Free Seminar: Flowering Houseplants
January 29 and 30
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Chalet Garden Center
3132 Lake Ave.
Wilmette
www.chaletnursery.com
Plants as Air Purifiers
Tropical plants are an easy and beautiful way to reduce the pollution we all have inside our homes.
A study commissioned by NASA in the '80s showed that two medium or large houseplants can effectively reduce airborne toxins by as much as 87% in a 100 square-foot room.
The ten best purification plants include:
spathyiphyllum
dracena
philodendron
golden pothos
spider plants
palms
schefflera
dieffenbachia
ferns
orchids
If someone in your household smokes, ferns can detoxify benzene, an important byproduct of cigarette smoke.
During winter, lack of humidity is a major problem for tropical plants in our warm, but dry homes. Whether large or small, plants should be grouped together - kind of a buddy system - where they increase humidity by the water they release. You may also want to consider using humidity trays.
Water as thoroughly as you always do, but less frequently in winter. Plants are just maintaining themselves, not actively growing right now, so they need less water, especially if you've turned your thermostat down. For the same reason, you shouldn't be fertilizing most plants (orchids would be one exception) unless you have a sunroom, greenhouse or other situation where the plants are actively growing. We've had lots of calls, too, about fungus gnats, little insects that look like fruit flies and fly around the top of the pots right after you water. This is a sign that your soil is constantly saturated. Water less frequently and consider a systemic granule insecticide.
January 29 and 30
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Chalet Garden Center
3132 Lake Ave.
Wilmette
www.chaletnursery.com
Plants as Air Purifiers
Tropical plants are an easy and beautiful way to reduce the pollution we all have inside our homes.
A study commissioned by NASA in the '80s showed that two medium or large houseplants can effectively reduce airborne toxins by as much as 87% in a 100 square-foot room.
The ten best purification plants include:
spathyiphyllum
dracena
philodendron
golden pothos
spider plants
palms
schefflera
dieffenbachia
ferns
orchids
If someone in your household smokes, ferns can detoxify benzene, an important byproduct of cigarette smoke.
During winter, lack of humidity is a major problem for tropical plants in our warm, but dry homes. Whether large or small, plants should be grouped together - kind of a buddy system - where they increase humidity by the water they release. You may also want to consider using humidity trays.
Water as thoroughly as you always do, but less frequently in winter. Plants are just maintaining themselves, not actively growing right now, so they need less water, especially if you've turned your thermostat down. For the same reason, you shouldn't be fertilizing most plants (orchids would be one exception) unless you have a sunroom, greenhouse or other situation where the plants are actively growing. We've had lots of calls, too, about fungus gnats, little insects that look like fruit flies and fly around the top of the pots right after you water. This is a sign that your soil is constantly saturated. Water less frequently and consider a systemic granule insecticide.
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