Guest Post - How To Boost Your Health With Air Purifying Plants

Plants are true superheroes: They turn stale air into fresh oxygen, boost our moods, increase our ability to focus and liven up any space. A NASA study found that certain houseplants are further capable of filtering commonly found toxins out of the air we breathe. Volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs, are harmful gases from chemicals that are emitted into the air and can cause respiratory and dermatological issues in humans and animals. The most common ones include and can be found in:

• Formaldehyde: cigarette smoke, manufactured wood, cosmetics and permanent press fabric such as drapes and curtains

• Xylene: cigarette smoke, paint, varnish and automobile exhaust

• Trichloroethylene (TCE): cleaners, adhesives and paint removers

• Benzene: gasoline, glues, detergents and furniture wax

• Ammonia: fertilizers, industrial and window cleaners

While low levels are normal and some VOCs are even naturally produced in humans, overexposure can be dangerous. Fortunately, indoor plants can help lower these levels and improve our health. One of the best natural air purifiers is the peace lily, which significantly reduced the amount of VOCs it was exposed to in the NASA study. This pretty plant is the perfect addition to a bathroom since it loves a humid environment and can survive with little to no natural light. Indoor plants like aloe vera, dragon trees or areca palms are also excellent air purifiers and will add a natural touch to your living space.

To help you improve the air quality in your home, FTD created this handy flowchart so you can find out which indoor plant fits your lifestyle and level of green thumb best. Learn more about the different VOCs, the best air purifying plants and how to style your home in them from the infographic below.

Guest Post - What You Should Know About Growing Plants Indoors

An indoor garden is a fantastic addition to your interior décor, even as much as creating and maintaining one takes a lot of time, finances, and effort. But, as a nature enthusiast, nothing should stop you from bringing that natural look into your house. Besides decorating your house, indoor plants provide a range of health benefits, particularly their mood-boosting abilities. 

It’s important to understand the native habitat of your indoor plant to give the best chance of having healthy pleasant plants. This includes knowing the right potting soil, amount of humidity, the amount of light and the right nutrients.  But even with less knowledge of your houseplant specification, you can still get started with these 5 guidelines: 

1.    Light

Before you even think of the plant you want you should consider the lighting in your room, office or apartment. Varied plants need varied light intensity. Some can be fine with dull light but there those that can languish due to lack of direct light. Note that plants depend on light to make their food. You may need to invest in modern, high-quality grow lights to help the plants easily convert water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients into sugar.  Luckily enough, there are companies that specialize in creating artificial lights that do well with almost every type of indoor plants. Without sufficient light energy, your plants will be doing more of bud growth and less of leaves growth, with some leaves falling off. That leaves the plants starved and unhealthy. 

2.    Water

Water is a basic need in a plant's life. It acts as transportation media by drawing nutrients from the soil. With a balance in the water, the plant becomes nourished and physically strong enough to support its upper weight. Water also aids in cooling the plants through transpiration. 

Note that even the succulent plants and cacti need water for growth, but you need to be careful not to over-water. Overwatering kills more plants than any other cause. Frequent watering is only necessary when the weather is warm and sunny. The plants might not even need a drop of water during cold and cloudy seasons. 

Pro tip: It’s imperative that you avoid chemically treated water since it contains salts that could harm your plants.

3.    Air and ventilation

Plants constantly need carbon dioxide for the purposes of photosynthesis. Proper air circulation also aids transpiration, reduces chances of fungal infections and rot, and strengthens plant stems. And because poor air circulation in most homes is a major cause of houseplant deaths, you need to keep your plants near windows and other openings not only to expose them to light but also to fresh air. The use of fans can also promote free circulation of air in your home. While at it, avoid placing your houseplant in room corners and damp spots.

4.    Soil and nutrients

Having the right choice of soil for your houseplant is an important consideration. The right soil should be free from pests, fungi or even mold. Plants such as cactus and rosemary, for example, prefer coarse well-drained soil while seedlings prefer light, moisture-retentive soil. Houseplants need soil for a variety of reasons including root protection, keeping your plants physically upright, providing a medium of nutrients, and aids in carrying water to plant roots.

