Happy houseplants - for cleaner indoor air and maybe better mental and physical health.

1989 NASA study showed us how great many plants can be for clearing volatile chemicals from the air.

It is getting cold so my tropical house plants needed to come inside for the winter, and they have done well.

If anyone wants Spider plants I have plenty, also doing well at propagating Draceana/Sansevieria (Snake plant). I like growing babies 👶 😊 . But wow, $69 for a small spider plant that has no babies yet: (thesill.com) I should start a plant business. I do have a ‘green thumb’. 😁👍

This growing tip article mentions reporting needs when spider plants become root bound- they have large tuberous root masses which need a tallish pot rather than a shallow pot and “rootbound” means roots started growing in circles around the base of the pot. Unwind the mass before transplanting it into a pit that is about two inches larger in diameter and 4-6 inches taller in height. They will love it and grow flower sprouts which then become the baby spider plants.

• How to Care for a Spider Plant, (thesill.com).

There are many types of Dracaena species. They are easy to grow because they can survive drought better than overwatering and tolerate low light indoor settings but prefer being near a grow light or sunny window. How to Care for a Dracaena, (thesill.com). These baby Snake Plant are from a House plant that has been here since my childhood, and I think that it was here in an indoor planter when my parents bought the house - making the original Snake plants over 60 years old.

I got one of the older ones to bloom by giving it fresh dirt and more space about 4 years ago. There was one very overgrown pot of them. Dracaena that bloom, are the rounder stemmed type rather than having flat leaves all the way to the base.

This was a big surprise for me. The plant has been here all of my life, but I had never seen it bloom. It bloomed after a nice warm and wet summer outside.

This spider plant stood out from the rest even when they were all small. It has wider leaves then the others and less of the white stripe.

The holes in the baby leaves are because slugs like to eat baby Snake plant. A negative I learned from putting the pots outside on the ground instead of on a tabletop.

New Snake plants will bud off cut sections if leaf that is stuck in dirt. It took about nine months. I planted these around Christmas last year. See how some of the leaf stems are wider, rounded, rather than being flat? That is the species that may bloom sometime.

My Peace Lily is doing really well. It, and the Dracaena species, and Spider plants like some light, but do not want to be in direct full sun during an outdoor summer. They need partial shade at least.

Watering needs - roughly once a week or every two weeks in lower light settings. Plants directly under the grow light dry our faster.

Peace Lilies like to stay moist without being flooded. They prefer not to be left fully dried out the way a Snake plant can tolerate for a while if life gets busy. Spider plants leaves turn a paler white when out of water too long and leaf tips will brown if that happens. Just cut off the brown tips and water it. Spider plants can take some neglect and still be revived.

Peace Lilies and other house plants can help clean indoor air from volatile chemicals.

The Peace Lily is known for its air purifying capabilities and was included in NASA’s 1989 Clean Air Study. TheSill.com Plant Care Library: (thesill.com)

*They want $79 for a smallish Peace Lily. 😳 Plant Care Library: (thesill.com)

Dracaena, Snake Plant, are also superior for improving oxygen in the room. They are an unusual plant in how they “breathe” and that is also why they can tolerate totally drying out for a while and still revive. They can close the pores in their leaves to lose less water when they are in drought conditions.

“NASA has classified Sansevieria, now called Dracaena, as an air purifier due to its ability to remove toxic compounds such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene.

This plant uses the acid metabolism of the Crassulaceae to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, enabling it to resist drought.

The microscopic pores on its leaves, called stomata, open only at night to limit water loss through transpiration in the heat of the sun. Unlike other plants, Sansevieria produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide at night, making it an excellent indoor air purifier while we sleep.” - John Kirkbride, National Geographic Worldwide, (m.facebook.com)

• The Preliminary 1989 NASA report in my Dropbox: (dropbox.com).

  • or Download your own copy: (ntrs.nasa.gov).

• Final report: (dropbox.com).

Example: Table 1 shows Bamboo Palm and Gerbera Daisy as good air cleaners too:

Table 1. 1989 NASA Clean Air houseplant study, Final report: (dropbox.com).

