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WHAT GOOD
BY
Why do you
bring that plant in the house? You will have to spend time feeding and
watering, you will need to give it the right amount of light, and to
keep it from freezing. Someone said to me “even if it is not useful in
any way, it makes me feel better just to see it.” Some like the blooms,
others the weird way in which it grows, others that it doesn’t take a
lot of care (compared to a puppy for example), still others enjoy the
perfume.
Lately there
have been a number of articles about certain plants that remove harmful
“things” from the air. NASA
used plants on space ships to remove ammonia and convert it to zylene.
The space agency listed AIRPLANE PLANT (Tillandia ionantha),
Many of us grew
up around the SPIDER PLANT (Chlorophytum variegata) with its long stems hanging
over the side of the pot upon which new little plants appear that can be
given away or rooted into little pots. When you read its history it is
listed as one of the best plants for removing benzol or formaldehyde
(quite often found in new carpeting). The little “spiders” or plants
that hang down can be used to start new hanging plants. You can get them
started in water if you let them get mature enough on the mother plants
to show “bumps” which are actually young roots.
The most efficient way is to pin them down in a little pot next
to your big one. It may take
several weeks before it is rooted enough to cut off from the mother
plant. The plants will burn if hung in a direct sunlight and they do not
like temperatures below 45 degrees F. If the soil dries out the leaves
will fade out or the tips turn brown, so keep the soil damp.
Just lately
several magazines have told of experiments with plants in working areas
that show increased efficiency when surrounded by plants.
If you visit some businesses or offices you will see plants under
lights, plants in window corners, and some with a special grow light
that has been brought in to better the surroundings. I was in one office
in which an immense light on a track moved slowly back and forth over
large and beautiful plants.
Teachers with windows in their classroom will fill them with plants.
Several studies I have seen say this calms and aids the kids to
study.
Some people, if
they have only one plant in the house, it will probably be an
ALOE
Some people
keep houseplants for their perfume.
What fun to come in the door to be greeted by dwarf
Another plant
to perfume your world is a
HYACINTH that can be forced to provide perfume. The flowers from the
bulbs come in a number of colors.
When we get near the end of the winter and long for blooms that
tell us of spring, different bulbs work very well. Most will need a
dormant period which occurs after the foliage dies down in summer and
need 12 to 15 weeks of cold temperatures. This means you will need them
in pots in a cool spot for that time with the soil damp, not wet. I have
known people who kept their pots in a window well on the South side of
the house and others in a refrigerator or cold frame. After you bring
them out into a warmer place, the bulbs should begin to sprout when
placed in good light at 55 to 60 degrees F. and watered well. Then wait
for the perfume and bloom to appear. Sometimes you can buy bulbs that
are pre-treated for you. The stages needed are:
1.
Dormancy
in late summer
2.
Root
development, and
3.
Sprouting
You can keep
them alive after blooming and plant them in your yard but it may take a
year or two for the flowers to develop and may or may not be gorgeous
the first year.
Many plants
reward us just by making us feel better during those short, dreary days
of winter and are used in many places for just that!!!
Copyright 2015 |