Living With Plants

Living with plants

 I've always appreciated that Cicero said, If you have a garden and a library, you have all you need," Cicero said. Indoor plants not only improve the overall beauty of a place, but studies indicate that they also improve emotions, stimulate creativity, decrease stress, and remove contaminants from the air, resulting in a healthier, happier you. There are the following benefits of living with plants. 

  • Indoor plants may help reduce stress levels:

According to studies published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, having plants in your home or office might make you feel more relaxed, tranquil, and natural. Participants in the research were assigned one of two tasks: repotting a houseplant or performing a brief computer-based exercise. They discovered that the stress response in participants was reduced when they were given an indoor gardening activity. After each task, the physiologic markers linked with stress, such as heart rate and blood pressure, were monitored. According to the researchers, working with plants can help with both physiological and psychological stress.

  • Real plants can focus your attention:

On the other hand, Plastic plants will not help you pass your exams. In a small study, 23 students were randomly assigned to a classroom with a fake plant, a real plant, a picture of a plant, or no plant at all. According to brain scans, pupils who studied with real, living plants in the classroom were more attentive and able to concentrate than students in the other groups.

  • Plants may help you recover from illness faster:

It may help you heal faster after an illness, accident, or surgery if you can look at plants and flowers. People recovering from various types of surgery exposed to greenery throughout their recovery periods had less pain medication. They were in the hospital for shorter lengths of time, according to a 2002 analysis of the data. It's worth noting that most of the study focuses on plants and the natural environment in hospitals rather than at home.

  • Plants may boost your productivity:

A bromeliad might be the most helpful coworker you've ever had. Plants in the workplace have boosted productivity and creativity in several studies. Students at a college computer lab worked 12 percent quicker and were less anxious when plants were placed nearby, according to widely referenced research from 1996.

  • Plants may improve the quality of indoor air:

A NASA research from the 1980s generally kicks off scientific backing for phytoremediation, the term for plants that remove toxins from the air. Researchers were exploring ways to enhance air quality inside a sealed spaceship at the time, and they discovered that houseplant roots and dirt dramatically decreased airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Here are some important points that you should follow for living with an indoor plant

Look to nature, as a reference point:

A plant that thrives in the shade of a tree will thrive without sunlight. You could also discover that it likes to receive water through its leaves rather than its roots. I recommend inquiring about the nursery's natural surroundings, or better yet, conducting your own Google search. Healthy plants absorb more CO, which helps filter and chill the air. "A plant you've been caring for flowers suddenly."

Use Right pot:

  • Add a drainage layer at the bottom* to prevent the dirt from compacting and clogging the holes over time. I recommend choosing boulders that are considerably larger than the drainage hole since they will plug the hole and defeat the purpose.
  • Remove your plant from its plastic container and loosen the roots (you can even use a tool here to scrape them lightly). "Plants grow according to memory, and you want them to grow down." Loosening the roots allows them to downward in the new pot.
  • Place the plant in its new container. Then cover it with more soil and press it down, tapping to release more air. Continue with additional dirt. This guarantees that the dirt does not settle to the bottom when you water it for the first time.

Create a Watering Ritual

Consider watering as an opportunity to connect with nature, which every researcher on the planet appears to agree is beneficial to our health. Washing your plants simultaneously every day may be relaxing for you and provide moisture for your plants. To ensure you get all the roots from the outside, use a watering can with a "shower effect." Some plants like to dry completely between watering, while others prefer to remain wet. "90 percent of the difficulties you'll have come from over-or underwatering,

Make a Kitchen Garden of Your Own:

The classic kitchen garden, a plot of land cultivated with vegetables, herbs, and other consumables, conjures up images of a French country house where you would go out for thyme while making soup. It's more practical than a flower garden, for example. The latest kitchen plant from Jungle Design in New York is a kokedama, a Japanese-style hanging tree. Bonsai dirt and moss are layered around its roots to guarantee that it develops at a glacial rate. Surprisingly, the kokedama will yield Meyer lemons. They're in a window box in front of a bay window, supported upon a plant stand.

Allow kids to dirty their hands as well:

Growing veggies is a great method to get your kids to consume more fruits and vegetables. Even if it's something they pretend to despise, Amanda believes that children will like whatever they've grown themselves. Alternatively, she recommends trying the comparatively quick satisfaction of growing beans inside. A little green sprout appears after three or four days. It was the ideal excitement.

Select plant species that are suitable for dogs and children to use indoors:

It's practically hard to compile a detailed list of dangerous plants since several contain poisonous portions and non-poisonous sections. Check if a new plant is safe before bringing it into a residence with children or dogs. Your state extension office and poison control center may put out a list of dangerous plants in your region.

The Incentive:

I prefer to consider my newfound interest in plants as compensating for lost time. We're still getting used to when we need water, but everything appears to be running smoothly after a few weeks. Even while cleaning dishes or working on a laptop, I'm surrounded by lush vegetation. Plants soften the sometimes harsh edges of city life and help me become more sensitive to nature.