Indoor pants look great, but are they practical? In case you needed a few nuts-and-bolts reasons to buy the plants you love or to take up a new hobby, we’ve tracked three useful indoor plant benefits down. Now, you can enjoy those pretties without the smallest twinge of buyers’ regret. Sure, you spoiled yourself with something beautiful, but there are sound reasons to do just that.
Cleaner Air
On the grand scale, we know that all living plants take carbon-based pollutants from the atmosphere and make fresh oxygen for the planet. A bit of indoor gardening probably won’t make much of an impact on global warming, but it will help to clean the air in your home.
The sneaky thing about indoor air pollution is that you can’t see it and you often can’t even smell it, but the EPA confirms that indoor air quality is almost always worse than outdoor air quality. It stands to reason. Even the cleanest homes are closed-off environments, and there’s nowhere for pollutants to go to. Good ventilation helps, but that’s not exactly the same as a fresh breeze and this is how to plant Monstera standleyana.
The air cleaning benefits of indoor plants aren’t just a matter of hearsay. NASA conducted experiments to determine how plants can clean air in closed environments and discovered that they even deal with certain VOCs. These chemicals in the air are given off by common chemicals and can even cause cancer, so having plants cleaning up the air makes a whole lot of sense.
Stress Relief
According to research, just having plants near you can significantly reduce your stress. Since stress is one of the biggest causes of both mental and physical illness, anything that relieves it, even a little, will be good for your health.
Are you wondering why indoor plants can help you to relax? According to the theory of biophilia, we have an inbuilt affinity with nature. Science seems to prove that’s true. From productivity studies that recorded fewer sick days when people worked in areas with indoor plants to the effects of “forest bathing” (spending time with trees) there seem to be measurable health benefits to being around plants.
Fresh Edibles Indoors
If you thought herb and veggie gardening was for people with big gardens to play with, you’re behind the times! Urban farming, including indoor growing of edible plants is a huge trend, and the benefits make it a hobby well worth trying. Even in the tiniest apartments, it’s possible to grow fresh greens and veggies, and some people don’t stop there. They make up for the lack of horizontal space with vertical gardening and produce an even wider variety of food plants.
Nurseries and even supermarkets are catering for this trend, so finding the edibles you need for indoor growing isn’t all that hard. In fact, all you really need is a grow light bulb. And because it’s so trendy, you can learn from the successes and failures of those who went before you. That cuts out a lot of the hit-and-miss if you’re ready to do a little homework.
But why grow your own edibles? From reducing your carbon footprint, even a little bit, to the amazing flavor of freshly picked produce and the extra nutrition you can get from it, there’s a reason to suit just about anybody.
Ready to Get Started?
Indoor gardening is much easier than you may have believed possible. Start small with easy plants that will set you up for big wins. Once you’re into the swing of it, you can try experimenting with more challenging plants. Sure, you may have the occasional disaster, but you’ll soon learn from your mistakes and even the biggest indoor gardening fail is unlikely to be all that costly.
Mind you, urban legend has it that some bright spark piled a lot of compost into his living room and tried to make a full-scale veggie garden there. The water leaked down into the next apartment, and… let’s just say that isn’t a recommended approach!
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