Itty Bitty Bonzai #10

July 23rd, 2009 - filed under: Furthermore » Itty Bitty Bonzai

Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

#10 Other than their intrinsic aesthetic value, there’s a really good reason to keep live plants around your home and office. According to NASA funded research, green plants will remove pollutants from stale, indoor air. I know I feel a sense of serenity when I’m sharing my space with some flora – could it be that I’m literally breathing a little easier?

Various plants may be better at binding various gasses, but it’s believed that any foliage is preferable to none at all. For example, the flowers Chrysanthemums and Gerber Daisies are best for binding benzine. Spider Planta, Philodendrons, and Pothos, are especially apt at absorbing formaldehyde. Ficus, Ivy, and Aloe Vera are also excellent air filters.

So get yourself some green stuff. NASA says so!

BONZAI!

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  • Smythe

    Keep in mind some plants are super toxic to animals. Spider plants and cats don’t mix well!

  • http://www.herveryown.com akeeyu

    Google (and my last three cats) are all pretty sure spider plants are nontoxic. My current cat would also classify them as ‘delicious,’ and in fact nibbled our spider plants to death. Er, their death, not hers.

    http://www.cfa.org/articles/plants-non-toxic.html

  • Ghigau

    So in other words, I shouldn’t stop until I’ve filled my house with plants, right? Just to be on the safe side. (I’ve already run out of windows. I’ll have to buy a lot of full-spectrum flourescent bulbs and before I move the plants in for the winter. Thanks for reminding me about the pollution thing; I’ll remind my husband of that when I start clipping shop lamps to every available surface.)

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    @ Smythe and @ akeeyu – I have definitely heard that spider plants can be a problem, but have also heard the opposite. There are so many awesome plants out there to choose from, so I don’t think it’s much of an issue really. =)

    @ Ghigau – Yes! More plants!

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