PLANTS as NATURAL AIR FILTERS
Our farm has been growing flowers for more than 15 years now. And we often forget the foliage that grows around our greenhouses. The pretty flowers jut out and call a lot of attention but really, equally important are the greenery that surrounds us as well. Nicolo loves ornamental plants as much as he does flowers, and farming. He can actually tell you the name, genus and species of every plant and tree you see and can go on for hours.
Areca Palm
A lot of people count us lucky to always have flowers in the house. And we are. But today, we would like to highlight plants as well. There’s something delightful about going inside a home filled with plants. The air’s a little bouncier, and you can actually breathe easy. And since you spend most of your time indoors, it helps to have a breath of fresh air especially when you live right smack in the middle of smoke city. In fact, indoor plants not only produce oxygen, they also absorb benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, toluene and trichlor.
Mother In Law's Tongue
NASA made a study on the best indoor plant filters. I have come up with my own list, adapting it to the availability of plants here and our tropical climate. These are VERY easy to have. Indoor plants originate from dense shades in tropical forests. The reason why they make good air filters is that they have a very high rate of photosynthesis (that’s why they don’t need as much sun.) Below are some of my comments based on growing them indoors in our home.
| Plant | Benefits (according to NASA) | My comments | ||
| Benzene | Formaldehyde | Tricho | ||
| Peace Lily |
X |
X |
X |
These are the easiest to take care of. They don’t need much sun and in fact thrive beautifully indoors. You also get a pretty white flower thatreminds you to om your way to peace. |
| Chinese Evergreens | X | X | These plants you can actually see everywhere as they are the office and mall favorite. They are sturdy and also do well indoors. I am not too fond of the plant though. They don’t look pretty J but you can buy small ones to keep on a desk. | |
| Bamboo Palm | X | This ornamental I really love. They have nice pretty stalks that look like red bamboo and you can keep them for months. They also grow tall. I have had Bamboo palms inside my house growing for more than a year. | ||
| Mother in Law’s Tongue | X | For wives who would like their mother in law always in the house, this is the plant for you. Kidding. The name says it all, this plant just won’t wilt! It could go on forever. Though I have relegated these plants to the bathrooms (no meaningful reason, really) as they don’t need so much sun and could stay up and erect for months even if you forget to water them. (This plant is also known as Espada in the vernacular.) | ||
| Draceana (Fortune Plant) | X | X | Some people love this because it supposedly brings good fortune. I tried my luck and have these plants at our shop all the time.We bring this plant outdoors once a week. I try to water it twice a week. But I’ve seen this plant thrive so long without sun exposure. | |
| Ficus | X | Quite elegant and can grow quite tall. I haven’t been very successful at keeping it for so long. I think it needs some sun. It is also sensitive to drafts. After a few months the top branches wilt. The little leaves always fall off too so you need to always sweep. | ||
| Rubber Plant | X | A strong indoor plant that tolerates drought. It has shiny leaves that almost look like plastic. | ||
| Boston Fern | X | I like how this plant looks but it is not as strong as the other plants. I think it’s because this plant likes humidity and you should be misting it when it gets too dry or hot. Could last a few months without a lot of sun. | ||
| Areca Palm | No one pays much attention to this palm as it is quite very common. But I love this plant and have had the palm for more than a year. It looks pretty indoors as they grow to a good size. I usually buy 2 or 3 (P100 each) and have them put in one big pot. | |||
| Spider Plant | This is the easiest to keep. You can neglect it and still it will thrive. These are those common plants you see with the long thin leaves that have a white stripe in the middle. | |||
You supposedly need 1 plant for every 1 square meter of floor space.
Rubber Plant
You need not keep these plants near the window all the time nor do they need direct sun. Bi-weekly by the window with some filtered sun does the trick. I also water only once or twice a week.
I buy my plants from the Bulacan Gardens, Guiguinto, Bulacan. It’s quite easy to find. Just take the exit that says Guiguinto and you’re apt to see gardens on one side of the road. It takes me about 1 1/2 hours (from Makati) but it’s definitely worth the time and the gas. The prices are 1/3 what you would pay for them in other markets/gardens. You can get small plants for about P50-75 a piece and large palms at P100-150. The more special ones (like an enormous Peace Lily or Areca Palm) could go only as high as P550. Go with P2000 and you’ll have enough plants to fill a small home. Another option is the Manila Seedling Bank.
There’s also a wonderful book How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office. The book tells you about contaminants and toxins in your indoor environment and how plants remove these from the air. It also tells you what plants to buy and how to take care of them.
Our Farm by Earth Flora Inc. 
Posted by joy romk on August 17, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Wow…this is so cool…thank you for the comprehensive list…. it’s been on my mind lately and now i at least have a bit of a clue. THANK YOU!!!!
Posted by oysteronahalfshell on August 18, 2011 at 8:49 am
You’ll love having a lot of plants inside. If I had my way, I’d make mine a tropical forest. Haha.
Posted by SARI KEM on September 1, 2011 at 6:35 pm
THANK YOU GUYS..AND YES, I DO HAVE INDOOR PLANTS, ALWAYS HAD. MY HOUSE LOOKS SO EMPTY AND LACK OF ENERGY WHEN I BRING THEM OUT FOR SOME SUN..KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK..BEST WISHES
Posted by Pamela Leynes on August 23, 2012 at 12:27 pm
Hi! I’m looking for peace lily or rubber plant, do you have any idea where I can purchased it? Thank you in advance
Posted by oysteronahalfshell on November 6, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Hi. Most garden stores would have it. I have bought both in the Bulacan gardens and in a garden center near Sta. Rosa towards Cavite. They should have those. Just ask for indoor plants.
Posted by elaine on May 8, 2016 at 10:15 pm
Hi, thank you for this very informative list. I’m really checking indoor plants best for condo’s since they are quite strict outdoor decors for the balcony area.. But I think I really need plants to humidify the closed area of our pad which triggers asthma . Most of these plants are available at Farmers, Cubao. Many Thanks again.