AIR CLEANERS
Why pay for expensive air purifiers when you can buy cheap little devices called house plants that not only clean the air but produce oxygen as well. When I go into new buildings my asthma problems increase like many other people. (For more information, see the Asthma Page.) Have you ever stopped to think about products like carpet, furniture, clothes, plywood, photo shop fumes, household detergents, dry cleaning, plastics, paints, adhesives, tobacco smoke, magazines; they all discharge common pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene into the air. We spend more time inside so we should be placing house plants around the areas we live in most. A variety of house plants are needed because different plants will only break down various chemicals substances. Chemicals are absorbed into the plants through tiny pores on the underside of the leaves, and bacteria associated with the roots help break down contaminants which are then taken up through the roots as nutrients.

CARING FOR INDOOR PLANTS OVER THE WINTER
Most people tend to think indoor plants are like a piece of furniture. Place the plants into a room, give them a drink when you remember, and then expect the plants to survive. They are living just like you and I. They feed, breath, drink and like warmth the same as we do.

WINTER CHORES
Prevention of disease is better than waiting until the problem arises.

1/ CLEAN ALL DEAD AND BRUISED LEAVES AWAY
Decaying plant material can:-
a/ Harbour fungi;- Mildew, Sooty Mould etc.
b/ Hide insect pests;- Mealy Bug, Scale.

2/ WASH THE LEAVES WITH WATER
It is essential that when cleaning the indoor plant's foliage, use temperate water only.
a/ Dust particles on leaves block pores, which in turn can help breed fungi.
b/ Dust on leaves helps hide pests such as scale.
c/ Water removes any seasonal sprays that you might have used.

3/ PLANT POSITION
It is important to have the plants placed in the best well lit position during the winter months. Move all the plants that are only receiving morning light to a brighter position. Place them near to a window where the afternoon sun light will shine through. Do not situate indoor plants too close to windows. Place your hand on the glass window and you will feel how much cold is radiating through the glass. Keep away from doorways. Indoor plants do not like draughts.

4/ WATERING PROGRAM
Watering indoor plants during the winter is most crucial. Over or under watering would have to be the main killer for most plants during any time of the year. Some plants may have labels explaining how to water but if you're not sure ask the sales person before purchasing.

5/ HOMES WITH CONSTANT CENTRAL HEATING
Self-watering pots need to have the water in the bottom cell remove and clean water replaced. Monitor during the winter months and keep the cell three quarter full. Soft fleshy plants need the soil to be almost dry before watering. Hardy types like Ficus, Brassaia may need to be watered more often, so use your index finger to feel how much moisture in the soil. Group plant types together which prefer the same amount of moisture.

6/ HOMES WHERE THE TEMPERATURE VARIES
This applies to homes where heaters and airconditioners are turned on and off when people come and go. Fleshy plants need the soil to almost dry out before watering. General plants will want the soil kept moist but not wet.

7/ MONITOR INDOOR YOUR PLANTS
Keep a weekly watch on the soil and plant foliage for disease. If there is a problem that you cannot solve, take a sample in a plastic bag to your nearest Nursery or Garden Centre to have it identified and resolved.

8/ FEEDING YOUR INDOOR PLANTS
Never feed indoor plants during Autumn and Winter. a/ Apply a slow release fertiliser to the soil in September. b/ Start with a liquid feed in the spring.

COLOUR INSIDE
With a huge selection of house plants available, planter boxes or large pots can be multi-planted with indoor plants of different growth, leaf shapes and sizes. Take some photos of the area you would like to decorate and ask your garden expert for some good advise on plants that could be grown successfully either for foliage or possibly a flowering type. There is a an immense range of colourful indoor plant foliage available to choose from during the warmer months in Garden Centers and Nurseries etc. A dull, dark corner with a skylight or artificial lighting can be turned into a minature jungle with the right type of indoor plants. Shade loving plants like Impatiens, Begonias, and even planter bowls of living seedlings make good temporary substitutes for cut flowers.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE, seedlings can only spend a number of days inside depending on the light factor, but they need to be put out in a well lit, warm position to refresh them. Have another display of the same type ready to change over while the other one is refreshing. If you are living in a colder climate than South Australia I would suggest that you consult your local garden expert.

CLIMBERS & CREEPERS
Climbing plants can be used for trailing up or down staircase balustrades, on drift wood, dead tree branches or hanging over the edge of cupboards. Creepers make ideal small plants to be placed onto room dividers shelves or as a main centre table piece. REMEMBER all indoors need ample light to survive and some need more warmth than others.