Blog
Growing Fresh Air with 8 Powerful Plants
Janelle Sorensen
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
What do you do when you become allergic to the air? When your lungs begin to shut down because the air is too contaminated? Kamal Meattle suffered from this fate and guess what his solution was? Grow new air. Based on years of NASA studies, other scientific research, and 15 years of his own testing, Meattle discovered that three common houseplants, used strategically throughout a home, could vastly improve the indoor air quality.
Here's the breakdown:
Areca Palm is "The Living Room Plant" - This plant is a daytime oxygen factory and Meattle recommends having 4 shoulder height plants per person.
Mother-in-Law's Tongue is "The Bedroom Plant" - This plant is an evening oxygen factory and Meattle recommends having 6-8 waist-high plants per person.
Money Plant is "The Specialist Plant" - This plant is the filter that removes formaldehyde and other volatile organic chemicals from the air.
If maintained appropriately, Meattle claims you could live inside a bottle with a cap on top and these three plants would generate all the fresh air you need.
Not looking to live in a bottle? These plants will certainly still improve your indoor air quality (even if you don't have quite so many). And, if you're not satisfied with just three options, other new research has identified five "super ornamentals" that demonstrated high effectiveness of contaminant removal.
These include the purple waffle plant (Hemigraphis alternataa), English ivy (Hedera Helix), variegated wax plant (Hoya cornosa), Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus) and the Purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida).
Of the 28 plants tested, these five were effective at reducing levels of a number of common household VOCs, including benzene, toluene, octane, alpha-pinene and TCE. The work, funded by the University of Georgia's Agricultural Experiment Stations, was published in the August 2009 issue of HortScience.
Ready to grow your own fresh air? NASA studies recommend that you use one good-sized houseplant in a 6 to 8-inch diameter container for every 100 square feet of your home. Though, additional research is being done to identify exactly how many of each type of species is necessary for remediation (as in Meattle's work). You should also be sure to keep the foliage clean and dust free (so the leaves can do their job). And, keep the top of soil clean and free of debris, as in some cases, that's where the bulk of the filtering is taking place.
The healthier your plants, the more vigorously they'll grow, and the better they'll clean the air for you.
Do you have a green thumb or are concerned about clean air? Check out these great articles:
- How to Grow Organic Food Indoors
- 3 Shocking Facts About the Air in Your Home
- The Top 10 Toxic Products You Don't Need
Posted by solar hot water on 08/14/2010 at 05:29 AM
I wonder if these house plants will really improve the air quality for everyone, including people with certain allergies. I think they’re worth trying, though.
Posted by sylvia yang on 08/06/2010 at 10:29 AM
I always heard that it is a bad idea to put plants in a bedroom because they release co2 at night? also what if we put fertilizer in the soil are we ending up breezing the chemicals?
Posted by Spanky on 08/05/2010 at 03:42 PM
Any of these plants harmful to pets at all?
Posted by miami web design on 08/04/2010 at 11:42 AM
i have a few of these at the office
Posted by steven on 08/03/2010 at 12:59 PM
4 of the plants you mention i keep around the office. Great “zen” like environment. love the article
Posted by Emily on 08/01/2010 at 05:00 PM
When I went to the local nursery and asked for the areca palm, the gardner said he tries not to keep too many around because they are prone to bugs. He said it’s a big job keeping them bug-free. Just wondering if there are other palms that have the same benefits.
Posted by anthony pittarelli on 05/11/2010 at 01:35 AM
totally agree, even with being an avid plant owner and having a house full(25) of plants
Posted by Benjamin Koshkin on 05/07/2010 at 03:49 PM
The idea is great, but for a large family it’s not practical.
Benjamin Koshkin
Posted by Robert on 04/23/2010 at 12:50 PM
I do know Philodendron does provide formaldehyde removal, so that may be the ‘money plant’. Mother in Law Tongue is also known as a Snake plant.
What’s wonderful about both the Mother in Law Tongue AND the Philodendron is that both can easily be propagated from cuttings. After cutting the Philodendron can be placed in a bottle or glass of water and after a few weeks roots should grow.
