With plants in your home, you will be able to reduce the temperature in your home, which reduces your energy costs. Not only will they absorb toxins, they will beautify your space.
Here you will find out how plants cool your home, where to put them, and what plants actually achieve this.
Air quality is improved by plants, which also regulate temperature. Those able to do so absorb the carbon dioxide molecules that bind with heat. Many plants including aloe, rubber plants, golden pothos, areca palms, weeping figs, Boston ferns, and snake plants reduce temperature.
How Do Plants Reduce Ambient Temperature?
When humans breathe, carbon dioxide is produced as a waste product. Throughout a home, carbon dioxide molecules will accumulate, absorbing heat and making the air temperature higher than normal. Having more occupants in a given space will produce more heat due to the carbon dioxide molecules that are released by our bodies.
Photosynthesis is how plants make their food.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and lower the temperature with the help of sunlight, water, nutrients in the soil, and carbon dioxide.
There have been numerous experiments and studies proving this phenomenon.
Three different boxes filled with sand were used in one experiment. The boxes were equipped with thermometers and on the first day, the ambient temperatures were recorded. One box contained only sand while the next contained one plant while the third contained three plants.
Temperatures were taken everyday, and it was clear that the box with more plants had a significantly lower temperature than the box with no plants at all.
How to Take Care of Plants That Keep Your Home Cool
Even though all plants can reduce the temperature of an area, there are some that are more efficient than others in this particular scenario. Here are some house plants that can help you obtain a cooler environment:
Aloe (Aloe vera)
Aloe plants are closely related to succulents, making them easy to care for and great for adjusting the room temperature. Since these plants absorb formaldehyde from the air, they are also able to act as air purifiers.
How to Care for Your Plant:
Place your plant in an area with good lighting. Aloe vera can flourish both indoors and outdoors, as long as they have proper sunlight. If grown in shaded areas, they tend to grow leggy.
The ideal temperature for them is between 55 degrees and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Although they can regulate temperature well if they retain moisture even during droughts.
Make sure you water them often enough to keep from rotting. It is best to allow the soil to dry at least 2 inches deep between waterings and to ensure the pot has a drain to prevent the plant from sitting in water. If you want better results, water your plants every three weeks and even fewer during winter.
Use a diluted concentration of houseplant formula, mixed with a diluted strength of fertilizer, once a month during the active season.
Replant your aloe vera when your roots grow too large in a new pot. Mature aloe plants can produce plantlets, which can be removed and replanted as new plants.
Each of the four varieties of aloe comes with its own care regimen, so no matter which one you choose, you will have the same care routine.
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
Plants of this kind can grow up to 50 feet tall in the forest, but indoors, these plants can only grow up to 6 to 10 feet tall given enough space. In need of a proper balance of essential elements, rubber plants thrive with ease and help in reducing the temperature of your home.
How to Care for Your Plant
Although they thrive outside, rubber plants are best provided with indirect sunlight. Placing your plant by the window will provide the right amount of light; not too little or too much.
Rubber plant’s soil needs to be moistened during growth seasons, but be careful not to over water them. You only need to water your plant once or twice a month during the dormant season such as winter. An indication of overwatering is when your plant’s leaves start to turn brown and fall off.
The leaves of your plant also tend to accumulate dust, so you may opt to wipe them with a damp cloth. The plant will also acquire more moisture if you continually water it. Do not overhydrate your plant by dosing it frequently.
Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
Golden pothos is one of the most popular indoor plants, especially among beginners, since it’s highly adaptable and easy to keep alive. With lots of light and minimal watering, they can thrive in both indoor and outdoor spaces, providing its beauty and also cooling your air. Plants like these can be bought anywhere for a very low cost. Great starter plants for any garden.
How to Take Care of Your Plant
Any environment is well suited to the golden pothos. In brightly lit areas such as outdoor gardens, porches, and balconies, they can thrive. However, in places where little light is available, it would be best to keep them within 4 to 6 hour range.
The root system of this plant is very shallow, so watering should only be done when necessary since the roots are able to absorb water as soon as they touch the soil. During the dormant season, it would be best to reduce the frequency of watering. Avoid soaking the soil in water to avoid root rot.
The plant would benefit from a balanced fertilizer each month, but this is not absolutely necessary.
Because your golden pothos is a creeping vine, you would trim it once a year or as needed.
Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
Besides being a great air purifier, the areca palm is a natural humidifier as well. Additionally, it can reduce the level of benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene in an area.
How to Care for Your Plant?
Areca palms do not tolerate neglect as well as other indoor plants. You have to keep the soil moist during all active growing seasons, and that means you have to maintain a regular watering schedule. Let the soil dry slightly between waterings during dormant seasons like autumn and winter.
During the spring, fertilizers should only be administered. Their micronutrients will help to enhance foliar color and production.
The plant may need to be re-potted every two or three years. This plant prefers small pots. In containers with small diameters, roots tend to be more crowded. This limits the size of the plant. Only replacement of the old earth may be necessary if it is filled with too much salt deposits.
