Usage of Indoor plants at home makes the space look alive. They not only add aesthetical elements and improves health as well. Indoor plants are great air purifiers and helps to combat psychological and physiological stress.
Chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde are absorbed by the indoor plants from the air, hence, making it healthy to breathe in.
However, the selection of indoor plants highly depends upon the condition of the space where you want to place it.
Here is a list of 10 indoor plants that can improve the quality of your home and make it picture perfect at the same time.
Golden Pothos
A very common houseplant, pothos is known for being exceptionally hardy.It is also called golden pothos, money plant, or devil’s ivy. Though this plant starts is small, its trailing vines can grow to over 10 feet long!
It is the easiest of all houseplants to grow, even if you are a person who forgets to water your plants. This trailing vine has pointed, heart-shaped green leaves, sometimes variegated with white, yellow, or pale green.
This is possible even in indoors where lower light and dry air make conditions less than ideal.
Pothos has air-purifying qualities, it filters benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene.
English Ivy
This plant is commonly seen in the outdoors. English ivy is frequently used as a dense ground-cover in places where turfgrass and other ground-covers do not readily grow. It is also used as an ornamental climbing cover for fences, stone walls, and brick facades. English ivy will grow as much as 100 feet outward as a ground-cover or upward as a climbing vine. As a ground-cover, the plants stay about 6 to 8 inches tall.
When kept indoors, it can help purify the air in your home.English ivy is known to absorb the mould in the air. Indoors, grow English ivy in pots with a stake or other vertical structure for climbing, or in hanging baskets where it can tumble over the edges. You can also grow it in a pot with a shaped wire frame to create a topiary design.
This plant loves bright light and slightly dry soil, so put it somewhere sunny!
Boston Fern
The Boston fern is one of the most well-known ferns and admired for its desirable traits as a houseplant. Boston ferns are typically attractive, with long, graceful fronds bedecked with tiny leaves. It is a relatively tough fern, with a higher tolerance for light than other species, and as far as ferns go, they are more tolerant of dry conditions and easy to propagate. An added bonus is that Boston ferns can be displayed in any number of ways.
Boston ferns are very easy to take care of and they’re also a powerhouse for purifying the air at home. They have ability to remove compounds like formaldehyde, plastics, or cigarette smoke from the air. These compounds are absorbed by the fern’s leaves and turned into materials that the plant can use.
As hardy as this fern is, you still need to give it the proper care. The Boston fern needs bright indirect light and moist soil all the time.
Peace Lily
Peace lily is renowned for its ability to break down compounds like carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and benzene.A long-time favorite of those with a green-thumb and even those without,is an adaptable and low-maintenance houseplant. Peace lilies are not true lilies at all, but rather a member of the Araceae family. Its flowers resemble those of the calla lily (both plants belong to the same family) and is the reason for its name. The showy part of the flower features a white, hoodlike sheath (known as a spathe) which resembles a white flag of surrender.
There are a wide variety of sizes and types of peace lilies.Peace lilies don’t thrive in direct sunlight. Put your peace lily somewhere where it can get indirect light and give you all the benefits of clean air.
This is a great apartment plant for anyone who doesn’t get a lot of natural light.It requires more attention compared to other indoor plants. It means keeping it moist without over-watering and placing it in a bright but shady spot.
Aloe Vera
The aloe vera plant is an easy, attractive succulent that makes for a great indoor companion.Aloe vera plant is known not only for skin care but, is also great for purifying air.
The plant is stemless or very short-stemmed with thick, greenish, fleshy leaves that fan out from the plant’s central stem. The margin of the leaf is serrated with small teeth.
It works to absorb airborne compounds from paint and cleaning agents, and is also used for treating sunburn. Aloe vera plant can be placed in a bright, sunny spot.
This plant only needs watering when the soil gets completely dry.However, the plant doesn’t appreciate sustained direct sunlight, as this tends to dry out the plant too much and turn its leaves yellow.
Aloe vera are useful, too, as the juice from their leaves can be used to relieve pain from scrapes and burns when applied topically. Also it can be used in food and drinks as well!
Snake Plant
The most popular and hardy species of houseplants. An architectural species, it features stiff leaves that range from six inches to eight feet tall, depending on the variety. Snake Plants usually have green banded leaves, while the variety commonly known as Mother-In-Law’s Tongue typically features a yellow border. Snake plants act as great purifying agent as it absorbs CO2 and convert it into oxygen.
It also works to remove xylene, toluene, and trichloroethylene from the air in your home. It has got its name from the thin, upright leaves with “irregular green banding” that looks like snakeskin.
It requires low maintenance. The plant can also survive in droughts and is adaptable to almost any environment. Although the snake plant prefers bright light, it can survive lower light levels.
Rubber Plant
It is a popular houseplant because of its waxy leaves and larger-than-life appearance. It is easy to take care of rubber plants. Rubber plants earned their name thanks to their sap, which is sometimes used to make rubber. The rubber plant’s leaves also have a shiny and rubbery appearance. These plants will grow tall and produce beautiful leaves if you give them proper care.
Rubber plants are commonly seen in their dark green variety, but also come in more colorful varieties. For example, varieties known as the “black prince” or “burgundy” have reddish-black leaves.
Their large leaves absorb more material from the air, which is then converted either into nutrients for the plant or compounds for the soil.
Rubber plants need bright light (can take some partial sunlight). The key to rubber plant care is balance. It likes just the right amount of sun and water. If you can give it just the right amount of both, you’ll have a happy, strong and tall rubber tree. Rubber plants will tell you if they need more sunlight or water if they start to drop their lower leaves.
It needs a good amount of space around for it to be happy, to grow, and to remove carbon dioxide from your home.
Gerbera
Also known as Transvaal daisies or gerber daisies, gerbera daisies are attention-getters with showy, long-lasting blooms, short stems and impressive, bright green foliage. Gerbera daisies are relatively simple to grow outdoors, but growing gerbera daisies indoors can be tricky. The plants, often given as gifts, are usually grown for a single blooming season before being discarded. However, if you can provide the right growing conditions, your gerbera daisy may survive for two or three years.
Gerbera houseplants require an unusual combination of bright light and moderate temperatures. A spot near a sunny window may be too hot and can scorch the leaves, but without adequate light, the plant won’t produce blooms. Bright sunlight in the morning often works well, but be sure the plant is protected from bright light during the afternoon.
Gerbera daisy was discovered to be the most effective plant in removing benzene from the air.Gerbera daisies are known for their ability to absorb airborne compounds and produce oxygen at night, which may help those who suffer from sleep disorders.