Indoor Plants: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Monstera under HortiPower grow light.jpg|thumb|267x267px|A Monstera plant]]

Indoor plants refer to any plant that is in an indoor setting, regardless of their type or light requirements. Raising and nurturing indoor plants is a great first step for those interested in gardening. Unfortunately, learning about indoor plant care is like learning about healthy eating: it is filled with contradicting opinions and "facts", along with beginner traps and scams. Many people buy a plant, and get discouraged when it quickly dies. This article is intended to help the average person navigate many of these pitfalls. This article is packed with information which may be a bit intimidating to a new plant owner, but it will list many easy plants that a first time plant owner can buy and gradually take in information in this article over time as they run into new challenges. The information in it has been compiled to the best of our knowledge, and will improve over time.

== Indoor Plants ~~In A Solarpunk World~~ ==

== Health Benefits of Indoor Plants ==

The first thing many people see when they are introduced to Solarpunk is all the plant life in many pieces of Solarpunk artwork. While most of these plants are outdoors, indoor plants have their own place in a world like this too, not just for the food they can provide for all the health benefits they provide us, but not all of this is true. A common myth is that houseplants can purify the air in a home. This is based on a [[w:NASA_Clean_Air_Study|1989 NASA study]] that has never been successfully replicated. While it is true that plants take a part in purifying the air around us, they do so in great numbers. The effectiveness of air purification would vary from plant to plant, and noticeable air purification may require an unreasonably large concentration of plants in each room, if successful at all. There have however have been attempts to [https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.8b04811 genetically modify plants to excel at purifying air]. A company known as [https://neoplants.com/product/neo-px Neoplants] sells microbial powder to put in the soil of plants that they claim makes the plant "30 times better at purifying air", but these packets have a proprietary design and are only sold through the companies subscription service~~. The myth of singular plants purifying air has inspired artists to make solarpunk art of plant powered breathing masks~~.

A common myth is that houseplants can purify the air in a home. This is based on a [[w:NASA_Clean_Air_Study|1989 NASA study]] that has never been successfully replicated. While it is true that plants take a part in purifying the air around us, they do so in great numbers. The effectiveness of air purification would vary from plant to plant, and noticeable air purification may require an unreasonably large concentration of plants in each room, if successful at all. There have however have been attempts to [https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.8b04811 genetically modify plants to excel at purifying air]. A company known as [https://neoplants.com/product/neo-px Neoplants] sells microbial powder to put in the soil of plants that they claim makes the plant "30 times better at purifying air", but these packets have a proprietary design and are only sold through the companies subscription service.

But the positive effect indoor plants have on mental health should not be understated. Plants have been shown to drastically improve the effects of people with mental illnesses. ~~'''(go into further detail on this, and~~ the ~~effects the mind can~~ have ~~on physical~~ healing. ~~Possibly also cover~~ the ~~medical~~ benefits of plants ~~such as the aloe vera. Make sure to mention the solarpunk art influenced by the purification myth~~.~~)'''~~

But the positive effect indoor plants have on mental health should not be understated. Plants have been shown to drastically improve the effects of people with mental illnesses. They can make a room much more inviting. Certain houseplants like the Aloe Vera also have healing properties. For the food benefits of indoor plants, check out our article on [[Indoor Gardening]].

== Where to Buy Plants ==

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|Low (but can tolerate bright, indirect light)

|Weekly

|Pothos come in many different colored varieties. They are climbing plants that like to root their vines. ~~They will either need specific poles~~ to ~~grow on or be periodically trimmed~~ to ~~promote healthy growth~~.

|Pothos come in many different colored varieties. They are climbing plants that like to root their vines. You can clip the vines or let them grow as long as you want, but if the vines get too long without any nutritious places to root into, your pothos may begin to shed leaves in the middle of the vine to conserve energy and keep growing out.

|-

|[[File:Peace-lilly.jpg|frameless|150x150px]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[File:Monstera under HortiPower grow light.jpg|thumb|267x267px|A Monstera plant]]
 Indoor plants refer to any plant that is in an indoor setting, regardless of their type or light requirements. Raising and nurturing indoor plants is a great first step for those interested in gardening. Unfortunately, learning about indoor plant care is like learning about healthy eating: it is filled with contradicting opinions and "facts", along with beginner traps and scams. Many people buy a plant, and get discouraged when it quickly dies. This article is intended to help the average person navigate many of these pitfalls. This article is packed with information which may be a bit intimidating to a new plant owner, but it will list many easy plants that a first time plant owner can buy and gradually take in information in this article over time as they run into new challenges. The information in it has been compiled to the best of our knowledge, and will improve over time.
-== Indoor Plants In A Solarpunk World ==
+== Health Benefits of Indoor Plants ==
-The first thing many people see when they are introduced to Solarpunk is all the plant life in many pieces of Solarpunk artwork. While most of these plants are outdoors, indoor plants have their own place in a world like this too, not just for the food they can provide for all the health benefits they provide us, but not all of this is true. A common myth is that houseplants can purify the air in a home. This is based on a [[w:NASA_Clean_Air_Study|1989 NASA study]] that has never been successfully replicated. While it is true that plants take a part in purifying the air around us, they do so in great numbers. The effectiveness of air purification would vary from plant to plant, and noticeable air purification may require an unreasonably large concentration of plants in each room, if successful at all. There have however have been attempts to [https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.8b04811 genetically modify plants to excel at purifying air]. A company known as [https://neoplants.com/product/neo-px Neoplants] sells microbial powder to put in the soil of plants that they claim makes the plant "30 times better at purifying air", but these packets have a proprietary design and are only sold through the companies subscription service. The myth of singular plants purifying air has inspired artists to make solarpunk art of plant powered breathing masks.
+A common myth is that houseplants can purify the air in a home. This is based on a [[w:NASA_Clean_Air_Study|1989 NASA study]] that has never been successfully replicated. While it is true that plants take a part in purifying the air around us, they do so in great numbers. The effectiveness of air purification would vary from plant to plant, and noticeable air purification may require an unreasonably large concentration of plants in each room, if successful at all. There have however have been attempts to [https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.8b04811 genetically modify plants to excel at purifying air]. A company known as [https://neoplants.com/product/neo-px Neoplants] sells microbial powder to put in the soil of plants that they claim makes the plant "30 times better at purifying air", but these packets have a proprietary design and are only sold through the companies subscription service.
-But the positive effect indoor plants have on mental health should not be understated. Plants have been shown to drastically improve the effects of people with mental illnesses. '''(go into further detail on this, and the effects the mind can have on physical healing. Possibly also cover the medical benefits of plants such as the aloe vera. Make sure to mention the solarpunk art influenced by the purification myth.)'''
+But the positive effect indoor plants have on mental health should not be understated. Plants have been shown to drastically improve the effects of people with mental illnesses. They can make a room much more inviting. Certain houseplants like the Aloe Vera also have healing properties. For the food benefits of indoor plants, check out our article on [[Indoor Gardening]].
 == Where to Buy Plants ==
@@ Line 103: / Line 104: @@
 |Low (but can tolerate bright, indirect light)
 |Weekly
-|Pothos come in many different colored varieties. They are climbing plants that like to root their vines. They will either need specific poles to grow on or be periodically trimmed to promote healthy growth.
+|Pothos come in many different colored varieties. They are climbing plants that like to root their vines. You can clip the vines or let them grow as long as you want, but if the vines get too long without any nutritious places to root into, your pothos may begin to shed leaves in the middle of the vine to conserve energy and keep growing out.
 |-
 |[[File:Peace-lilly.jpg|frameless|150x150px]]