It is important to be gentle with the roots of the areca palm when repotting it. You will also need to eliminate air pockets from the pot by pressing on the soil.
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
This plant, also known as the ficus tree, can maintain an optimal temperature inside and eliminate indoor air pollution, which thereby improves the overall air quality. There are actually hundreds of species of ficus plants, but figs are particularly popular.
Despite its elegant, dense, glossy, and dark foliage, it starts to shed its leaves when stressed, which can make cleaning more difficult. Nonetheless, it is still one of the best plants to reduce overall temperature.
Weeping figs require a lot of attention and are much more sensitive than most indoor plants, so they’re not ideal for a beginner garden.
How to Take Care of Your Plant
Despite needing bright lights, the weeping fig does well in little direct morning sunlight. You can duplicate the conditions in the wild in which they thrive and see the difference in the amount of growth they get by mimicking the conditions.
Try not to move your plants too much. The plant might start shedding since it believes this is some form of stress. It is essential that you make sure your equipment has adequate light access. This way, you don’t have to move them every time.
Your weeping fig needs fast-draining soil. You do not need high-nutrient soil. Also, add sand, perlite or vermiculite to your potting mix to improve drainage.
If you use too much water, your weeping fig will drown. Over watering it will cause the roots to rot and eventually cause the leaves to change color and drop. It is better to maintain a consistent and regular watering schedule so that the plant is not upset.
Plants like this are known to be heavy feeders during their growing season. If you notice your plant is losing leaves, in spite of having the right amount of lighting, water, temperature, humidity, it needs fertilizer with a little magnesium.
Since they can grow quite tall, you would need to prune your plants every now and then. In addition, pruning should be done during the winter since it will be less vulnerable to injury during dormant phases. Be sure to eliminate dead leaves from your potted plant since they will promote the growth of fungus.
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
The weeping fig is relatively easier to care for, but still very specific. This particular plant’s greatest strength is its ability to absorb humidity, which would eventually reduce the air temperature. There are many fern varieties in the market, but the Boston fern stands out due to its graceful fronds that are adorned with smaller leaves. A Boston fern can reach its full potential by providing it with the correct care.
How to Care for Your Plant
It thrives best in filtered light for 4 to 6 hours. Some Boston ferns can handle direct sunlight, but most thrive better in indirect light.
If you fail to keep the potting soil moist enough at all times, your plants could start to wilt. Maintain a regular watering schedule that will allow you to maintain the soil’s moisture.
It is crucial to mist the leaves with water frequently. Since these plants are attracted to moisture, this would be an excellent way to keep them moist on hot days.
Even though they are quite tolerant to cold conditions, and some may even survive a sudden chill, ideally it is best to provide them with temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees fahrenheit.
Boston ferns thrive in loamy and rich soil. They are tolerant of many types of soil, but need moist, draining soil with good drainage.
It is highly recommended to fertilize your plant during the growing season with slow-release pellets. If the plant shows little to no improvement, you may gradually add more pellets over time.
Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
Snake plants are considered to be among the most beneficial indoor plants. Although they are hardy, they are known to purify the air and emit oxygen even while they are asleep. As they can absorb large numbers of toxins from their surroundings, including carbon dioxide, you can be sure that they are effective in lowering the temperature in your area too.
How to Care for Your Plant
In order to avoid root rot, snake plants prefer free-draining soil, which would make the use of loose soil in a terracotta pot highly efficient.
Their resilience means that they can survive periods of neglect. During colder seasons, you may not have to water them more than once a month since they need to be dried in between waterings.
Your plant needs indirect sunlight. If you don’t have a place where it would receive direct sunlight, then you can use grow lights to help them begin photosynthesis.
Effective Plant Placement to Keep Your Home Cool
We have already mentioned that plants absorb carbon dioxide to be able to reduce the amount of heat in a space. Our carbon dioxide is essentially a waste product of our breathing and may also arise from other sources in our home, which leads to the indoor pollutants we are not aware of.
Your plant needs to be located in areas that are frequented by people at home. This way, it can get the carbon dioxide it needs and provide oxygen in return.
Plant them near windows where they will receive indirect sunlight essential for them to grow food. This also creates internal shading from the sun’s harsh light.
Since plants absorb humidity, keeping them in humid spaces can increase the temperature of that area, making it more enjoyable for you.
Plants should not be crowded in one location, by spreading them out you will be able to improve air circulation for yourself and the plants.
Large Scale Effects of Abundant Greenery
Even in large quantities, plants are quite beneficial. More plants and trees would help to reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. It’s about time that urban communities take a step to actively promote a greater sense of community. A little effort is well worth it, and our children deserve a better and safer planet.
Our ultimate goal is finding out if an indoor houseplant prevents us from using as much energy to cool our space. It has proven to be quite effective. The more plants you have in your home, the cooler it becomes, and ultimately you will not need to use air conditioning. You are improving your health and lifestyle by choosing to cultivate your indoor garden today.
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