My 70-year-old mum is a big fan of snake plants – she has at least half a dozen pots placed in her four-room HDB apartment. “I read in the papers that these plants purify the air, and they even give out oxygen in the night, so I bought a few more,” she defended her expanded plant collection, which also includes an overgrown spider plant with multiple little ‘spiders’, and a lush English Ivy with cascading vines almost reaching the ground.
I’m guessing that the fad around air-purifying plants really began after NASA released a Clean Air Study in 1989. The project led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) was researching ways to detoxify the air in space stations.
The evidence is, by now, well known that in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, certain common indoor plants may also provide a natural way of scrubbing volatile organic pollutants from the air (benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene and ammonia were tested).
Some of the plants tested in the study included: English Ivy, Spider Plant, Peace Lily, Anthurium, Pothos, Bamboo Palm, Variegated Snake Plant (aka. Mother-in-law’s tongue, Dracaena trifasciata 'Laurentii'), Heartleaf Philodendron, Florist’s Chrysanthemum and Aloe Vera. While some plants removed between 2 and 4 of the pollutants mentioned earlier, the Snakeplant and English Ivy were capable of removing 5 (with the exception of ammonia), while the Peace Lily and Anthurium removed all of the mentioned pollutants!
For efficient air cleaning results, the report recommended roughly one plant per 100 square feet space, i.e. around 18 plants in an average 1,800-square feet five-room HDB apartment.
Now now, there’s no need to rush and fill up your home with two dozen of these plants. While there’s no question that they are capable of scrubbing our air, we got to remember that the study was done in an airtight laboratory environment, so the effects are not going to be as huge in our dynamic home spaces, with open windows and doors, drafts, and much more clutter.
But hey, I suppose there’s no harm (only benefits!) adding some of these greens in our homes, cos some of them – like the Snake Plant and Anthurium - look pretty good and are easy to grow.
Snake Plant
In Singapore, we are probably most familiar with varieties such as the Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Draceana Trifasciata ‘Laurentii’) and Draceana Trifasciata ‘Hahnii’. Less common ones include Draceana Masoniana (Whale Fin), Draceana Cylindrica, Draceana Moon Shine and Draceana Bantel’s Sensation - the last one being my personal favourite (love the lines!)
These perennial greens are easy to grow and make striking statement pieces with their sleek lines and patterns. They’re drought-tolerant, survive in nearly any light level (except too much direct sun and darkness) and do not need repotting often. Take note not to over water them, and wipe their leaves of dust regularly to have them looking their best.
Also take note to keep the furry friends at bay as snake plants are toxic to cats and dogs, which can suffer from nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, if ingested.
Anthurium
Loved for its hardy, striking red (sometimes white or pink) blooms, the Anthurium is also known as Flamingo Flower and Red Peace Lily.
The plant is in the same family as Pothos and the Peace Lily. In their native rainforest environment, they grow as epiphytes (growing on the surface of trees and deriving moisture and nutrients from its surrounding), so they love humidity yet do not like to sit in soggy soil - a well-draining, coarse potting mix works best.
Anthuriums need medium to bright light to bloom, but they will survive and grow (but not flower) in low light conditions.
Minimal ‘maintenance’ is needed, just take care to wipe their shiny leaves and flowers of dust regularly and the plant will love you back. Keep Anthuriums away from pets as well, as they are not pet-safe.
Happy growing!
- xoxo -