With the quarantine process, our day and night routine has completely changed. Naturally, this situation has also been reflected in our sleep and work hours. While many of us have switched to a home-office experience for the first time in our lives, some of us have not had the luxury of staying home. In the “race to use time efficiently” that started with the first days of the pandemic, indoor plants have been the most talked about topic after sourdough bread. Perhaps for the first time, we realized at what hours of the day and at what angles plants receive light, and made small changes to their location and vitamin supplements.
With the approaching summer season, if you are thinking of changing your room or balcony with plants, I wanted to list the plants that are safe to keep in your bedroom. I would like to say air-purifying or NASA-approved plants, but unfortunately these are sales strategies… (NASA conducted a study in 1990 on only 3 chemicals, with certain plants, and in a laboratory environment. As a result, no result emerged that we could say “it cleans the air”) It is a fact that plants and greenery take people away from concrete and stress. However, the issue of air purification in a home environment is not as true as it is talked about.
In this article, I will talk about plants that continue to produce oxygen throughout the night and that you can keep in your bedroom.
•Air Plants
Air Plants, also known as free air plants, or Tillandsias, are a genus of evergreen perennial flowering plants with many species native to South America and Northern Mexico. These species do not get their nutrients from their roots, but from the hairs called “trichomes” on their leaves. For those who are not familiar with them yet, this interesting plant species loves air, breeze and strong light, and cannot survive in dark places. The flowering time and duration of Air Plants also vary depending on the species. They can produce their own nutrients through photosynthesis under light and use their roots only to hold on to something. That is why they are also a favorite in decoration.
So, how should air plants be cared for?
-Watering
You can water your air plant with two different methods: wetting with the mist spray method and immersing in water. The mist spray method is not a sufficient method for these plants. However, if your plant is very large and its roots are tightly attached, you can prefer the mist spray method. If your air plant is a soft-leafed species, this indicates that it belongs to a wet area and the mist spray method to be used must be used every day. If you have an air plant from arid regions (they have harder leaves and are pale in color), you can repeat the water spray method every 2-3 days. You should water it by taking care to wet every part of it except the flower. Another option, the immersion method, is to immerse the entire air plant in water and keep it in water for 2 hours. Then, the air plant should be turned upside down and the water remaining between its leaves should be drained. No matter what your watering method is, you should definitely let your air plant dry after watering it. The most effective way to dry an air plant is to leave it outdoors for a few hours. The most important point to note at this stage is that the drying process should be done by natural methods. Therefore, a dryer and air conditioner are not a good idea. If you perform your watering routine in the morning, your air plant will dry easily in the afternoon. Like all other plants, the need for watering for air plants will increase in the summer months and decrease in the winter months.
When watering your air plant, you should either use tap water that has been rested for a day or you can choose direct drinking water, as the lime in tap water will harm the plant.
–Temperature
The ideal temperature for air plants is between 10-35 degrees.
–Light
Air plants love light, but like many plants, they don't want direct sunlight. But that doesn't mean they can live in a room with no sunlight at all.
–Pruning
The leaves at the base of air plants often dry out or rot. This is part of the life cycle of tillandsias. You can pull off completely rotten leaves from your air plant by gently pulling them off.
–Propagation
The flowering of air plants is an indication that they are pregnant. After the flower has faded, you can see the baby or babies at the root of the air plant. When the babies reach a certain maturity, the mother will end her life. In this case, you should separate the baby air plants and continue their care separately.
• Areka (Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens)
Evergreen Areca, also known as Dypsis lutescens, is a flowering plant species from the Arecaceae family. It is common in the Canary Islands, South Florida, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Areca can really be one of your favorites in your bedroom decoration with its large green appearance. It is also non-toxic to your furry friends, and you can easily place it in your bedroom.
So, how should Areca be cared for?
–Watering:
Arecas, which love humid environments, can be made happy by watering them as their soil dries. We can say that they have a medium water requirement, and they need less watering in the winter months. Instead of giving your areca cold water directly from the tap in the winter months, you should wait for the water temperature to reach room temperature. When watering, make sure that every part of the soil is wet. The container you use when watering the plant should always be the same size and you should always water on the same day. The leaf parts can be cleaned by spraying water from time to time.
–Temperature
Ambient temperatures between 16 and 24 degrees will be sufficient for areca, in which case it will be a perfect bedroom plant.