Even though most houseplants get most of their nutrients from the soil, they require to be supplemented with fertilizers. They are potted, after all, meaning that the soil nutrients are limited.  Fertilizers aid plants in developing a strong root system. However, don’t make the mistake of giving your plants excess fertilizer (or inadequate). Ensure that you enquire from a professional the right amount of fertilizer for your type of plant. 

5.    Temperature and humidity

Most plants usually experience temperature fluctuations in their natural habitats. In your house, they will have constant temperatures which are beneficial for them. The indoor air is devoid of moist thus its necessary to put rocks and pebbles in the plant pot and fill with water. You can also opt to run a humidifier or vaporizer but most importantly ensure the bottom of your pot is not in water.

Conclusion

As you prepare to bring in your first houseplants, you might want to do some of your homework well and prepare the home to become a favorable plant-growing environment. You will need to add a few décor pieces or even do away with some. You will probably make a lot of mistakes in the early stages, but this should not discourage you.

Author Bio: Lena Linetti is an architect based in San Francisco.

Guest Post - 5 Plants for Sprucing up Your Home

Could your house use a little livening up? To increase your level of happiness in a home, it’s necessary to do some things to bring it to life. Keeping it clutter free and functional is at the forefront. But another easy and cost-effective way to do this is by adding some life: plants!

Plants in the Home

Being near other living things seems to be good for most of us. Our relationship with plants is extremely beneficial – especially when it comes to our respiration. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen. Putting plants into an office space will help oxygenate the environment. Studies have even shown that common plants can absorb synthetic organic chemicals that can be harmful to humans.

This could be one of several reasons that plants have been attributed as beneficial to worker performance in studies. This is likely a combination of improved air quality in the form of reducing the quantity of pollutants and raising the percentage of fresh oxygen, and partly one of aesthetics. You can’t deny it - plants just look nice. Depending on the decor, a home may sometimes become a sterile or stale environment. Lighting, carpeting, and furniture can all add to a potentially oppressively unnatural environment that can mentally bog you down. Adding a few plants to your space will make it feel more alive, because plants are, after all, organic and living things.

Plants and Productivity

Research has been conducted to determine the effect of plants on productivity. While situations can depend, the results indicate plants in a workspace can result in a productivity boost of up to 15%. If you work from home, that can add up quickly!

Many studies attribute self-esteem, mood improvement and fewer symptoms of anxiety to exposure to plants. Whether this can be traced to physical reasons or they are primarily psychological remains to be seen.

Modern houses and apartments, especially those of more modern styling, can be fairly harsh places. Plants, with their natural shapes and colors, and even individual personalities, can help to soften the edges of these environments.

Nearly any room can benefit from the addition of living plants. Common areas like living rooms, bathrooms, and offices will become more welcoming environments when you add plants to them. Some (like Lucky Bamboo) have even been known to live in windowless commercial bathrooms, which aren’t exactly known for an inviting atmosphere with automatic faucets and stainless steel bathroom stalls. It’s easy to see that your home’s washroom will benefit even more from the addition of some greenery.

Creating the Right Environment

While the benefits of adding plants to your house are manyfold, with these benefits come some things to take into account. First, plants require light to photosynthesize energy. But not all plants have the same light appetite. Some of them thrive in bright, almost harsh direct sunlight. Others prefer indirect, diffuse light. Some are perfectly happy under artificial light, while others insist on the all-natural variety. Fortunately, it’s easier than it’s ever been to get your hands on exactly the variety of plant you’re looking for and match it to the right growing conditions.

What Plants Should I Choose?

Believe it or not, there are quite a few varieties suitable for indoor growing. However, each home presents it’s own individual challenges. The plants you choose will need to be able to deal with limited humidity and climate control systems that may keep temperatures low. Most of all, plants will need to survive off of limited natural light and maybe even a diet of artificial light.

Humidity levels are low, and temperature fluctuations are the norm, as the climate control systems will be scheduled to do less heating or cooling while the office is empty.

