The Plant Lover Blog - Your Guide to Indoor Gardening Success
Air Purifying Indoor Plants To Support Your AQI
We all know that through the process of photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce oxygen making the air safer for other living beings to breathe. However, there are some particular air purifying indoor plants that you can grow indoors and support your AQI also known as air quality index. 9 Best Air Purifying Indoor Plants for your Home and Office Although the thought of indoor plants could be intimidating for people who are not interested in gardening or fear commitment, many plants are easy to manage. In this section, we will discuss different types of air-purifying indoor plants. Every plant has its own set of requirements. Therefore, either look at the tag for complete information about how much water and light a plant needs or find this information online. The following list of plants is easy to maintain and take care of. 1.   Spider Plant If you are someone new in gardening or have a busy schedule, a spider plant is the best choice as an air-purifying indoor plant. This plant grows at its best in bright indirect sunlight. It sends out shoots with flowers that later grow into baby spider plants. You can report the baby plant in the soil while they remain attached to the mother plant. Once the baby plant or spiderettes are rooted, you can snip them off. It makes a good gift for anyone you care for. 2.   Weeping Fig or Ficus This plant is native to Southeast Asia and some parts of Australia where it grows as a tree. Indoors, this plant can reach up to the height of 10 feet. This one of the beautiful air purifying indoor plants is easy to take care of. It needs bright indirect sunlight to thrive. Let its soil completely dry between two watering sessions. 3.   Garden Mum During the season of fall, the popularity of this air purifying indoor plant increases as it is an inexpensive and easily manageable plant. Garden mum has pretty blooms as well. You can place them at a spot that receives indirect sunlight for less than 10 hours. It helps in removing pollutants such as formaldehyde, ammonia, and benzene. However, if eaten, this plant is toxic. Therefore, keep them away from your petsâ reach. 4.   Peace Lilly These are some of the smallest air purifying indoor plants on this list. Therefore, these are perfect for compact places. The peace lily grows the best in shady places with moist soil, but not overwatered. You can enjoy the freshness of their beautiful flowers during summer. Like Garden mum, this plant is also toxic for children and pets, if eaten. 5.   Dracaena It is another indoor plant that helps in improving AQI. It helps in removing formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, benzene, etc. There are more than 40 kinds of Dracaena available, and you can choose the one that you like the most. This plant likes to be misted rather than watered. They can grow up to 3 feet, and therefore, require a large pot and space. Dracaena is toxic for cats and dogs when consumed. 6.   Aloe Vera This is one of the most popular air purifying indoor plants. They are not only easy to care of but also comes with a lot of health benefits. The leaves of this plant contain a liquid full of enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and some other compounds that help are anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healer. You can place it in your kitchen window as a quick burn self-remedy. Break off a leaf and there you go. 7.   Snake Plant or Mother-in-Lawâs Tounge This is one of the hardest air purifying indoor plants to kill. Although you need to water it occasionally, it prefers drier conditions. The Mother-in-Lawâs Tounge plant can tolerate most light levels, thus, making it easier for you to grow it at any place. 8.   Boston Fern Boston fern likes to grow in a cooler place with indirect light and high humidity. They are quite easy to grow but need to stay moist. You need to check its soil daily if it needs water and soaks it well once a month. 9.   Bamboo Palm This plant needs a good amount of light and prefers to grow away from cold drafts. They can grow up to 12 feet but may take 3 years to reach that height. Therefore, they are good to grow indoors for a couple of years. The Last Words Air purifying indoor plants not only helps you improve the AQI but also adds beauty to your interior. Although all plants give off oxygen, the above-listed indoor plants are specifically helpful in removing toxins from the air.
