Importance of Houseplants...

I grew up watching an Australian show called The Bush Tucker Man; an ex army guy called Les who would visit areas usually avoided by the rest of us in order to describe how to survive out in the wilds. I think it was Les who talked about how to find fresh water; in emergencies, it is possible to take a plastic bag and tie it around a tree branch for a few hours (obviously a branch full of green, healthy leaves). In the hot sun, the water will evaporate and then condense back into liquid, becoming trapped in the bag. Not a great idea with poisonous trees and it will damage the tree if done too much- but a useful emergency trick. I never forgot this and I think my lifelong interest in houseplants is his fault. If this happens in the wild, it would also happen indoors... then NASA disclosed information about which plants performed well in the space station. If you don't want to browse the following links; know that plants have been found to absorb chemicals from the air, to feed off pollution.

https://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/best-air-filtering-house-plants/

https://www.boredpanda.com/best-air-filtering-houseplants-nasa/?utm_source=ecosia&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic

Link to original NASA report

All of the above happened in the late eighties, I found out about 'sick building syndrome' and houseplants cleaning the air much later in life. For my blog I will focus on two good air-cleaning plants which are easy to grow and find in Britain. The Spider plant and the English Ivy. For anyone who thinks it makes no difference to have plants at home- remember the plastic bag trick and be aware that I've had to move into the countryside mainly because I suffer from what I'll call 'chemically induced asthma.' Doctors think I have asthma because I'm an ex smoker, but it's interesting that most of my asthma attacks have been caused by car fumes and aerosols. A couple of people have told me not to visit London because I'll die from the air pollution. This has become a serious problem around the world and I think we should stop thinking about 'climate change' and worry more about our children's and grand children's lungs.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036944/Beijing-bans-thousands-cars-closes-factories-bids-slash-smog-Olympics.html

It may seem obvious that larger Cities will have more pollution and that smaller towns will be ok- take it from an asthma sufferer that this is rubbish. Suburbs of Cities, even standing near the ocean can be a danger zone full of polluted air.

The only safe areas are where there are large amounts of plant life. At one stage I found that walking through an inner city park was easier than walking through a shopping centre, therefore if I was having a 'bad' day, maybe pushing my way into a hedgerow would relieve my breathing? It does. I recommend walking through a wild natural area if asthma is a problem. Anyone with an asthmatic child should move to a countryside setting. Certain foods and products can irritate the condition as well. If your child has an asthma attack and calms down after sitting in a grove of trees, surely we should feel encouraged to plant many more trees and hedgerows. It has become a case of 'too little, too late' in parts of the UK.

UK has highest death rates for asthma age 10-24

So what is 'sick building syndrome?' In simple terms it happens when a building becomes full of pollutants, there is poor ventilation and/or a build up of toxic chemicals which then give the inhabitants various health problems from headaches to cold and allergy symptoms.

NHS guide to Sick-Building-Syndrome

Our homes can suffer from a build up of toxins, often from aerosols, cleaning products, inks, paint and varnish- sadly, opening a window in some areas means letting car fumes in, rather than fresh air. How quickly can houseplants absorb these toxins? It depends on how much there is. I'd suggest one houseplant in each room if possible, or move a couple of plants around the house each month. Or just move into the countryside. Logically since we farm grain and orchard fruits, there will always be large areas of natural plant life -so allergy sufferers like myself will always be able to move our children and ourselves away from the main areas of pollution (If ever I use too much punctuation, it's because I can't breathe well. Speaking out loud can help me to write).

It doesn't cost much to put together a few house plants, compost can be bought for under £2 -the same for plant pots and the young plants. Most plants can be picked up seasonally from supermarkets, local greengrocers and garden centres. Occasionally gardeners with allotments will have a public walk-in area or shop with plants for sale as well. Garden nurseries and online retailers are other sources.

I used to live with a large (for a suburb) garden that had Ivy growing up the fence and an old Holly tree at the bottom. I loved sitting under the tree, partly, I realise now because it was easier to breathe. Over Yule I took clippings of both plants for decoration and gave some to neighbours. The Ivy I had placed in a vase took root, so I turned it into a houseplant, putting it back into the garden when I moved. It's that easy to grow.

Hedera helix; English Ivy; Common Ivy; Ivy.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants-and-fungi/woodland-wildflowers/ivy/

Spider Plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are just as easy. Along with Ivy they are easy to find and great for 'cleaning' the home.

(See above image) I like to use old plastic emulsion tubs for my house plants. If there isn't much emulsion left, just keep painting the wall. Once the tub is empty, let it dry. Fill it with water later to soften the remainder of the paint and you should find the paint peels off easily. Spider plants have quite fleshy roots which can absorb a lot of water so I don't put any drainage holes into the tub.

At first it looks like a clump of striped grass, after a year or so, the young plant will produce long stems with baby plants on the end. These small 'spiders' can be cut from the parent once they are larger. I leave them in water for a while to develop a root system (see left image) before potting up into empty yogurt pots or whatever we have to hand. They need some natural light but hardly any attention. Once larger, they can go into the empty emulsion tub or a plant pot. They will thrive if you leave them outside for a few months in the summer, and remember to wash the leaves a few times each year to clean the dust off. This can be done by placing them under a cool/warm shower or gently wipe the leaves with water and a sponge.

Plants like these can grow quite big, as a rule the larger the pot, the larger the plant can grow so I recommend a 2.5L tub for an easy to manage size.

It fascinates me that some people will spend a fortune on cleaning products and air fresheners when all they have to do is open windows and have a few house plants. It has been said that once a window is open it only takes 20 minutes for the air in the room to be replaced.

Pagans are often houseplant lovers or garden enthusiasts, we instinctively understand that we need to be around nature. Sometimes there are scientific reasons, often it's because we enjoy using or eating the plants that we grow. We look after them and they look after us.

Volk Bowie.

Images found via Ecosia search engine, the service which plants trees as we browse the Internet. They recently planted a total of over 50 million trees.

Spider plant images by Volk Bowie 2019.