Aloe Vera – A succulent, the Aloe plant will need plenty of bright light and not much else. It needs water only on occasion which means you can place it on a windowsill and only check up on its soil once every couple of weeks or so. Everyone knows the gel inside aloe’s thick leaves has soothing, healing properties for the skin which makes it a great addition to bathrooms where one may find the need to nurse a cut or scrape.

African Violets – just the right size for a desk without adding too much clutter, the African Violet makes a great addition to most homes. It is easy to care for and will happily reward you with beautiful purple flowers. 

Jade – Perfect for modern homes, succulents like the common Jade plant do well in warmer weather and are very resilient. Water them only when the soil has dried out completely. Place them where they will get some good lighting and you’ll find your Jade will grow quickly to a large size. At this point you can trim it and replant the cuttings. When your Jade outgrows your house, it makes a great addition for your garden.

Spider Plants – Spider Plants are common they’re attractive, modern and easy to take care of. Unlike Aloe and Jade, they aren’t particularly picky about the amount of light they get. Just make sure they are watered sufficiently.

Cacti – the king of low maintenance plants, Cactus is legendary for it’s indifference to extreme temperature changes and dehydration. Suited to sunny environments, most types of Cactus can take all the heat or cold your buildings climate control can throw at it so long as you place it in the light.

Testing

Just like your home, plants have their eccentricities. There are likely to be some failures along the way. Whether it turns out you placed a plant too close to the air conditioning duct or simply forgot to water for a couple of weeks (or months) too long, experimentation is all part of the process. If you occasionally check your plants for signs of withering or yellowing, you may catch it in time to prevent it from getting worse. But don’t beat yourself up if you can’t recover a plant. Just chalk it up as another experiment!

About the Author

Ryan Larson is a home improvement blogger. When he isn’t puttering around the garage or messing up his cabinet measurements, he can be found playing chess or enjoying the almost-perfect cup of coffee.

Guest Post - 10 Best Plants for Backyard Privacy

Your backyard is a multipurpose part of your environment. It should be a place for fun, solitude, recreation, peace, and gathering with friends and family. Perhaps you eat meals in your backyard. Maybe you have a backyard pool. How you use your backyard will impact how much privacy you will need and what type of privacy.

Step 1: Survey your backyard.

First, take a look at your backyard. What surrounds it? Does your neighbor have a multilevel home with an unobstructed view into your entire yard from his upper floor? Does the deck you built for your above ground pool put you in clear sight of all your neighbors?

Then, take a look at your landscaping. Are there existing plantings, trees, or shrubs that can be incorporated into the new landscape or provide a starting point to build from? What hardscape exists in your yard? This includes any paved paths, patios, decks, a pool, a hot tub, retaining walls, and garden sheds.

Step 2: Make a plan.

The next step to improving your yard and providing privacy is to draw a plan of your current yard as close to scale as possible. Include a compass so you will know what areas are likely to be shady and where your yard is in full sun. Put everything on your drawing from the info you gathered. This map is for both long-term and short-term planning.

If the retaining wall is serving no purpose and you want it gone, still put it on your plan with a notation to remove. If the shed is great but not in the current location, put it on your plan in its current location with a notation to move it and where you want it to be in the future.

Next, make notations of what surrounds your yard. If you have a view of a mountain range or the lights of the city at night, and that is important to you, put it on your plan so you don’t forget and plant a tree in the middle of your view. This is also where you note the neighbor’s house that overlooks your backyard pool and patio.

Step 3: Prioritize your to-dos.

Now that you have a plan for your yard as it is, it’s time to make two lists. The first list the things you want to be changed right away. Maybe you just had an above ground pool installed, and you need to complete the installation with landscaping. Next, you want privacy from that nosy neighbor we’ve been talking about. Just picture your spouse and you lounging in the pool with your floating drink holders, relaxing the stress of the day away, and you see your neighbor peeking out of his upstairs window. Definitely not ideal.