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Best Types Of Air Plants For Growing At Home
Are you new to gardening and want to add some easy-to-care plants to your indoor connection? If you think you are still in the learning phase or just looking for a natural look to your interior, air plants are a good choice. Air plants are also known as Tillandsias. They come in various shapes and sizes. One of the most unique attributes of these plants is their varying size. From Ionanthan Mexican that is of a size of a thumbnail to Xerographicas which is as large as a beach ball, you will find all sizes of air plants. 10 Best Air Plants for Indoors In this article, we will share the 10 best types of air plants that you can grow at home. Letâs start: 1.    Tillandsia lonantha Mexican The average height of this plant is 1 - 2 inches. It is the hardiest of all lonanthas youâll found. Ionantha Mexican produces beautiful orange and red blooms. While they start to grow, they form tight clusters. They love sunlight, therefore, for a healthy plant, you need to keep it at a place that receives a good amount of light. They are easy to care for. Soaking them once a week or fortnightly is enough. 2.    Tillandsia cyanea Another name of this beauty is the pink quill plant. The pink bracts look like feathers with stunning purple flowers coming out the sides. Unlike other air plants, you can easily grow this air plant in soil, even though they are absolutely happy without it if you give them plenty of moisture. Usually, the height of this plant is from 8 to 12 inches. 3.    Tillandsia scaposa Many people know this plant as Kolbii. It grows tall in a tight cluster in an upright direction. At a first glance, it looks like a bunch of celery standing high. This air plant is small in size and you will notice a gray fuzz on its leaves. This gray fuzz is especially visible when they turn pink before blooming. Mostly, these plants grow from 2 to 5 inches. 4.    Tillandsia bulbosa This air plant got this name because of its bulbous roots. It has contorted narrow leaves that make it very interesting. Many people describe the leaves of this plant as tentacles because of their shape. When the plant is ready to bloom, its leaves change to red or purple. In most cases, the plant does not grow more than 7 inches tall. 5.    Tillandsia aeranthos bergeri This is one of the most popular air plants many people like to grow at home. It is more popular by its fun name that is Mad Pupper. It blooms every spring with blue and spiky pink blossoms. This air plant does not need much care. Just like many other air plants, it prefers indirect sunlight and also enjoys fluorescent light. Its height is between 6 to 10 inches. 6.    Tillandsia brachycaulos The leaves of this plant fan out from a single point of growth. It is a beautiful plant and its leaves turn red just before itâs ready to bloom. This is comparatively a small plant, not more than 3 inches tall and 4 inches wide. However, some cultivars are larger. 7.    Tillandsia cacticola This air plant is not common like others. It does not produce many offsets, and therefore, it is hard to find them in cultivation. What makes this plant special and loveable is its lavender flowers. The rosette of leaves this plant has are silvery-green and has a long stem holding its flower about 8 to 9 inches above the plant. 8.    Tillandsia loliacea If you like miniature air plants, this is the best one to grow at home. This plant doesnât grow taller than 1 Â― inch, however, its stalk with flower grows up to 2 - 3 inches in height with beautiful yellow flowers at the top. 9.    Tillandsia Cotton Candy This air plant is a hybrid of Tillandsia recurvifolia and Tillandsia stricta. Thin and long silvery leaves grow on this plant that look like a spider dahlia. It is popular for its pink flowers. If you want your plant to flower at its best, you need to place it at a place where it receives bright light. 10. Tillandsia fuchsii Previously, this plant was known as Tillandsia argentiea. This plant has a bulbous base with extremely thin leaves with gray-green leaves. Its gracilis variety is delicate in nature and does not grow more than 5 to 6 inches.
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Top List Of Cat Safe House Plants
Are you worried because you want to have some house plants but donât want to harm your cat in doing so? If this is the case, we have great news for you; you can bring any of these 10 safe house plant into your home without working about your feline friend(s). Before getting a new house plant, make sure to double-check its name in the list of cat-safe house plants in the ASPCAâs list. It's a trusted source that has encompassed a much larger list of plants that are both safe for your pets and poisonous as well. 10 Top Cat Safe House Plants In this article, we have compiled a list of 10 cat-safe house plants that you can bring to your home without being worried about your beloved pet. 1.   Impatiens Varieties These are some of the best cat-safe house plants. You can place them on your balcony or walkway, and near a window. Impatiens varieties need plenty of water and they will fill your space with bright and cheerful colors. 2.   Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Hibiscus syriacus) There are a lot of varieties of this plant with hundreds of flower colors. Almost all varieties make good house plants. You can keep them outdoors as well. Hibiscus is safe for cats and you donât have to worry about their toxicity for your pets. They are known to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. 3.   Kimberly Queen Fern (Nephrolepis obliterata) The name of this plant is because it looks that this plant is wearing a crown. It is a low-maintenance cat-safe house plant and can grow well in the absence of bright sunlight. 4.   Calathea Peacock (Calathea makoyana) This plant needs moderate to low light. However, you need to keep its soil moist. For this purpose, use rainwater or distilled water that does not contain fluoride. It is a beautiful plant that is non-toxic to cats and helps in purifying indoor air as well. 5.   Bromeliad (Guzmania lingulata) Bromeliad can survive longer without water. It produces long beautiful leaves and lovely flowers. This plant can grow up to 20 inches when receives a good amount of sunlight. You can find some smaller species as well. 6.   Echeveria (Echeveria lilacina) If you love succulents and own a cat as well, this beauty is perfect to become a part of your family. The plant needs bright sunlight and good draining soil to thrive. 7.   