JW: For most of us, there's not a lot of outdoor gardening going on right now. So let's turn our attention indoors with house plants. I'm Judy Wagley. This is “From the Ground Up!” Trent Bowen is the Curator and Conservatory Manager at Dow Gardens in Midland. He takes care of all of the gorgeous plants here, including some that are very exotic. Thanks for inviting me today, Trent.
TB: Thank you for having me.
JW: Trent, besides being pretty, why should we keep a few plants in the house?
TB: So aside from just looking at them and thinking that they're pretty, house plants have many other purposes. One of them is they actually can improve air quality inside of the house. There are a couple plants like English Ivy, Chinese Evergreen and both of those are common house plants, they're known for being some of the best at filtering the air inside of the house. Actually, NASA released a study--the best house plant that you could have that would actually filter the air is a chrysanthemum or a mum that you could get even at the store in the fall. I know they don't make the best house plants, but they are something that you can bring in during the fall season, possibly have it just for like while it's pretty and then, you know, put it back outside.
JW: How do house plants filter the air?
TB: So the air exchange that happens inside of plants, they take in the carbon dioxide that we breathe out, they go through photosynthesis and they release oxygen. During this process, they can also bring in some harmful chemicals that you might have in your house from wood products or flooring, something that you know you're not going to see or really smell, but they do filter that when they bring it in and it just kind of gets trapped inside of the plant in the root and in the soil.
JW: So how many plants would we need to have around that would make that most beneficial?
TB: So it is a pretty slow process. It's not something where one plant is going to filter a whole house like an air purifier. The more plants you can have, the better. I know that like the larger plants you have, they're going to have larger leaves are going to pull in more oxygen. So I would get as much as you can.
JW: I'm sure you've heard folks say, “I kill house plants.” What advice would you give them?
TB: So the number one killer of house plants is actually over watering. I know some people-- they like to have a schedule, they water every week-- like every Monday, “I'm gonna water my plant.” What you want to do is you actually want to check the soil of the plant and make sure that the surface of it is allowed to go dry. If it's always staying wet, you're going to end up having rot. And the roots are going to end up rotting out and the plant will die. So the number one thing you can do is just don't over water it, make sure it dries out between waterings, and then the next important thing is light. Your southern and your western windows are going to be the best light exposure for most of your house plants. If you put it in too dark of a corner or even too bright of a corner, the plant might end up dying.
JW: Do you have a few favorites?
TB: So my favorite house plant is a Hoya. It's a vining plant. It's also called a “Wax Plant” because they look like they're made out of wax, or a “Porcelain Flower.” It's my favorite because I have a family tie to it. My grandma got one on the day my dad was born. I've taken cuttings of that since then and propagated it so that I have my own version of that plant now.
JW: That's like the grandparent plant and you've got the grandchild plant?
TB: It was actually my great- grandma bought it for my grandmother. And so it's been propagated multiple times throughout its life. And now I have what might even be the great- grandchild.
JW: Oh wow, that's really terrific! Your love of plants must be genetic.
TB: Yeah, it must be. My grandma honestly got me started with house plants. I started collecting at a really young age. At one point, my mother told me that I couldn't have another houseplant because every window in the house was full, and it was just too much!
JW: That's a great story! Trent--an elevator pitch for houseplants?
TB: So I'd say obviously the aesthetic value of them, having them in your house, having them to look at it can really bring like joy and cheer, especially when it's like this outside and it's winter and you just really want to see some greenery. Other than that, they can improve air quality. And they can fill a space in a house and just bring life into it.
JW: Trent Bowen, Curator and Conservatory Manager at Dow Gardens in Midland. Thank you for all your great advice and for making the world more beautiful with your plants!
TB: Thank you for having me.
