Home Gardening: Best Indoor Plants

The pandemic takes a toll on everyone. Our lives changed from how we communicate, how we dress up whenever we go out to how we go to school, and how we work. These changes then resulted in different adjustments made in our homes, workplaces, and even education. 

Most of us would rather stay at home because of the fear of getting the virus, and some, on the other hand, are mandated to stay at home either because of a lockdown or they have high chances of acquiring the virus.  

Most Filipinos had a hard time coping up with these pandemic scenarios. Some had the so-called cabin fever or a psychological symptom that may experience when confined to their home for extended periods, while others strive to adapt and tried new hobbies.

One hobby that got famous and was a craze during the first few months of the pandemic is home gardening, and because of this craze, the Plantitos and Plantitas were born.

Plantitos and Plantitas isa term used for Filipinos who are:

• Fond, loves, likes, and appreciates different kinds of plants and gardening.
• Promotes their love and care for the environment and mother nature.
• Treat their plants as part of the family or as a child that needs to be nurtured. Some even named their plants and talk to them every day.
• Has a passion for gardening, plants, horticulture and wants to learn or is making it as a hobby or collection.

Most of the Plantitos and Plantitas were influenced by family members, friends, and colleagues. Some, on the other hand, find it interesting because of the circulating posts made about the aesthetic beauty of gardening and indoor plants in social media, while others find home gardening and indoor plants beneficial because of the following:

BENEFITS OF HOME GARDENING AND HAVING INDOOR PLANTS

Home gardening is more than just beautiful views. Indoor plants are also beneficial for the homeowner’s health and many other lifestyle aspects.

Exposure to Vitamin D

Regular sun exposure is our natural way of getting Vitamin D. According to experts, five to thirty minutes of daily sun exposure is needed to get an adequate amount of Vitamin D. The best time to get it is around 10 am to 3 pm as at this time, the UVB rays are intense, and our body is more active in making vitamin D during this hour.

Outdoor activities like gardening are an excellent way to get sunshine while having fun and discovering new things about it.  

Release tension, stress, anxiety, and boredom

Psychological consequences brought about by pandemic such as tension, stress, anxiety, and boredom were felt by most Filipinos during the first three months of lockdown.  

One escape that Filipinos found to relieve these psychological consequences is Gardening. Gardening relieves stress, tension, anxiety by diverting negative thoughts and ideas to taking care of plants and nurturing them like their child. Scientists have found that gardening helps reduce stress and calm nerves. Cortisol levels, which are the body’s natural stress hormone, also come down when gardening or even appreciating plants.

READ: Makeshift an Open Space into a Breathable Area

Therapeutic

Noticing the plants grow and bloom carries a sign of hope and a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction to those who have just started home gardening, those maintaining this activity, and advocates of home gardening. 

Gardening is also associated with having an optimistic view of life and feeling happy.

Aesthetics in All Light Conditions

Home gardening and indoor plants make the surroundings beautiful and can make it feel more relaxed and homier. A green environment can also enhance a house’s physical appealing, create visually inviting pockets of space inside homes and even offices.

Food Security

Home gardening contributes to food and household food security by giving immediate and close access to the different vegetables or fruits that can be collected, prepared, and eaten by family members daily.

Improves Mood and Enhance Performance

A positive effect of increased oxygenation brought about by having indoor plants and home gardening is it can improve our mood, energy, and mental focus. Studies found that when people were allowed to have indoor plants in their office or work from home space, their performance improves by about 15 percent.

Minimizing the occurrence of headaches by improving air quality

Many houseplants ingest and consume toxic elements such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene, that are found in man-made materials that are known to as “off-gas” pollutants in the air. Also, houseplants are known to reduce indoor dust, making plants effective and efficient air cleaners.

Studies have also shown that certain houseplants are exceptionally good at cleansing the air. NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration made a study on indoor pollution and recommended having 15 to 18 houseplants for a 1,800 square-foot house. While other experts suggest that filling as little as 2% of the room with plants will make an impact.

NASA came up with a list of indoor plants that cleaned the air most efficiently. Among them are these 18 plants:

• English ivy (Hedera helix)
• aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis)
• spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
• golden pothos (Epipiremnum aureum)
• peace lily (Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’)
• Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
• bamboo or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
• snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)
• heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron scandens `oxycardium’)
• lacy tree philodendron (Philodendron selloum)
• elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
• red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
• corn plant (Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana’)
• Janet Craig & Warneckii dracaena (Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig’ & `Warneckii’)
• weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)
• gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
• pot mum (Crysanthemum morifolium)

Easingdry skin and respiratory ailments due to dry air

Plants release water vapor into the air, which improves humidity. As this continues, plants help improve respiratory and skin health by offsetting the drying effects of the weather. This kind of capability of plants can be an incredible benefit to those with respiratory issues, headaches, and allergies. 

PLANTITO AND PLANTITA STARTER PLANTS

If you are planning to be a Plantito and Plantita it is suggested that you start with the following plants:

Chinese Evergreen

Chinese Evergreen is one of the most popular houseplants due to its ease of care. Small Chinese Evergreens can be placed on the tabletop and larger ones on the floor along the walls.

Plant family: Araceae

Botanical Name: Aglaonema

Common names: Philippine Evergreen, Poison Dart Plant

Light requirement: Partial shade

Water requirement: Thrice a week; water until the soil is moist

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; sandy, chalk, loam

Dumb Cane

Dumb Cane is a fast-growing and popular large houseplant with huge and showy leaves that can achieve 2 feet in height within a year. This type of plant should be taken care of with precaution as it has highly toxic to humans and animals. This type of plant can cause tongue swelling and difficulty speaking. 

