House plants for clean air

With the cooler weather coming soon it’s time to get a few houseplants that filter your indoor air. Easy to grow plants that thrive with minimal care and water are the best way to help clean, absorb and eliminate harmful pollutants from the air. These plants reduce toxins indoors as they suck up bad VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) that are found in new plastic, carpets, wood products, paint and even cigarette smoke. They are most dangerous in winter months when we close our windows and doors. Testing has shown that VOC’s cause headaches, cancer, eye, ear, and throat irritation, nausea, damage to kidneys and liver as well as central nervous system in humans and animals. Some are more toxic than others but it depends on how much concentrated these hazardous compounds are in your home. One way to avoid them is to look for products marked LOW-VOC or no VOC’s when making new purchases. Tropical plants can help reduce VOC’s.

 

Snakeplant or Mother-in-law-tongue is one that tolerates low to medium light and irregular watering. Plant in a pot and forget about it as it does well in any home. Just Do Not Overwater it. Aloe also does well in low light with very little care. It has fleshy stems that are succulent and stores water so is easy to grow. Jade plants and Kalanchoe are easy tropical plants that grow slowly, need little water and grow in most light conditions. They also tolerate cooler temperatures indoors. Wandering Jew is another one with patterned leaves in blue green or silver stripes. Use them in hanging baskets in a kitchen or bathroom where they can get some humidity. It’s easy to propagate new cuttings in water. Devils ivy is a vine from Polynesia that can grow rapidly if not trimmed. The heart shaped leaves are sometimes variegated or striped and glossy. They are good at removing VOC’s from our homes. Be aware that this plant is toxic to cats and dogs so keep away from pets.

 

Headera Helix (ivy) is a vine that can be trained as a topiary or living wreath indoors. Some can become invasive if not trimmed often but are easy to grow. Bamboo palms can be great in large pots and are very ornamental. When they become too large divide them and re-pot, or cut back the old part and it will regrow. They will be fine in low indirect light and can be as big as 12 meters high when full grown. Chinese evergreen and Peace lily both are others to consider but are toxic to animals if eaten.

 

 

Fall cleanup

 

Canna Lilies are a large summer bulb that has giant banana like plant leaves and grow to a height of 7 or 8 feet tall. There are many kinds with dark red leaves, variegated leaves of solid green. Blooms vary from dark red to orange in color. In fall dig up the entire plants, trim off the stems, dry and clean the bulbs to be stored in a cool dry place in your basement. Store in a wooden box that has holes for air to circulate to prevent rot. Do the same for bulbs like calla lily and any other summer flowering bulbs.
 

Fall is a good time to trim overgrown evergreens and flowering shrubs, cut back roses and trim vines for winter. You can cut off seed heads and trim perennials to about 5 or 6 inches. Some plants need to be covered with soil and or leaves to protect them from the cold. This is a good time to buy trees and shrubs at your garden center because they have them reduced on sale. Cooler temperatures in September are the ideal time to plant or move trees and shrubs. Be sure they get plenty of water if it doesn’t rain, right up to the end of October. This is a great time to dig up old or unwanted plants, things that are too large or a plant that has become root bound and didn’t bloom. Do this every 3 or 4 years for plants like hosta and day lily. As the leaves fall clean up and use in your compost pile. Plant garlic, shallots and young strawberries now as well as spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils. Dig up any summer bulbs like canna lily and dahlia, trim them, dry out and store in a box or mesh bag in cool dry basement over winter. Finish digging late potato crops before we get a hard frost, and bring your houseplants inside when the nights cool down to 10C or lower. Pick up any fallen fruit under trees, so pests don’t have a chance to overwinter in your yard. They like to crawl in and under rotting debris.

 

Clean, oil and sharpen all garden cutting or pruning tools before storing for winter. Stock pile as much plant material as you can now, bagging it up for composting in spring. Soft stems, annuals, leaves from trees can all be layered with kitchen scraps. Tender herbs can be potted up and brought indoors now for use in winter soups and stews. Cut back woody herbs like lavender and sage to about 6 inches. To grow a green manure plant some soybeans or rye and turn them over in early spring to rot and fertilize the soil. Use your evergreen branches to provide winter protection from winds on any tender perennials or shrubs like azalea and rhododendrons.

If you have perennials in pots be sure to dig a trench in the veggie garden to sink them in the ground to over winter. Be sure to place the pot deep in the ground and cover the rim of the pot with soil. Many hardy types will survive like this until spring and you can dig up the pots and decide to sell, give away or re-plant them in a new spot in your garden.