–Light
These plants, which do not want direct sunlight, grow better in less sunny areas. The part that sees the sunlight bends towards the light. In order to prevent this bending, it will be useful to change the direction of the other parts of the flower at certain intervals.
–Soil Needs
They prefer well-drained soil. You can also use peat and pine barks in the soil content.
–Pruning
You can do the pruning when the weather is nice and you want to shape the branches of the areca. However, you should be careful to ensure that the cut end of the branch you are pruning does not get any air. For this, you can cover the pruned part of the branch with any cold paste.
•Sansevieria (Snake PLant)
Sansevierias, known to most of us as the pasha sword, or in English as the mother-in-law's tongue or snake plant, are evergreen succulent plants found in West Africa, Arabia and India. They include 70 different species belonging to the Asparagaceae family. There are great differences in leaf shape and structure among the species. They are divided into two groups according to leaf structure: hard-leaved and soft-leaved. While soft-leaved species belong to slightly more tropical regions, hard-leaved species belong to arid regions. These plants, which do not have trunks, release oxygen during the night.
So, how should sansevieria be cared for?
–Watering:
Sansevieria do not require much watering, except in the dry summer months, and their watering should be kept to a minimum during the winter months. Since it is a species that stores water in its leaves, it is also resistant to drought.
–Temperature
Requiring a minimum temperature of 10 degrees, sansevieria is a very suitable plant for indoor use.
–Light
If you want sansevieria, which does not object to dim environments, to develop beautifully, you should place it in a place that receives strong light.
–Soil Needs
A well-drained soil is ideal for these plants. They need to be planted tightly in the soil to stay upright, but that doesn't mean they like to be compacted! You should either use fibrous soil or mix sand or pumice stone into the soil so that the roots of the Sansevieria can breathe.
–Propagation
Sansevierias, which always try to send offspring far from their underground rhizomes, can be propagated by separating them from their rhizomes in a large pot.
•Ribbon Flower (Chlorophytum):
Native to the tropical regions of Africa, Australia and Asia, the ribbon flower has long and flat leaves. It is one of the most preferred indoor plants because it does not like very hot or cold weather and can adapt to both shade and sun and is easy to care for and grow. Therefore, it is a great option for a bedroom plant.
So, how should the ribbon flower be cared for?
–Watering:
In the summer months, it should be watered twice a day to completely meet its water needs. You should be careful to give the same amount of water and not to leave any water in the plant's saucer after watering. If it is watered too much in the winter months, browning of the leaves will be seen. Instead of giving your plant cold tap water in the winter months, you should give it water that has cooled to room temperature and has rested.
–Temperature
The most important point to consider when growing the ribbon flower is that the room temperature should not fall below 12 degrees in the winter months.
–Light
Unlike most plants, the ribbon flower does not require direct sunlight and can benefit from indirect light.
–Soil Needs
The most suitable soil for the ribbon flower, which does not like salty soils, will be worm compost. Since the artificial fertilizers you will use will increase the salinity of the soil, the development of your plant will be delayed and the leaves will be damaged. Using pumice stone in the soil is also not a suitable method for the ribbon flower. Because many water storage tubers form in the roots of the ribbon flower and the root environment will be compressed over time. If you mix ⅕ of crumbled styrofoam (white foam) into the soil at the beginning, as the tubers increase, the volume of the styrofoam grains will decrease and the compression in the roots will be less.
–Propagation
The propagation process is done by separating the plant's flower from its roots. You can propagate it by removing the long-stemmed flower from the root and planting it in a new pot.
•Orchid
Orchidaceae or Orchidaceae is a family belonging to the order Asparagales. Orchidaceae is the second largest family of flowering plants. There are approximately 880 genera and 22 thousand species in the world. They are mostly spread in tropical regions. There are 24 different genera and more than 60 species of Orchidaceae in Turkey. Orchids have flowers in shades of white, blue and purple. Orchids, which bloom at least twice a year, preserve their flowers for up to 12 weeks. This stylish and elegant family, which preserves its beauty for a long time when well cared for, will instantly change the atmosphere of your bedroom.
How should orchid care be?
