Did you know that a houseplant can decrease your chances of having an allergic reaction? A plant, especially its leaves, works as a natural filter to block airborne particles and allergens from circulating inside your room. While the sight of flowers blooming on your houseplant can lift your drooping spirits, plants with pollen or spores can aggravate your problem.
Thus, you cannot bring just any plant into your home, for some plants are more effective dust blockers and joy givers than others. Some will thrive while others will wilt indoors.
Houseplants That Grow Well within Your Kitchen
If a plant must grow well and fast inside your kitchen, it must have appropriate light, water, manure or soil nutrients, and temperature. Above all, for a plant to thrive, it needs affection and care from the homeowner.
1. Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
Areca palm is one of the easiest plants to grow indoors, requiring barely any care. These lush green plants grow up to six feet indoors, even higher if grown outdoors. Place the green shrub with thin green fonds in a corner in the kitchen to enhance its beauty.
Care Instructions
Areca plant grows better in acidic soil because it provides better water drainage. Including a portion of builders sand is advisable to avoid soil caking. The lush green shrub doesn’t need bright sunlight, so it is better to position it in corners where the light is low.
Finally, add just enough drinking water and ensure that the drain holes of the pot let out excess water; if the pot holds water, the roots of the Areca palm can rot, and the plant will die. The drinking water will not let freckles develop on the leaves.
2. Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)
Pothos, also called Devil’s Ivy, Golden Pothos, or hunter’s rove and money plant in India, grow in 9 varieties, of which you can find 7 types in India. It is a hardy plant that you can hang from a hanging pot and adapt well to any weather or topographic conditions.
People grow these plants with heart-shaped leaves that can make home interiors look even better. Keep a small pot with the growing Pothos on your spice shelf, let it grow from an overhead hanging pot or window ceiling, or even decorate the balcony railing with it.
Care Instructions
There are two ways of growing these plants, i.e., put them in a glass jar filled with water or place support in the centre of the pot of mud and plant the Pothos in the pot. As the plant grows, you can help it to wind itself around the support.
The money plant does not need too much sunshine or water. Place it in a corner with low light and water it once a week, and ensure that the excess water drains off.
3. Indian Herbs
The tiny little kitchen garden with Indian herbs growing in your garden has multiple advantages–you can reach out and get a handful of fresh produce as you cook, and it makes your kitchen more beautiful.
It is not difficult to grow Indian herbs, nor does it need a lot of space. Make optimum use of the tiny areas on the ledge or small balcony outside your kitchen to grow Indian herbs.
Coriander Plant (Coriandrum sativum)
The finely cut leaves served as a garnish on top of Indian curries are Coriander leaves, more commonly known as Cilantro, Dhaniya or Kothmir. Grown primarily for its flavourful leaves, the plant’s seed is the main ingredient for curry powder.
Care Instructions
Although the coriander plant grows on a large scale outdoors, it requires shade and will not survive under the sun’s direct heat. That is the primary reason for growing it indoors. Start with Coriander seeds, a suitable pot with drainage holes, multipurpose compost and balanced liquid feed. Water it but not too much, for excess watering can rot the roots of the plant.
Mint Plant (Mentha)
The mint plant has squarish dark stems, and its leaves are aromatic. It can spread aggressively by stolons in the garden. It can have small white or purple flowers. This plant has multiple uses. The manufacturers of dentifrices, gum and candies use mint for flavouring purposes. They have medicinal properties and are used in the manufacture of herbal oil.
Care Instructions
The mint plant needs only a stem with a root to grow into a plant; thus, when you buy mint from the store, examine the stems to check for roots and plant it in a pot. Put it on the ledge of the kitchen where it can get sufficient sunlight as it thrives with direct sunlight, and don’t forget to water it adequately.
No two plants are the same. Some require bright sunlight, while others need low light. The watering methodology may also differ from one plant to another. Keep the key points in this article in mind to position and care right for houseplants.
Decorating the kitchen with houseplants will help in numerous ways. It makes the kitchen trendy and provides fresh air that enhances the atmosphere in your kitchen. Some of the herbs can also be used in the food cooked there.
For more information and tips on maintaining a beautiful home, head over to HomeLane.
