help To Reduce Stress Levels

A research paper published in the journal of Physiological Anthropology shows that plants at home can make you feel relaxed, energetic, and soothing. Researchers also claim that indoor gardening helps to maintain heart rate and blood pressure. So indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress and help you be more energetic and productive throughout the day.

Working With Plants Can Be Therapeutic

Indoor gardening can help people with mental issues. It can also help to increase attention. Research shows they’re also good for your health.

Some researchers believe that horticultural therapy benefits people with depression, anxiety, dementia, and other conditions.

We have been familiar with horticulture therapy for centuries now. In Manchester, England, doctors prescribe indoor plants to patients with depression and anxiety conditions.

Help To Recover From Illness Faster

By keeping plants in your house, you can easily feel nature and be relaxed by looking at plants. Research shows that keeping plants inside your home can benefit physical and mental health. It is also beneficial to recover from illness faster.

Researchers believe that A 2002 review of the research revealed that people recuperating from several surgeries need a shorter time to stay in the hospital to recover when surrounded by plants.

Boost Productivity

Multiple studies show that plants in a workspace can boost both productivity and creativity. One frequently cited study from 1996 revealed that students in a campus computer lab with indoor plants can be 12 percent more productive, faster, and less stressed.

In a 2004 study by trusted Sources, researchers challenged people to do some creative tasks. It is found that the people surrounded by plants have performed better.

And a 2007 study showed that people with more plants in their workspace were less sick and more productive in their job than others. So indoor plants can boost your creativity and productivity.

Helps To Maintain Sound Health

The University of Agriculture in Norway revealed that indoor plants could help you to be healthy. It can help to prevent cold-related diseases like cough, sore throat, fatigue, and others by 30 percent. Plants help to maintain humidity levels and dust in your house.

Disadvantages & Drawbacks Indoor Plants

Though indoor plants can offer health benefits, purify the air and boost your mood and relaxation, it has some disadvantages too. Let’s talk about this now.

Allergies

According to a research paper by NASA, “home plants can purify home air and remove all toxicity gases. However, indoor plants can be harmful to those with allergy issues and trouble with the smell of perfume. Indoor plants can generate pollen areas. So it can create difficulty for people with allergy problems. To solve this problem, you should consult a floristry professional and identify plants with no allergenic issues.

Toxic Black Mold

We know that indoor plants need water and a moist environment to grow. The problem here is that this environment is ideal for growing toxic black mold. So in this condition, black mold can grow from microscopic spores and float through the air. Once a spore has found a dark spot, it can create a whole colony, producing spores that find other areas in the house to hide. Besides, this dangerous toxic black mold can cause sinus congestion, memory impairment, and body fatigue. To solve this problem, you should place plants under sunlight for some time.

Pests

Insect infestation is another major disadvantage of having plants in the home.

A study by the University of Colorado says, “Infestations of scale insects are almost always established from infested plants recently purchased or received as gifts.”

To control this problem, you can quarantine new plants for a week. When in a quarantine state, you should check about fungus and insects.

Choosing Indoor Plants that are Safe for Children and Pets

Despite having some drawbacks, it would be an ideal decision to decorate your home with indoor plants for its outweighing health benefits. Identifying harmful indoor plants is difficult because some non-toxic plants can cause several reactions that are harmful. Some edible plants can also cause harmful reactions to pets and children’s skin. Besides, any plants can be dangerous when brought home. So if you’re planning indoor planting, you should double-check before getting a new plant variety into your home.

Some harmful indoor plants are listed below:

Some non-toxic indoor plants that are considered safe for pets and children:

Conclusion

So indoor gardening is an effective way to decorate your home and workplace. It is also considered a source of happiness. So to be energetic, refreshed, focused, and productive, we should start indoor planting.

Just be careful to choose plant variants so that further you don’t have to suffer from allergy and other toxin issues.

Also read:

• Can Indoor Plants Really Purify the Air?
• Air Pollution Causes, Effects, and Solutions