Money Tree (Pachira aquatica) You know that money doesnât grow on trees, but this is nothing less than that. This adorable plant can grow up to several feet tall and helps you get rid of toxins present in the air. Although it requires medium to bright light indirectly, this plant can also adapt to fluorescent and low light. To thrive, this cat-safe house plant needs deep but infrequent watering. 8.   Chinese Palm Tree (Trachycarpus fortunei) This stunning plant needs indirect bright light to be happy. To make sure that every part of the plant receives light equally, keep rotating the plant. Chinese palm can grow up to 8 feet in height. It is best to let the soil dry before watering it. 9.   Rahpis Palm (Rhapis excelsa) This is not only a cat-safe house plant, but it also helps in removing toxic pollutants from the air. It is extremely easy to grow a plant that can thrive from shade to full bright sun. However, you can enjoy the plant at its best while in the full but indirect sunlight. The more shade it is in, the darker will be its leaves. 10.  Haworthia Zebra (Haworthiopsis attenuata) This is another succulent plant that can fill your indoor with freshness. It has spiky leaves with horizontal white stripes. It can go well without water for long but needs bright indirect sunlight to thrive. This is a completely safe plant for cats. The Last Words Pets are just like kids. You donât only need to take care of their food and other stuff but also have to make their surroundings safer for them. If you are the kind of person who canât survive without some green babies (plants) around you, you need to make sure that you only keep cat-safe house plants. It is important so that you donât have to worry about your petâs safety even when you are not around. In the above list, we have only mentioned the top 10 beautiful cat safe house plants, there could be thousands of more options. However, if you are an indoor gardener with more than one type of pet, please note that plants from the above list may not be safe for dogs or any other pet. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the plant you are brining into your home is safe for all pets.
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How To Make The Perfect Indoor Succulent Soil
Beautifully grown succulents add class to your indoors. They are easy to grow as well. However, they could be quite picky at times. Contrary to other indoor plants, succulent soil needs to be special with the proper mixture of different types of soil. Whether you are new to gardening or spend years with it, getting the preparation right for succulents for the first time is its own kind of adventure. The point here to note is that nothing impacts your succulent growth other than the type of soil used. The Best Succulent Soil These little beauties canât go really well along with the ordinary gardening soil. Succulents are native to deserts. Therefore, the best grow in desert soil or a soil recipe nearest to that. Choosing to add the right soil mixture for your succulent container is crucial. One of the main issues people face in caring for indoor succulents is overwatering. It is, in fact, the number one reason of succulentsâ death. The best succulent soil is a well-deained potting mix. To prevent the consequences of overwatering, it is important to use a mixture of good porous soil. How to Make Succulent Soil at Home If you have indoor succulents and like to see them bloom and grow, you can prepare succulent soil at home. It is inexpensive and easy to mix up. To make your own succulent soil, you need three ingredients. Potting soil Coarse sand, poultry grit, turface Perlite or Pumice Potting Soil As a base of your succulent soil, you need potting soil. You can use any type of potting soil for indoor plants. However, make sure this soil is fresh and sterile. For a good soil mix for your succulents, use light and porous soil as a base. One thing to remember; do not use heavy garden soils. Moreover, donât use a potting mixture that contains vermiculite (hydrous phyllosilicate) or any type of soil mixture that says it helps in retaining water. It is important because succulents need well-draining soil. Coarse Sand Porous sandy soil is best for succulents to grow. Therefore, amending your succulent soil mix with sand is very important. Although any type of sand would work, using coarse sand instead of fine stuff will ensure fast water drainage from succulents. Just make sure not to use sand from the beach, garden, or sandboxes as you donât know what type of impurities this sand might have. If you donât want to use sand for some reason, you can try using poultry grit or turface. These both act as a great alternative to sand in this succulent soil mix. Pumice or Perlite Perlite is a lightweight organic soil amendment. It consists of white pieces that look like Styrofoam that we usually see in commercial potting mixes. It is a good choice for succulent soil mix as it is known for retaining very little moisture, prevents soil compaction, and allows better drainage for succulents. Pumice helps in a similar manner. Supplies Needed Along with the three ingredients, you will need some other supplies as well. These tools will help in measuring and mixing, so nothing fancy. You need: Measuring container Trowel Mixing container DIY Succulent Soil Recipe Now, here is the perfect recipe for a great draining succulent soil mix. Potting soil 3 parts Coarse sand (poultry grit or turface) 2 parts Perlite (or pumice) 1 part If you are thinking about what is a part, let me clear this point. Apart here is referred to as a unit measure to use for the ratio. You can use anything you have or prefer. However, you can use the same measuring tool/part/utensil for every ingredient. For instance, if you are using a scoop to measure 1 part, use the same scoop for the other two ingredients. How to Mix Potting Soil for Succulents? This is the easiest part of making succulent soil. All you have to do is to dump all three ingredients in a container (after properly measuring them). You can use anything for mixing like a potting try or an ordinary bucket - anything. Now, stir all ingredients together. With the help of your hands or trowel, mix it. Make sure that all ingredients are mixed evenly once you are done. Voila! Your perfect potting succulent soil for your indoor beauties. The Last Words So, this is an easy succulent soil mixture you can use for your indoor succulents and see them thrive. You can prepare a large batch and then store leftover soil for later use. You can store it anywhere at room temperature.
