How Much Oxygen Does Indoor Plant Produce?
Seeing my plants grow makes me think “Imagine how much oxygen this baby gave me when it became this big.”
It’s as if I have a tiny switch in my head that continuously activates when I see a plant grow.
The question of how much oxygen a plant produces, however, is difficult to answer when you are truly curious about it.
If we assume that the average plant has 15 leaves and each leaf gives an average of five millilitres….
….of oxygen per hour for 12 hours a day, the average plant will produce 900 millilitres of oxygen per day.
It will take the average person around 3 minutes to consume that amount of oxygen.
Apparently the answer to this question wasn’t that difficult was it?
In reality, there are so many varieties of plants in the world with different shapes and sizes…
…that finding an appropriate answer can get as complex as you like.
The oxygen produced by plants is byproduct of photosynthesis, so a growing plant is essential for producing excess oxygen.
Even house plants can store energy from the sun and engage in photosynthesis 24 hours a day.
You can find them called parasitic plants, as they work by drawing energy from their hosts in order to survive.
The process of photosynthesis relies heavily on oxygen, which on its own relies heavily on sunlight.
Here are the story of Xiah, about his experience his plant, especially snake plant, which is awesome at boosting the oxygen supply at night.
Let us hear Xiah’s story
I was a bit skeptical when I heard that my mom bought a Snake Plant for our house…
…but she swore up and down that it would help with the air quality.
She said something about how they absorb some of the toxins in our home from things like candles…
…paint fumes, and other cleaning products.
It’s been a couple months now and I have to say I’m impressed!
Mom was right- there are less days where my allergies act up because of this plant.
It doesn’t take much attention from me either; all it needs is water every week or so!
Breathing feels more easier right now with snake plant around! This plant is surely magic.
No plant emits oxygen during the night (dark hours ). Oxygen is emitted only when the light is available as the process of Photosynthesis occurs in presence of light ( any light which makes things visible- visible light as usually called. emitted from bulb, lamp etc. is also effective for Photosynthesis, provided of proper intensity.) Some plants open their stomata in the night and absorb CO2 ( CAM-plants). If this plant is kept in a room where light is available the only Oxygen will be emitted, otherwise not.
Pramodini Mone, Studying botany as Natural Science.
Here’s the main thing
Why Are Plants Green?
The plant molecule chlorophyll is responsible for absorbing light.
In plants, chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light, and reflects green light back.
The molecule or pigment that makes plants appear green is the chlorophyll molecule…
….that absorbs and reflects the light.
The absorption of light is what provides the plant with energy for photosynthesizing.
It follows that the leaves are the only part of the plant that allows oxygen to enter.
The leaves are also the only part of the plant that breathes oxygen out, which they do while growing.
In order to calculate how much oxygen my plant provided to me…
….I could think of how much the leaves grew in weight, which might not be very much.
Additionally, we must consider the importance of bacteria in the soil, especially fresh soil…
…since they help create oxygen and clean the air, sometimes even more than plants themselves.
In addition, that’s why plants are considered the best air cleaners.
You have them in your house and they help clean the air, but actually they do two things.
- They give more oxygen.
- They remove harmful pollutants.
It is true that both points above are extremely important and there are studies with clear evidence that plants are beneficial; however, studies can be difficult to read, lengthy, and boring.
Go on…
Which indoor plant produces the most oxygen?
The fresh air we want to breathe is as much oxygen as we can get.
Today, I have some good news to break: there are plants that will give you oxygen 24 hours a day, even at night.
They will also remove harmful chemicals from the air.
The choices are many, but still, there are thousands of varieties of indoor plants, each closer to perfection than the last.
If we had to choose one, which indoor plant produces the most oxygen?
They’re all plants, so they all produce oxygen. However, if we had to choose just one…
….what is the most oxygen-producing indoor plant?
Next up…
Snake Plant!
Variegated snake plants, or mother-in-law’s tongue, are the plants which produce the most oxygen indoors.
This type of plant has a very large leaf mass as opposed to other kinds of plants, and it produces oxygen even at night.
Additionally, a common plant like this one removes harmful substances such as benzene and formaldehyde..
…from the air. If you want a plant that produces much oxygen there are 3 rules it must follow.
- The leaves of this plant are larger than its other parts and it isn’t a tree, since the wood of trees does not produce any oxygen.
- Grows fast.
- Lots of soil is needed to produce oxygen, since bacteria are responsible for much of it.
They also grow vertically, which means they are basically tall, oxygen-producing machines.
The snake plant excels at all 3, not to mention it filters out harmful chemical fumes…
…emitting oxygen throughout the night, and being tough as nails.
An argument in favor of an indoor tree is that a large one will have more leaves and therefore produce more oxygen.
Though that might be the case, you can grow 5 Variegated Snake Plants in the same space….
…with similar resources that will have significantly greater air purifying benefits.
These five indoor plants produce more than Snake Plants, so if that isn’t your thing, you might want to check them out.
Here’s the main thing
5 Oxygen Supplier Plants
Number 5 Ferns
Ferns, like the Boston Fern, have extremely high leaf volume.
Ferns are known to be highly efficient at removing formaldehyde from the air.
It’s hard to grow ferns in containers because they need a lot of water and they need to be misted every now and then.
They shed, too. If you are here, chances are that you are a plant geek anyway…
…so these things don’t matter much to you anyway.
Number 4 Areca palm
They grow tall and have large, oxygen-creating leaves. As with all plants on this list, they are excellent…
….at removing airborne chemicals, but what separates them is their spectacular size.
If properly watered, it can live up to 10 years and grows to shoulder height, like a sky scraper producing oxygen.
Number 3 Spider plant
The leaves of spider plants grow so long they hang down, meaning they require less space…
…and can also eliminate pollutants from the air.
The products were even tested in a NASA study, and it was shown that they remove up to 90%…
….of the harmful chemicals that household products such as adhesives, furnishings…
…and other items continually produce. One can grow it even in the bathroom because they are easy to maintain.
Number 2 Gerbera Daisy
This plant is the flashiest on this list and is usually found in gardens for decoration purposes.
However, during the night, Gerbera Daisy produces high levels of oxygen that help keep us healthy.
It has been found that even keeping this plant on the nightstand can relieve sleeping disorder…
….and so many people who suffer from sleep apnea swear by it.
It will also remove harmful chemicals from the air, which is true for every plant on our list.
This one requires plenty of light and water, but if you can handle it you’ll have one beautiful air purifier.
Last but not least..
Number 1 Chinese Evergreen
These plants have huge thick leaves that grow quickly.
They produce a lot of oxygen, and they also purify the air, to such an extent that the plant is highly valued in China for the purpose.
Chinese Evergreens require very little maintenance; all they need is shade and moist soil to thrive.
You can have as many of them as you want.
Sum Up
See having Snake plant is good choice for you to have! It’s cool, its famous, it’s easy to have and care!
What else do you need? In this pandemic time like this, is a good choice for you to have an new activity…
…and having snake plant is a good choice for you to have!
Conclusion
Last thing for sure. This plant need to be care carefully, remember plant need the “love” too.
Alright that’s all for today! Do you have any questions about all of this?
Or do you want to add some indoor plant that can supply more oxygen too for your room?
Let me know your recommendation from the comment below.
I hope you can now take care your snake carefully and grow it big!
Thanks for reading this article! Bye!