–Watering:
You should keep the soil of orchids that react immediately to drought moist, but you should not water them constantly. Watering every 4-7 days will be enough for your orchid. You can adjust this period to once every 7 days in the winter and once every 4 days in the summer. There are three different watering methods you can use for your orchid. These methods are; immersion method, watering with ice cubes and direct watering. In the immersion method, you should place your pot in a container full of pre-rested water for 10-15 minutes, then remove the pot from the container and drain the remaining water. You can apply this method once a week. Watering with ice cubes is another very popular method used for plants with hard soil. You can place a few ice cubes on the roots of the plant without wetting its leaves, and allow the soil to absorb the slowly melting ice. Do not forget to drain the excess water after the melting is complete. Another method, the direct watering method, is the most classic process among them. You can pour room temperature water that has been rested for a day directly into your orchid's pot. After pouring the excess water that has flowed into the pot's saucer, the watering process is complete. The misting method is not a method you should prefer for orchids. Because if the leaves you wet do not dry completely, you may encounter a fungal problem.
–Temperature
Orchids are plants that do not like extreme heat or cold. In order for these plants to live healthily, the temperature should be at least 18 degrees and at most 29 degrees. As with other plants, you should not place your orchids directly under the air conditioner to prevent damage.
–Light
These delicate and delicate plants do not like too much of anything, and they do not like too much sun or too dim an environment in terms of light. A bright place will be enough for orchids. If you want to place them in front of a window, using a thick curtain will be the ideal solution for you.
–Soil Needs
Unlike other plants, orchids also require their own special soil. In other words, they do not grow in every soil. You can use mixed soils prepared for orchids, containing various fibers and peat.
–Pruning
Orchids need pruning because they are perennials. However, since they are sensitive plants, care should be taken in this regard. After they have shed their flowers, their stems remain alive for a while. If the stem is green, it means it is still alive and when you prune, you can separate this stem to propagate your orchid. If the stem has darkened, you can cut the stem diagonally a few centimeters above the 3rd node, counting from the bottom to the top, with sterile scissors and separate it from your plant.
–Propagation
There are several different methods for propagating orchids. The most commonly used methods are propagation by cuttings, propagation by keiki, and division.
The cutting propagation technique is a method of creating a new plant by using a stem, root or leaf piece taken from an orchid called a cutting. In order to use this technique, your orchids must be developed and have produced bayonets in different places.
Steps of the propagation method with cuttings:
- Cut the green leafy stem that has shed its flowers from the bottom upwards, a few centimeters above the 3rd node, using sterile scissors or a knife. If you have healthy stems that you have separated from the pruning you did before, you can use them at this stage.
- You can apply garden sulfur powder or cinnamon to the cut area to prevent it from rotting.
- If there is a leaf on the stem that has lost its health, you should clean this leaf.
- In the next step, you should place your orchid in a shady place away from sunlight to ensure that offspring form on the flower stalk. The point to be considered in this step is that even a little sunlight will prevent the formation of offspring.
- Once your orchid sprouts to bloom, you can put it back in its original place.
- Finally, when the seedling formed on the stem grows, you can cut the stem a few centimeters from the top and bottom and place the new seedling in a separate pot.
In the method of propagation with keiki, baby orchids that form at the tips of your orchid are used. These babies are called keiki, and you can propagate your plant by separating the orchids that are attached to the main stem but also give roots. In order to ensure that keiki forms on your orchid, you need to create a controlled stress in your plant. Orchids whose conditions deteriorate will produce keiki to continue their lineage. For this, you can take your orchid to a dark place for a certain period of time or extend the intervals of your watering routines. After you have removed your keiki, you can return your orchid to its normal routine.
Steps of the propagation method with keiki:
- You should water your orchid the day before you will separate the keikis that are sufficiently mature (at least 2 leaves and roots, and roots that are at least 3 centimeters long mean they are mature).
- You can separate the keikis with a sterile pair of scissors or a knife, plant them in a pot, and create an environment for your new orchid by securing it with a stick.
Another technique, the separation method, is performed by separating the sufficiently rooted offspring of the orchid that rarely produces offspring from its roots. It is necessary to wait for the right time to use this method. Because orchids only produce root bayonets after they bloom during the active growth period.
Steps of the separation method:
- First of all, you can carefully separate the offspring by removing your orchid from its pot without damaging its roots and by removing some of the soil.
- You can plant the pups you separated in new pots and place sticks to keep them upright.