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How Often Should I Water My Indoor Succulents?
Everyone knows that succulents are too easy to take care of; so, it is somewhat embarrassing when yours dies on you. It might be because of some misconceptions many people believe about succulents. One of the most common questions new succulent mommies and daddies have is how often to water succulents. SoooâĶ How Often Should I Water My Succulents? A good rule of thumb on succulent watering is to only water when its container is bone dry. Please note that watering your succulents when the soil is not completely dry is not a healthy practice. If you donât see crumby, dirt dry soil, donât water it. See, donât confuse succulents with other house plants. Most house plants need their soil moist at all times. However, succulents come from a different habitat. They donât need you to water them every day. If you keep the soil of your succulent moist all the time, its roots will rot, which means a dead succulent. 4 Factors That Affect How Often You Should Water Your Succulents There are four main factors that affect how often to water succulents. Letâs have a look at each of them. Seasons The season is one of the most important factors to determine how often to water your succulents. These types of plants grow like crazy in summer and spring. Therefore, during these seasons, you need to water them more often. As they are making new stems, leaves, blooms, and roots, they absorb water at a remarkable rate. Depending on conditions like temperature and light, you may need to water them at least three times a week. However, in winter, succulents go dormant and they stop growing. This is why you only need to water once or twice the entire season, again, depending on the weather intensity. One of the easiest ways to kill your succulent is to water it too much in winter. So, stop watering your plant in winter and let it sleep peacefully. Container Size of the Plant Another factor that affects how often to water succulents is container size. If your plant is in a larger pot, water frequency will be lower as it has more soil that can hold water for days. However, if you are using a shallow or smaller container, you need to water the plant more frequently as the soil dries out quickly. Humidity If you live in a region with high humidity and cooler temperature, your succulent will need more water as compared to succulents in a hot and dry climate. Have you placed your succulent outdoor in full sun in a hotter region? Most probably, you need to water it daily. However, if the same plane is placed outdoors in a comparatively cooler region, watering once a week is enough. Amount of Light Succulents Receive Light is an important growth factor for succulents and the amount of light they are receiving helps in determining how often to water succulents. These plants when placed in full sun and receive light there for 10 or more hours will need more water as compared to those that do not receive this amount of light. Similarly, indoor succulents need water less frequently as compared to outdoor succulents. How Much Water Do Succulents Need? Now, when we have discussed different scenarios understanding how often to water succulents, at this point, we will discuss how much water they need. To figure this out, we would have to go a little back to desserts from where they originally belong. Contrary to what many people believe, it does rain desserts. However, it doesnât happen more than a couple of times a year. Moreover, when it rains in desserts, it rains too much. It seems that the sky is dumping buckets of water. This is the same way, succulents want to be watered, in fact, a little more than that. Therefore, eyedroppers and spray bottles are useless for watering succulents. You can water these plants until it starts coming out of the drain hole present at the bottom of the pot. This way, you know that you have watered the soil enough. This part is important. You need to know that all of the soil is completely wetted. If you water your succulents carefully with little water, it wouldnât penetrate more than the topsoil. This will force your succulents to grow their roots upwards instead of growing them the way they should be - downwards. Upward roots lead to poor stability, weak roots, and ineffective anchor. It could be a disaster. Conclusion How often to water succulents is a crucial question. As watering too much or too frequently can kill your baby like succulents, too little water is also dangerous. Therefore, it is important to know the right amount of water your plants need at the right frequency if you want to see them grow happy and healthy.
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