House plants help reduce air pollution in urban areas

Visakhapatnam: As an effective measure to do away with the presence of toxins in the air, urban dwellers are now giving preference to add a green spin to their home decors, embracing houseplants.

Amid concrete jungle, orthopaedic surgeon T Somesh's residence reflects how assorted houseplants can become an integral part of a functional home décor.

From flowering plants to kitchen garden, air-purifiers to a neatly laid out lawn that dots the terrace garden, a wide variety of crotons to plants that attract butterflies, the residence houses a vast collection of plants. "After a long, tiring day at work, nothing is as comforting as being amid a green canopy and that is the reason why plants dominate our home decors," shares Somesh.

Laying emphasis on maintenance of houseplants, the orthopaedic surgeon elaborates, "When greenery become part of our family, care should taken to maintain them well as each plant requires varied levels of water, soil and sunlight." Instead of investing in aroma diffusers or any artificial fragrances, he says that growing air purifying plants act as a safe and cost-effective alternative.

Experts say that plants help absorb the indoor pollutants such as xylene, benzene and carbon-dioxide. "These toxins are replaced with considerable level of oxygen through plants. Apparently, the increased amount of oxygen will help us relieve from stress and boosts wellbeing.

Apart from food and water, oxygen gives us energy and when we are surrounded by plants, we feel energetic too," explains Ch. Manjulatha, Professor and Head of the Department of Zoology, Andhra University, who maintains a good number of plants and trees at home.

About air purifying plants, Assistant director of Horticulture, GVMC M. Damodhar Rao says that Areca Palms, spider plant, snake plant, among other varieties help remove toxic gases from the atmosphere.

Nursery owners witness an increasing demand for indoor plants in the recent past. "There is a 40-50 percent growth in the nursery business as many evince a keen interest in bringing home indoor plants such as Peace Lily, money plant, bamboo, snake plant and jade. This apart, the concept of gifting a plant instead of a bouquet is also catching up among many," notices S. Ranganath, a pharmacist who runs a nursery unit.