•Bamboo
Bamboo is a subfamily of the grass family consisting of 1,200 species of plants. Bamboo species are found in Asia, North and South America, and Africa. Some bamboo species flower once every 100 years or less frequently.
Bamboo has meanings specific to some cultures. In China, bamboo is a symbol of long life, in India it is a symbol of friendship, and in the Philippines it is a symbol of luck. In Japan, it is hung next to doors for the New Year to bring good luck. The bamboos we see used indoors are called lucky bamboos.
How should bamboo be cared for??
–Watering:
Lucky bamboos can be grown in two different ways: in water and in soil. For your lucky bamboo that you will grow in water, you can add enough water to cover the base of the plant roots and change the water once a week to prevent rotting. If you wash the pebbles that you will put in your pot to keep your bamboo upright, you will extend the life of your plant.
If you grow bamboo in soil, watering it once a week will be enough. You should be careful that the soil of your bamboo is neither too wet nor too dry.
–Temperature
Temperatures between 18 degrees and 30 degrees are ideal for the healthy life of bamboo.
–Light
Lucky bamboos love light. However, this does not mean that they like to be exposed to direct sunlight. Therefore, instead of placing your bamboo in front of a window, you can place it in a bright area of your room.
–Soil Needs
To grow your bamboo in soil, you should make a mixture of equal parts peat, sand and garden soil. You can also add some tree bark to the mixture you made to allow the soil to breathe. A narrow and long pot with drainage holes will make your bamboo happy.
–Pruning
For your plant to grow healthily, you should gently cut off the yellowed, dead leaves with pruning shears. Sterilizing the area you pruned with vinegared cotton will be beneficial for your bamboo.
–Propagation
The most healthy method of propagation for bamboos is the cutting technique. This process can be done in every season and it is possible to obtain new bamboo in a short time. You can take cuttings by cutting the shoot extending upwards from the main body of the plant with a sterile knife or scissors. You can clean the lower leaves of the cutting you cut and place it in clean, purified water for the stem part to root. It will be sufficient to keep it in the shade for about two months, changing the water from time to time.
•Aloe Vera
Also known as medicinal aloe, it is a type of aloe used for medical purposes from the Asphodelaceace family. The leaf consists of two parts: the green part and the mucilage part called Aloe gel. The gel part contains various very useful amino acids, minerals and vitamins. The part obtained by evaporating the water is called Aloe.
How should aloe vera be cared for?
–Watering:
Aloe vera is a plant that requires careful watering. It is a common misconception that it does not like water, but overwatering should definitely be avoided. You can overcome this situation by not muddying the soil and checking it more frequently in the summer months (because its fleshy leaves need a lot of water). If you overwater, this will cause the roots to rot. If you perform your watering routine when the soil is completely dry by checking it, this will be the healthiest situation for your plant. You can put your index finger in the soil to check its dryness, and if it is not moist, you can water it. Another point you should pay attention to when watering is to pour the water directly onto the soil without touching the leaves (to prevent them from rotting).
–Temperature
Keeping the ambient temperature between 10 and 15 degrees will ensure the healthy life of your aloe vera.
–Light
Daylight is very important for aloe vera. When placing it in your room, you can position it so that it can receive long sunlight. Since the leaves of the plant will grow in the direction of the sunlight, you can rotate its pot occasionally to ensure that it grows evenly.
–Soil Needs
Aloe vera likes soils that are rich in organic matter, humus and permeable. Providing good drainage is very important for the health of the plant's roots. If your aloe vera's soil is not permeable enough, you can solve this problem by adding pumice stone.
–Pruning
When you want to use fresh aloe vera gel, instead of cutting the leaf directly from anywhere, you can use a sharp knife to cut the base of the leaf where it touches the soil. Similarly, you can cut off dead leaves to ensure the continuity of healthy growth.
–Propagation
The aloe vera plant, like many plants grown in pots, can be easily propagated by root division. You can separate the offspring that have started to rise from the root of the plant and have reached a height of at least 10-15 centimeters towards the end of spring and plant them in another pot.
I hope this list of plants that you will enjoy the greenery of when you open your eyes in the morning or every time you enter your bedroom will be useful for you. Let's always stay in touch with plants and nature that will help us relieve the stress of these days we are going through. Wishing you to stay healthy 🙂
Tutku Özcan from Cocodema.
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