Keeping houseplants can be very beneficial to your physical and mental health. Interestingly, there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for houseplants since the COVID 19 pandemic. The need for houseplants has increased by 18% since the pandemic started. According to Houseplant Statistics, about 7 in 10 millennials are now claiming to be plant parents. There were many sold-outs of houseplants in many parts of the country when the pandemic started. In addition, the demand for rare houseplants has increased, and people are importing more rare species into the United States. If you are also interested in houseplants, here are some benefits of owning your first plant baby.

1. It can potentially cleanse your air.

House plants can potentially clean your air and promote better physical health. In 1989, NASA conducted a study on using house plants to boost air quality in spacecraft. They use various house plants like the Peace Lily and the English Ivy to measure the number of air pollutants in space crafts. These pollutants include benzene and formaldehyde, known carcinogens and harmful to the human body. Surprisingly, the study suggests a significant decrease in these volatile organic compounds in spacecraft that contain house plants, leading to better air quality. Because of this study, the house plant industry has boomed, and more people are now demanding house plants to be placed in the regular home to improve air quality. However, we should interpret this result carefully. This is a one-center study, and so far, no other studies can reproduce this result. And a short-term reduction in these organic compounds has not been shown to improve outcomes over a prolonged period. This study is fascinating, and you should consider adding house plants to your living spaces.

2. It improves your mental health and mood.

House plants can improve your mental health and mood and reduce irritability and stress.  It engages your various senses, including touch, smell, and vision. The scent of flowers and the unique texture of plant leaves can help improve anxiety and depression and sleep quality. By seeing your plant grow, you will also obtain a sense of accomplishment and improve your overall life quality. In 2015, a study was published in the Journal of Physiology and Anthropology; the authors found that an active interaction with house plants significantly reduces psychological and physiological stress. It shows those plant lovers have a significantly lower heart rate and blood pressure, which translates into improved overall health. This effect was further heightened with young individuals compared to those who spend a significant amount of time doing desk work.

3. It improves your discipline.

Plant keeping is not an easy task. It takes tremendous discipline, time , and effort to make your plants thrive. Likely learning a new skill, you will need to spend a lot of time learning how to water your plants properly, in addition to pruning and propagating. Choosing suitable soil and lightning can also be a challenging task. And many of your plants will die despite your best effort. However, it is not as time-consuming as taking care of an aquarium. It does take at least a weekly maintenance on your plants. In some cases, you may even need to take care of them every several days. I spend at least 30 minutes caring for my plants every few days. I inspect, water, repot and prune my plans. In addition,  you may need to invest in a water filter system as your tap water may not be good enough for the plants you would like to keep. All of these things can be very time-consuming. But the hobby is gratifying and brings a lot of satisfaction when you see new growth in your plants.

4. It modernizes your living spaces.

Have you ever opened up an interior design magazine? Plants are everywhere! It is no secret that all interior designers love using plants for their projects. It provides a unique color contrast to our living spaces. It neutralizes the black, white, and gray colors and gives a glimpse of nature within our home. Furthermore, it enhances the atmosphere of the environment in a very intimate way. Interior design magazines often feature plants such as the ZZ, the Fiddle Leaf Fig, and the Hoya Tricolor plants. These plants are relatively easy to grow once you get used to the routine of taking care of plants. And they are inexpensive. I recommend buying a plant that is as big as possible to save time. Big plants are usually healthy and often carry fewer pathogens than their tiny counterparts. In addition, they have a healthy root system and can tolerate environment fluctuation better than baby plants. In conclusion, having nature in our home is fun. It boosts our well-being but it also makes our spaces more lively. 

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