4 Health Reasons to Have Indoor Plants this Winter
Winter is coming, and growing plants in your home can be good for your mental health and emotional wellbeing. Here are four reasons to seek out and care for houseplants during this time of year.
Growing plants indoors may help you…
- Recover from illness faster
Having plants in your home can help make it easier to breathe, reduce your risk for respiratory ailments, and reduce instances of headaches. Those placed in your bedroom can also help improve your sleep quality. Other plants also have medicinal applications; for example, aloe vera plants can help heal cuts, burns, and other skin ailments.
- Reduce stress levels and boost your well-being
Seeing greenery and nature helps us feel more relaxed and calm. Having plants around your home or workplace can boost your mood even during the darkest days of winter. Herbs, like chamomile and lavender, have been shown to reduce anxiety.
- Sharpen your attention and boost your productivity
The beauty of plants and the act of caring for them boosts your body’s “feel good” chemicals. You also feel less tired and drowsy as plants remove carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis.
- Improve the quality and humidity of indoor air
Plants release water vapour into the air, which raises indoor humidity levels to help prevent dry skin while improving your body’s ability to manage disease. Some plant species, such as spider plants and peace lilies, purify the air by removing carbon dioxide, toxins like formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds, and lower ozone levels.
Growing houseplants can be a fulfilling, meditative way to bring a little bit of nature indoors. Many of the best plants for your health are easy to care for, even if you don’t have a green thumb. However, you’ll want to be mindful of some challenges to having plants indoors:
- Choose plants that are non-toxic to children or pets, won’t aggravate health conditions, and match your daily schedule and routine.
- Most plants like it warm, while others are ok being cooler. A few plants are okay in low light but many prefer lots of sun. Knowing what plants prefer which conditions is crucial to maintaining their health and your health too.
- Overwatering potted plants is one of the fastest ways to kill a houseplant and creates ideal conditions for mold growth and fungus gnats. Dampness, mold, or fungi can also trigger asthma and allergies. Use a well-draining potting soil to help prevent over-watering.
Tip: Regenerative powerful microbes in Jocelyn’s Soil Booster will keep your houseplants’ soil from drying out less frequently. Meaning, you spend less time watering them! Of course, always pay careful attention to the soil’s moisture levels and adjust your watering schedule as needed.
You can grow lush, vibrant indoor greenery with Jocelyn’s Soil Booster Potting Soil or Worm Manure, which will improve the quality of the soil so that you can grow healthier plants while avoiding plant diseases, pests and toxic chemicals. Wonderfully helpful microbes in Jocelyn’s Soil Booster products fortify and rebuild the soil’s natural structure, allowing for better aeration. Our wood chips also make a beautiful addition to your indoor plant displays, including terrariums.
Greenery can brighten up your space to maintain that natural look and feel you want in your home and work spaces. Handling soil with good microbes can also promote microbiome diversity in your home that could benefit your gut and skin health.
Jocelyn’s Soil Booster worm manure can help your indoor plants stay healthy, strong and lush, which in turn will boost your health too!