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For air less impure, plant them indoors

You don’t need on occasion or a festival to gift a plant.

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Amarjeet  Batth

You don’t need on occasion or a festival to gift a plant. There’s, though, no better occasion than Diwali, the festival of lights, to gift a plant to your near and dear ones. It’s much better than gifting crackers, which poison the air, or ‘adulterated’ sweets, which can cause health problems, or even expensive gifts as nothing is more precious than a breeze of fresh air that plants ensure throughout their lifetime. Come to think of it, it’s probably the best gift we can give ourselves, and to our children, relatives and friends.

Pollution is generally considered an outdoor problem. Well, you will be surprised to know that the air inside our closed air-conditioned houses, mixing up with emission from kitchen and recently done paints and polish, is much worse than outdoors. Much like for outdoor pollution, we are responsible for the polluted air inside our homes as well. 

Although all plants give us oxygen, there are a few which have the ability to absorb toxic air as well. So it’s a good idea to have such plants inside your home. Simply putting one odd plant will, of course, not change the air quality drastically, but it will definitely make the air more breathable. These plants are readily available in nurseries and are moderately priced.    

Elephant  ear (Philodendron domesticum) is a vining type, with long, arrow-shaped leaves. It flourishes in warm temperatures, moisture and indirect light, which makes it perfect for indoors. The plant has the ability to absorb formaldehyde.

Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus) is an evergreen, showy green foliage plant which grows well at a place with low light. It has good capability to absorb benzene, toluene, octane and trichloroethylene.   

Boston ferns (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’) need indirect light, apart from humidity and moisture. It removes benzene and xylene from the air. It absorbs formaldehyde much more than any other plant.

Dracaena deremensis is one of the best houseplants in the semi-sun to semi-shade conditions. These plants grow best in the bright, indirect sunlight; in less light, they show slower growth. They contribute in removing trichloroethylene.

English Ivy (Hedera helix) grows well both in sunlight and shade. Except frequent irrigation, it does not need much care.  Plant is an effective formaldehyde remover.

Ficus benjamina, with drooping glossy branchlets, commonly known as weeping fig, grows very tall in natural conditions. Indoor, it can be potted, and it stays short in height.  It is an almost maintenance free and absorbs toxins like formaldehyde, xylene and touene.

Flowering plants like ghrysanthemum, (Chrysanthemum morifolium) gerbera and daisies are seasonal flowering plants and effectively neutralize formaldehyde.

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’) prefers low light conditions and has a high transpiration rate. It is one of the best plants for removing formaldehyde, benzene and certain VOCs that are emitted by paints and harsh cleaning products.

Money plant (Epipremnum aureum) is an evergreen vine with decorative foliage. The low maintenance makes it a popular choice of many. Plant removes formaldehyde, xylene and benzene released from various emissions. 

Palm, especially areca palm (Dypsis lutescens), date palm (Phoenix roebelenii), bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) and rhapis palm (Rhapis excelsa), are good for removing indoor air pollutants, specifically formaldehyde. They are easy to manage and require almost no care other than routine gardening operations.  

Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) can survive in low light and adds aesthetic effect. Ficus removes formaldehyde where furniture is made from particleboard or plywood.

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is a safe houseplant, mostly used in baskets and pots indoors. It eliminates benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene, which is a solvent used in the leather, rubber and printing industries.

Snake plant variegated (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’) is very easy to grow. Plant survives in low light and drought conditions but needs protection from harsh sunlight. It loves moisture, not dampness. Clean the leaves regularly for better looks. It removes toxins such as formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, and nitrogen oxides.

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