Tropical plants like temperatures between 55/60'F to80'FF and they like some humidity. Spraying their leaves with a mist can be happy for them. Neem oil, 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon of Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap mixed in a quart of water makes a good weekly or biweekly inexpensive insect spray. Purchased ready to use sprays are really expensive and wasteful packaging as you are then buying water and a throw away spray bottle. I have also destroyed plants with a purchased spray that was too harsh.

House plants make the clutter piles look better, so does artwork. *These housecleaning tips are not approved by Good Housekeeping magazine.

I am running out of room near the light. The paler ivy got really dried out for quite a while but says it isn’t done trying yet, so I am giving it a chance to revive, and gave it some additional plant fertilizer.

I like the wall of plants. It is cheerful.

What does Brave AI have to say about house plants?

Houseplants' - Benefits for Mental Health (Brave AI summary)

Caring for a houseplant can have a positive impact on mental health, providing numerous benefits that can improve overall well-being. Here are some key advantages:

• Reduces stress levels: Interacting with houseplants has been shown to decrease physiological and psychological stress, promoting a sense of calm and relaxation.

• Boosts mood: Caring for plants can increase feelings of happiness and satisfaction, likely due to the sense of accomplishment and nurturing involved.

• Increases productivity: Having plants in the workspace or home can enhance focus and productivity, as seen in studies where employees were more productive with houseplants nearby.

• Provides a sense of purpose: Taking care of a living thing can give individuals a sense of responsibility and purpose, which can be particularly beneficial for those struggling with mental health issues.

• Improves air quality: Houseplants are known to purify the air, which can have a positive impact on physical and mental health.

• Fosters mindfulness: Caring for plants requires attention to detail and regular maintenance, promoting mindfulness and presence in the moment.

• Enhances creativity: Being around plants has been linked to increased creativity, possibly due to the calming and stimulating effects of nature.

Easy-to-Care-for Houseplants for Mental Health Benefits

For those new to plant parenthood or seeking low-maintenance options, consider the following plants:

• Snake Plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata) - discussed earlier in this post.

• ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) *I am not very familiar with this house plant:(ourhouseplants.com/plants/zzplant).

• Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) *This has golden and green varieties, I have some of these, they grow in vines like the greener philodendron. (houseplantcentral.com/epipremnum-aureum-care/)

• Dracaena (Dracaena spp.) - Snake Plant/Sansevieria are now included in the Dracaena group but there are many other species. I have a few types. 25 Types of Dracaena, (thespruce.com)

• Succulents (e.g., Aloe, Echeveria, Crassula) *Succulents can survive drought - forgetting to water them is better than over-watering them, or having soil or a pot that doesn’t drain well so they are sitting in a puddle too long.

  • Aloe vera is the succulent with a gelatinous interior that is good for burns or skin healing. Keeping it around as a houseplant for medical uses, was the focus of a recent post in the Monkeypox series. (Substack)

These plants are known for their ability to thrive in indoor conditions, requiring minimal care and attention. By choosing one of these plants and committing to its care, individuals can experience the mental health benefits of nurturing a living thing.

Follow up

• What are the specific neurotransmitters and hormones involved in the stress-reducing effects of plant care on mental health?

• How do the aesthetic and sensory aspects of plant care (e.g., color, texture, scent) contribute to its mental health benefits?

• Can the mental health benefits of plant care be generalized to individuals with specific mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety?

1. healthline.com, 5 Easy Houseplants That Double as Self-Care Reminders

2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity in young adults: a randomized crossover study - PMC

3. theconversation.com, Owning houseplants can boost your mental health – here’s how to pick the right one

4. thepracticalplanter.com, Green Therapy: The

(Brave AI Summary/search results page) *The Brave AI summaries are kind of fun for me, and it is revealing when it flubs up an answer - what does the mainstream search results want us to think? I kind of enjoy using it now.

Disclaimer: This information is being shared for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health guidance although caring for a plant or pet can be health promoting. 😀