Have you ever had a bad day? Maybe your day started well. Then somewhere in the day, it seemed to begin spiraling out of control. In those moments, we think the world is out to get us. Truthfully, we all have not-so-great days.
Feeling stressed from time to time is something that we can all relate to. Stress is also something that we can manage with the help of our indoor plants.
A peek into the science
In 2015, four researchers collaborated on a study that concluded that "active interaction with indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress compared with mental work."
An experiment was conducted for the study. The experiment compared the physiological responses between two 15-minute tasks: 1) a plant-based task and 2) a computer-based task. On the first day, 12 males were asked to tend to some indoor plants while the other 12 worked on a computer task. Then on day two, they swapped tasks.
The data concluded that subjects that worked with the plants by transplanting them had a lower diastolic blood pressure than those that worked with the computers. [A rise in blood pressure can indicate stress.] Plus, other benefits were experienced, including a sense of calm.
What happens to our body when we care for plants
One of the systems that run for us around the clock is our nervous system. It is an ongoing balance between two parts: parasympathetic and sympathetic. Think of parasympathetic as being in control when you are calm, cool, and collected. And when you aren't like during periods of stress, the sympathetic nervous system is likely more active.
The parasympathetic nervous system is more robust when you care for your plants. It is responsible for the relaxed feeling you get when tending to your plants.
Four ways to care for your indoor plants
We know that our plants need basics like light, water, and nutrients from indoor plant food. Here are four more ways that you can care for your plants.
1. Dust your plants
There are tiny particles of dust floating around in the air in your home. Each day, some of them will fall onto the leaves of your plants. They may be more noticeable on plants with larger-sized foliage like a Fiddle Leaf Fig.
As the dust accumulates, your plants will become less effective at absorbing the natural light in your home that they need to photosynthesize and grow. This also happens to plants in your outdoor garden. Luckily, the wind and rain rinse away the dust for the outdoor plants.
Your indoor plants need some help from you to routinely remove the dust. Use a duster to brush your plants lightly and remove the dust.
2. Remove old leaves
Remember that plants are living things. Eventually, a leaf or two will start to expire and begin to die. This can be worrisome, especially for our prized rare plants. Here is an easy way to know if this is a natural process or something else to be concerned about.
- Is my plant continuing to grow new leaves?
- Is my plant slowly expiring a leaf [the leaf begins to yellow and turns brown over a few days]?
In other words, seeing new leaves grow while a leaf or two is expiring is normal. Allow the plant to absorb the leaf and remove it once it is brown. However, if you spot a significant portion of leaves dying, you want to dig in to understand what has changed.
3. Mist your plants
Our homes provide year-round comfort for us. During the summertime, our air conditioning will cool the warm air. As the seasons change and summer hands off to fall and then the winter, our homes will be heated. The cooling and warming change the humidity in our homes, which means the air is drier.
A spray bottle with rain or distilled water is a simple yet effective tool for helping your plants adjust to the fluctuations in the humidity. Adjust the nozzle on the spray bottle, making a fine mist when you spray.
Then walk around your home and mist your plants. Aim for even coverage across each plant rather than a soaking where the leaves are dripping water.
4. Rotate your plants
Gardeners may be familiar with the mantra of "right plant, right place." Whether you have a thriving tropical backyard, a single palm tree by your home office desk, or maybe a growing collection of beautiful indoor plants -- if you want a plant to flourish, then these are wise words to trust.
Indoor plants can have different lighting requirements. With some testing, you can find out just where your plants are happy in your home.
Once you've found a good spot, then occasionally rotate them. That way, each part of the plant gets light throughout the month.
Exercise: A hidden benefit of plant care
A gym is one way to exercise, but it doesn't have to be your way. As the authors, Dan Heath and Chip Heath, write in their book Switch, "Exercise doesn't have to be hard or painful, they were informed -- and it certainly doesn't have to be in a gym. It simply requires you to move your muscles in a way that burns calories."
Knowing that a gym is not the only way to exercise is an important idea to understand.
As it turns out, caring for your plants is a form of exercise. It is a physical activity that gets your heart rate up and fits your lifestyle. Let's look at a plant care routine for watering and break it down:
- Get your watering jug or container.
- Pick it up and walk to your kitchen sink.
- Fill it up with water.
- Walk to your first plant and begin watering.
- Then move on to the next one.
As you water your plants, you move your body by walking, bending, kneeling, stretching, etc. These are movements that move your muscles. If you water your plants once a week and your routine takes 60 minutes, then that's 4 hours of exercise each month!
Remember, stress is something we all experience. You can reduce your stress by caring for your indoor plants. In doing so, they'll care for you!