DIY: How To Grow Your Own Fresh Air

According to GreenSpaces, these three plants not only lead to fresher indoor air…but also an increase in productivity!

GreenSpaces has tested these plants for the past 15 years in a 20 year old, 50,000 ft2 building with over 300 occupants, and 1,200 plants! A study published on September 8, 2008 found that there is a 42% probability of increasing blood oxygen by 1% if one is inside the building for 10 hours. In fact, the building is rated the healthiest building in Delhi by the Government of India.

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So how does this increase productivity? Compared to other buildings in Delhi, the incidence of eye irritation reduced by 52%, lower respiratory symptoms by 34%, headaches by 24%, upper respiratory symptoms by 20%, lung impairment by 10-12% and Asthma by 9%.

Some info on the plants:

Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

• Works well in the day time
• Great for living areas
• One needs about 4 shoulder high plants/person
• Needs to be put outdoors once every 3-4 months
• The leaves of the plant need to be wiped everyday in Delhi and perhaps once a month in a cleaner city
• The soil used should be of vermi manure or use hydroponics

Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)

• Converts CO2 into O2 at night
• One requires about 6-8 such waist high plants per person in the bedroom
• Leaves need to be wiped in the same way as the Areca Palm
• The soil used should be of vermi manure or use hydroponics

Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum)

• Excellent for removing Formaldehyde and other VOC’s
• Best grown using hydroponics

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• Healing Houseplants Part I
• Healing Houseplants, Part II
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Image: GreenSpaces

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