Eco Friendly Gardening
The second week of January has the Christmas decorations finally packed away so there is room to improve your indoor space. Speaking of space, it was NASA that confirmed what gardeners have suspected all along – indoor plants are good for your health.
Read this article:
Marianne Binetti: Breathe easier indoors with a houseplant
It is most likely that your indoor plants will be safe from hard other than the odd garden pest. But if you have young children or pets in the home, the danger can be for them. There are many plants that are not recommended for indoors (or outdoors for that matter) when children or pets are present. Some plants are poisonous, even fatal if ingested. Listed below if a few of the more popular plants that aren’t safe to have around.
The seeds of Rosary Pea and Castor Bean plants are lethal. Fatalities have been reported from the ingestion of just one seed. If a young child or cat chews on one of the leaves they are sure to get sick. You can purchase necklaces that are made from the seeds of this plant. These are not meant for children and can cause skin irritations in adults.
Parts of the Oleander plant (the leaves and bark) are also poisonous. It is not worth the risk to have these in the house. Even with due diligence children or pets are bound to get into a houseplant at one point or another. It is hard to safeguard against falling leaves or other unavoidable events.
The bulbs of certain flowering plants are considered poisonous too. Even if you are planning on planting the bulbs outside, be careful they are stored in a safe out of the way area that is not accessible to little heads. The flower bulbs in question are from the Hyacinth, the Daffodil and the Narcissus flowers.
If you own any of these plants and don’t have little animals or children running around to get into still use caution. Be aware of what plants in your house are potential hazards to humans. In addition, be a considerate host or hostess and put the dangerous plants in a safe way when young visitors are coming over.
Your indoor plants are going to let you know if something isn’t right. The leaves will fall off, turn brown or some other symptom will manifest itself. The are various causes, some that can be rectified and others that cannot. When you are trying to figure out what is wrong, start with the simplest solution as a starting point.
The most common cause of a sick houseplant is watering, either too much or not enough. If the plant’s leaves are starting too look wilted or are drying up, check the soil and if it is dry add a good amount of water to wet the dirt and leave it moist once the water has run through. If you have over watered a plant, make sure the drainage hole is not clogged and if you have a dish that catches excess water, empty it out to make room for more water to drain out of the pot.
If the edges of the leaves are turning brown and are starting to look dried out it is from too much heat. In this situation it is best to remove the plant from direct sunlight, adjust the temperature inside the home if possible. These symptoms can also show up if there is not enough humidity in the house. As a quick fix you can put a small dish of water near the plant and as it evaporates the plant will soak it up.
When a plant looses its leaves it could be because the roots were damages from over watering, the plant is not getting enough water to support the amount of foliage, or it is too hot. Assess the plant’s environment to begin nursing it back to health and giving it what it needs to get better. If you need more information you ask the experts at your local gardening center.
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