Recently I attended a talk by Adjunct Professor Margaret Burchett from the University of Technology, Sydney.  She was presenting the findings of her 3 year study “Greening the Great Indoors for Human Health and Wellbeing”.  Okay so the title is pretty naff but the findings were not!

Air quality indoors is often worse than outdoors due to the build up of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).   These are given off by people, electronic devices, plastics, paints and other synthetic materials. In enclosed environments levels can quickly rise and have significant negative impacts on us. Given that 90% of peoples’ time is spent indoors (shocking but true) air quality is something we really should think about.

 
Professor Burchett’s study revealed that indoor plants can:

• Reduce carbon dioxide by 10-25%
• Reduce carbon monoxide by 90%
• Reduce VOCs from a range of 80-400ppb to always under 100ppb (neglible respiratory health risk levels)

So how do plants do it? Well the carbon monoxide and dioxide is soaked up by the leaves of plants and replaced with oxygen.  Soil microbes (bacteria mainly) in the potting mix breakdown the carbon monoxide and toxic VOCs into harmless components.  It is suspected that these components then become nutrients for the plant.  Together the plant and microbes are very effective at purifying the air.

All it took was 2 floor plants (300mm diameter pots) or 3 desk plants (200mm pots) per office. Several different types of plants were trialled and the good news is that any plant that happily lives indoors should achieve these results!  Leafier plants though were more effective at removing carbon dioxide.

Prof Margaret Burchett with Ray Borg from Ambius (study supporter)

Another fascinating aspect of the study was the impact of plants on negative moods in office workers.  With the presence of indoor plants people showed:

• 37% reduction in tension/anxiety
• 58% reduction in depression/dejection
• 44% reduction in anger/hostility
• 38% reduction in fatigue
• 30% reduction in confusion
• 4.5% increase in vigour

These findings add to the existing body of research showing that indoor plants significantly reduce worker sick days, increase productivity and overall job satisfaction.  Is there nothing these little green miracles can’t do?

Informal meeting space with climbing cissus

So go get yourself a few indoors plants and be happier and healthier.  Remember you don’t need to turn your home or office into a jungle to reap the benefits but if you do send me some photos!

PS If you want to read the complete report go to: www.nipa.asn.au/uts_project.htm

PS Don’t forget to check out The Plant Addict Shop while you’re here. 

You’ll find great gift ideas for garden lovers and fellow plant addicts!

Really, can you ever have enough terrariums?  Naturally Mike thinks YES but well I just can’t help myself… 

I have been wanting a ‘goldfish bowl’ terrarium for ages but baulked at the price of them in florist shops. However when I found this bowl in a home decorating store and it was super cheap there was no holding me back!  I’ve filled it with a type of bromeliad commonly called Earth Stars but their botanical name is Cryptanthus. These guys are mostly native to Brazil and are almost all terrestrial (they grow in soil rather than clinging to trees like other bromeliads).  They like high humidity and for their soil to never dry out making them perfect for terrarium culture.

The small green one at the front is a hybrid called ”Earth Angel” and the one at the back to the right is “Cascade”.  The large striped one I found at a big box hardware store and was unnamed so its a mystery to me.  Does anyone know it? 

 Its going to be a bit of trial and error to determine just how much light these guys will require.  As they are hybrids from unknown parentage I don’t know what their preferences will be.  But that’s all part of the fun of gardening.  For now they look great sitting in my loungeroom!

Hart's Tongue Fern Terrarium

Depending on your age you might just cringe at the thought of going down this gardening path but bear with me as I think it has merit. If you’re in the younger Gen Y category then you’ll probably be discovering terrariums for the first time.

I met a very talented glass blower, Sarah Mulligan,  in Victoria, Canada  and amongst her work was a terrarium.  It was very cute and got me thinking about reviving this look.  When I returned to Sydney I went hunting for some unusual glass containers.  This first one came from Kmart and cost me $15 I think.  The others pictured here came from a furniture store and a florists.  There are plenty of inexpensive objects out there.  Just be very careful if you find yourself gravitating to aquariums or large bottles.  The 70s were pretty scarey and you really don’t want to go there again!

Next you need to select your plants.  A terrarium has limited air movement and elevated humidity.  Ferns and many indoor plants will thrive in this situation.  You can usually get small specimens cheaply and create a beautiful planted terrarium instantly.  Keep in mind though that many of these plants will outgrow the limited space in your terrarium so you’ll need to trim them or change the plants over in the future.

As a terrarium has no drainage holes you need to be very careful you don’t overwater.  Old style terrariums (corked bottles and aquariums) were closed environments and rarely needed watering after the initial setup.  The terrariums pictured here are not sealed off so moisture is still lost through evaporation and transpiration.  Regular watering is required.  The frequency and quantity will vary with each setup so you’ll need to play around with it to get it right.  These terrariums get watered every 1-2 weeks in winter and 1-2 times a week in summer.

Baby's Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)

Baby's Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)

I’ve recently rediscovered this great plant.  You may know them as Cape Primrose but I know them as Streptocarpus hybrids - the results of plant breeders crossing various species to develop a better  plant. About 5 years ago I discovered this plant for the first time and loved it at first sight.  The story of its demise is explained later on but when I came across it again more recently I simply had to buy one straightaway.

I grow it as an indoor plant and there are several reasons why I love it.  Its dead easy to grow.  Give it good bright light.  Don’t put it in a hot room or expose it to direct hot sunlight.  That’s it.  If you do these things it will reward you with flowers.  Yes the holy grail of indoor plants.  And lots of them.  Big and bright.  No whimpy little African violet sized flowers either (although I am still partial to the odd African violet too despite Mike telling me they’re terrible Granny things – sorry to the Grandmas out there).

My current Steptocarpus (trust me persevere with the name and it’ll be rolling off your tongue before you know it) is a deep velvety purple.  I bought it 2 months ago with two flower stems that were just finishing up.  I repotted it and it is now back in flower with about 4-5 new stems on their way.  It’ll keep flowering for months and months.  Well that’s what my first one did until I moved it to a spot that was too hot and it cooked.  In all fairness I didn’t have many places to put it at the time and I took a chance.  I’ve learnt my lesson.

They come in various shades of white, pink, purple and a bluish colour (before you get excited its not a true blue).  Newer varieties are appearing with even larger flowers too.  If you see one grab it straight away and you’ll be rewarded for years to come.

PS Don’t forget to check out The Plant Addict Shop while you’re here. 

You’ll find great gift ideas for garden lovers and fellow plant addicts!