Plant family: Araceae

Botanical Name: Dieffenbachia

Common names: Mother-in-Law Plant, Poison Arum

Light requirement: Bright, indirect sunlight; partial shade

Water requirement: Thrice a week; water until the soil is moist

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; loam, chalky, sandy, clay  

Heart of Jesus 

Heart of Jesus or Caladium has a perfect heart or arrow-shaped leaves in varying colors of red, pink, and white. 

Plant family: Araceae

Botanical Name: Caladium

Common names: Angel Wings, Wild Eddo, Wild Caladium, Elephant’s Ear

Light requirement: Indirect sunlight, partial shade

Water requirement: Thrice a week; keep the soil moist but avoid water accumulation

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; loam soil

Pothos Plant

Pothos are native to Southeast Asia. It is easy to take care of and has an attractive trailing vine with heart-shaped leaves that tolerates low light and minimal watering.

Plant family: Araceae

Botanical Name: Epipremnum Auruem

Common names: Devil’s Ivy, Money Plant

Light requirement: Bright, Indirect light to low light; partial sun to partial shade

Wate requirement: Once a week; keep the soil moist but avoid water accumulation

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; chalky, loam, clay, sandy

Peace Lily Plant

Peace lily plant is a very common vibrant and graceful houseplant known for its brilliant white flowers that adds life to any space even in dark places.  

Botanical Name: Spathiphyllum

Common names: White Sails, Spathe Flower

Care Level: Easy

Light requirement: Bright, indirect light to low light

Water requirement: Water when the soil has dried out

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; chalky, sandy, loam

Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera Deliciosa is a plant known for its capabilities to purify the air and is useful in humidifying air conditions.

Plant family: Araceae

Botanical Name: Monstera

Common name: Swiss Cheese Plant

Light requirement: Partial shade to full shade

Water requirement: Water when the soil has dried out

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; loam, chalky, sandy, clay  

Rubber Plant 

Rubber Plants is a common house plant in Southeast Asia as it is associated with or represents abundance, happiness, and wealth because of its round leaves. This plant is normally placed in the corners of the house to soften the sharp angles.

Plant family: Moraceae

Botanical Name: Ficus

Common names: Rubber Fig, Rubber Bush, Rubber Tree, Indian Rubber Plant

Light requirement: Full sun to partial sun

Water requirement: Water when the soil has dried out

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; loam, chalky, sandy, clay

Snake Plant

Snake Plant is an easy-to-grow plant that can make a bold, architectural statement in your home with its tall, swordlike leaves and unique spectrum.  

Plant family: Asparagaceae

Botanical Name: Sansevieria

Common names: Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, Viper’s Bowstring Hemp

Light requirement: Partial to full sun

Water requirement: Water when the soil has dried out

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly alkaline; sandy soil

Selloum 

Selloum Plant is a tropical plant with large, showy leaves. When placed indoors, this type of plant can still give an immensely tropical feel to any room. 

Plant family: Araceae

Botanical Name: Philodendron

Common names: Tree Philodendron, Lacy Tree Philodendron

Light requirement: Partial sun to partial shade

Water requirement: Water when the soil has dried out

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; loam soil

ZZ Plant

ZZ Plant is a low-maintenance houseplant that has wide, attractive, and dark green leaves. It is a flowering plant that rarely produces flowers.  

Plant family: Araceae

Botanical Name: Zamioculcas

Common names: Aroid Palm, Eternity Plant, Emerald Palm

Light requirement: Partial shade

Water requirement: Water when the soil has dried out

Soil requirement: Well-drained potting soil; slightly acidic, slightly alkaline; sandy, loam

NATURAL AIR PURIFIERS

Aside from the Plantito and Plantita starter or must-have plants, here are other plants that you can consider growing indoors because they act as natural air purifiers.

• Bloomscape – A low-maintenance plant that is best for removing pollutants in the air like formaldehyde and benzene. It is also adaptable to varying lighting conditions, can bring life and oxygen to any room.
• Snake Plant– Also known as mother-in-law’s tongue. Snake Plant is best placed on home offices as it requires little attention and care. It is also an oxygen-producing houseplant, and it also removes air pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene.
• ZZ Plant- is also an air purifier plant that is proven to remove extensive amounts of toxins such as xylene, toluene, and benzene from the air.
• Areca palm – Areca can maintain your home moist throughout the dry season while continually removing chemical toxins such as formaldehyde from your air.
• Bamboo Palm– like Areca Palm, Bamboo Palm can emit moisture in the air while filtering it from formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide, xylene, and chloroform. 
• Aloe Vera– is considered one of the healing plants and is known to aid in eliminating formaldehyde in the air.
• Chrysanthemum – is an attractive indoor flowering plant that is known to remove benzene which has been known to cause cancer.
• Red-Edge Dracaena- also known as dragon tree can remove formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, benzene, xylene, and toluene from the air.

Air-purifying plants that are safe for kids and ideal to be placed on their play area are the following:

• Christmas Cactus- This is a houseplant recognized for its air purification characteristics. Christmas Cactus are non-toxic, so no harmful chemicals are getting on your kid’s fingers when ingested.
• Parlour Palm – Makes a great houseplant because it aides in the removal of harmful elements such as benzene and trichloroethylene.
• Spider Plant- One of the easiest air-purifying plants to grow. Spider plants are known to effectively remove harmful chemicals from the air, such as carbon monoxide, xylene, formaldehyde, and toluene.
• Boston Fern- Its air-purifying characteristics are beneficial to those who suffer from dry skin or irritably dry noses or throats.

Best Indoor Plants Philippines

Listed above are some of the best indoor plants that can be grown in our country’s tropical weather. In many areas in the Philippines, many of these plants are found abundantly along roads, river banks, and forests.

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