Nature’s air purifiers

It is time to seek nature’s help. With World Environment Day approaching, NT BUZZ brings you a list of air-purifying plants that not only cleanse the air we breathe, but also keep us healthy

Sansevieria trifasciata

Commonly called the snake-plant or mother-in-law’s tongue, is extremely easy to grow. It is tolerant to a wide range of environmental conditions. It grows best in warm, sunny locations of the house. It extremely well in terracotta containers with light watering every alternate day. They make excellent air purifiers in indoor spaces.

Ficus elastica

Commonly called the ‘Rubber Plant’ is a very popular ornamental plant grown indoors. Its broad, shiny, attractive leaves make it an excellent indoor air purifier plant. This plant prefers a very light sprinkling of water daily. When the plant eventually outgrows its container, it will make a great outdoor plant in the garden which will cast heavy shadows beneath its foliage.

Nephrolepis exaltata

Commonly called the Boston Fern, NephrolepisExaltata is a much sought-after in the ferns as an indoor plant to improve the air within the room it occupies. It does extremely well in a window which brings in natural light for at least a few hours in a day. Numerous baby plants will appear from the sides of its container once the plant is matured. These may then be carefully severed from the parent plant and repotted in a new container and would make excellent gifts to plant lovers.

Chlorophytum comosum

Commonly referred to as the ‘spider plant’, is an extremely easy-to-grow house plant and acts as a great air purifier. It derives its name, spider plant from the little plantlets that hang down from a mature plant. Spider plants prefer very light watering every alternate
day.

(By Prashant Paradkar, horticulture manager, Taj Fort Aguada Resort and Spa, Goa | Taj Holiday Village Resort and Spa, Goa)