The snake plant cutting can be placed directly in soil but kept moist.
So, although it takes longer for the plants to grow as opposed to buying them from a nursery, its cheaper and perhaps more exciting to grow them yourself.
Posted by Holly on 04/21/2010 at 06:01 AM
Would it be possible to specify which particular species of plants these are?
Common names are ambiguous; apparently, the palm name speaks of an entire genus, and as far as I can tell, there are more than one species bearing the nickname “money plant/tree”
Consequently, I’m not quite sure which plants I should be looking into purchasing. ^_^;
Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 03/26/2010 at 10:34 AM
TheAL - I’m not positive about care guidelines for all of these plants, but I know Mother-in-Law’s Tongue thrives in low light. We’ve had these plants for years and years and they are incredibly tolerant plants (just don’t over-water). They’re also very easy to find at garden centers and nurseries.
Posted by TheAL on 03/26/2010 at 07:10 AM
This is a great. I’d love a living room plant. Do any of these thrive in the shade or with little light? Thank you!
Posted by VickyC.me on 01/17/2010 at 04:44 PM
I want the Mother-in-law’s tongue one.. and a money plant!
I guess it’s time to go to the flower store! :)
This is a really insightful article! Thank you! :)
Posted by PJ on 01/15/2010 at 01:03 AM
You can never have too many plants. I am starting to look for some of these. I already have a couple.
Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 01/12/2010 at 09:06 AM
Kamal Meattle’s recommendation would indeed mean having roughly a dozen large plants per person, but his study (and needs) were very extreme. Living in the heart of one of the most polluted cities in the world, he literally needed to grow his own fresh air in order to survive. The average American home certainly doesn’t need so many.
Posted by Erin on 01/07/2010 at 08:40 PM
As someone who loves all things natural and green, I thought this was really cool insight into how to help ourselves without cleaners and fear. Rock on!
Posted by Emily Lynne Ion on 01/07/2010 at 03:09 PM
Hi Jared,
I would agree that 22 houseplants is excessive! I think its the strategic placement, per every 100 square feet in the house, that is most crucial. Though he did suggest multiple plants to get the benefits of “Mother in Law’s Tongue”, I wouldn’t turn your bedroom into a hothouse! Think more about the placement rather than the quantity.
Thanks!
Emily
Healthy Child Staff
Posted by Jared on 01/06/2010 at 07:10 PM
So if I just want o2 and nothing that helps filter the air of certain toxins, this guy is suggesting that for me and my wife, being a household of 2, we have at LEAST 22 houseplants? I love plants but damn, it seems an Ionic breeze would be an easier option.
Posted by Emily Lynne Ion on 01/06/2010 at 12:18 PM
Hi Kelly,
The three common houseplants are highlighted in bold, while the other five “super ornamentals” are listed three paragraphs below that.
Enjoy!
Emily
Healthy Child Team
Posted by Phazey on 01/06/2010 at 10:05 AM
There’s a TED.com talk about this by Kamal Meattle himself:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/kamal_meattle_on_how_to_grow_your_own_fresh_air.html
Posted by Counter on 01/06/2010 at 09:41 AM
Where are the other 5 plants?? Title says “Growing Fresh Air with 8 Powerful Plants,” article lists 3 plants. 8 <> 3…
Posted by Flowerchild on 01/05/2010 at 11:46 AM
I have an entire houseful of plants. Eventhough I have always known this info, I must say I totally agree!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Sean on 01/05/2010 at 10:31 AM
Lissa,
The Money plant is “jade plant” or Crassula ovata. Lunaria annua is a different plant altogether. In any case, however, according to the ASPCA website, jade plant is toxic to cats and dogs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant
Posted by Solar Panels on 01/04/2010 at 10:46 PM
I remember seeing a presentation on this exact thing on TED. I don’t remember if he used the the same plants though.
Posted by solartronenergy on 08/28/2010 at 03:51 AM
Okay, it’s great that people can grow plants in their house and improve air quality (not a little known fact btw), but that is an excessive number of plants. Most people barely have room for their furniture, let alone “6-8 waist high plants per person”.