Second, list your long-term goals. If you are a golfer, your dream backyard might include a practice green. Even if you can’t have it installed right now, the future location needs to be planned for. Maybe you want to have a small orchard with apple and pear trees. It might make more sense to plant the fruit trees to provide privacy. If you plan on a family in the future, how will that affect your plans for your yard? The more information you have to start with, the more likely you are of having your backyard turn into the private retreat you envision.

Step 4: Start transforming your backyard.

First, decide if you are going to hire a landscaper or if this going to be a DIY project. Many garden centers will discount or even eliminate the fee for the landscaper’s plan if you spend a certain amount on the plants at their garden center. Once you have met the amount, the plan is yours, and you can purchase the rest of your plant materials anywhere or take advantage of sales.

The advantage of hiring a professional is the knowledge they have of what grows successfully in your area, what the mature size of the tree or shrub will be, and what fits with your level of skill and desire. If you like a more formal look, and you are ready to prune your shrubs regularly throughout the year, the plant selection is likely different from the person who is willing to water occasionally, but that’s it. That person may be better off with a planting style which is more informal and natural.

If you’ve decided this will be a DIY project, check out your friends’ and neighbors’ yards. If a tree or shrub does well in their yard, it should do well in yours. If someone’s yard really appeals to you, try to achieve the same look in your yard.

In the north, your pool and patio are under two feet of snow during the winter, so a shrub that loses its leaves in the winter might be acceptable. In the south, the plants and trees you choose need to provide privacy all year round. Here are some suggestions for plants that will be attractive and provide privacy. Check with your local garden center to see if these plants will thrive in your climate and zone.

Euonymus. This shrub grows tall and full and can have green leaves or variegated. It can also be pruned if preferred.

Red Twig Dogwood. This shrub can be left natural or be pruned. This shrub is loved in the north, as it drops its leaves in the fall and shows off the bright red branches against the snow for winter interest.

Holly. This is a dense tall shrub that will provide privacy as well. Holly is evergreen, so it is a good choice if you need a year-round barrier. There are numerous varieties of holly, and some have a softer leaf than the traditional sharp tough leaf.

Arborvitae. Arborvitae is a columnar evergreen that makes a great choice for a year-round privacy hedge, This is an easy-care shrub that can grow in less than optimal soil, and it will remain cold tolerant. Different varieties are available which will determine the height of the plant and how closely together you should plant them to create a privacy screen.

Maple trees. This is a beautiful tree for the backyard. If you have a backyard pool, plant this tree well away, as it will drop its leaves in the fall. Maple trees also come in many varieties, and the leaves are thick on the trees. The added bonus of the maple is the fabulous fall color of the leaves before they drop.

Ornamental grasses. There are multiple varieties of ornamental grasses available to add a more unconventional bit of privacy to your pool. The added bonus is that they are not messy. The gentle drape of the leaves over the edge of the pavement also helps to soften the look of the pool deck.

Areca palms. These palms are great as hedges. They are easy to control, and they give your yard a more tropical look—perfect for backyards in the south.

Podocarpus. Also known as Japanese yew, this is a very low-maintenance shrub that grows all different sizes, including 50 feet tall, making a great privacy screen. Note: This shrub should only be used in dog- and cat- free homes, as it can be toxic to them if they like to chew on plants.

Royal Poinciana. This tree is also known as the flame tree because of the bright red flowers in May and June. Some consider this the most beautiful tree in the world, and it deserves a spot in the southern backyard.

Schefflera. Light and leafy, this is a fast-growing plant that makes a thick hedge. Best of all, it does well in shade or sun.

There are thousands of trees and shrubs to choose from. Check with your local garden center for advice on which plants do best in your area.

Author bio: Chris Hoffman is the founder of Backyard & Pool Superstore currently based outside of Dallas, TX. Backyard & Pool Superstore is an e-commerce leader in backyard, pool, spa, grill & patio products. Before starting Backyard & Pool Superstore, Chris has had 10 years of retail, construction, manufacturing and distribution experience in the swimming pool & spa industry. When Chris isn’t working, he moonlights as baseball coach, dance recital standing ovation specialist, husband, and German Shepherd enthusiast.