Specifying Plants to Use: Air-plants & Cactus

Where now focusing on the most appropriate plants to have as part of my installation, elements such as size, and light and water temperament are very important. Where my installation is intended for use within a hospital, plants that grow overly-quick, and plants that require a lot of attention are not ideal - additionally, plants that need intense sunlight and air are also not the best option, as they will consist to live inside. It is important to note that the plants are aimed to be of as much benefit to hospital staff and volunteers, as they will be patients. Research to support the reasons behind my specified selection of air-plants and cactus is as follows;

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CACTUS PLANTS:

https://cactusway.com/7-health-benefits-of-having-cactus-in-your-house/

1. Better Indoor Air Quality

When we breathe, we convert oxygen into carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the toxin that we expel and the toxin that plants thrive on and convert back into oxygen.

A cactus absorbs the released carbon dioxide in the home and reverts it into fresh, clean oxygen for you and your family to breathe while you’re inside. This is an obvious plus for your overall health, especially when you consider how polluted indoor air is (hint: it’s often 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air!).

These plants will also reduce levels of some home pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene. So, the more cacti you have inside, the better your air quality will be.

2. Having Cacti Indoors Can Make You Happier Having plants like cacti indoors can bring a feeling of calmness and increase your mood. After all, who just wants to be stuck inside without the beauty of nature? This isn’t just a theory; it’s been proven time and time again by studies. The cutesy and colourful appearance of cacti helps to relieve stress and also decreases stress-related depression.

3. They Can Make You More Productive

Whether you work from home or have a cactus in your office, these little potted plants can make you more productive during the workday. Along with increasing your mood, having an indoor cactus can make you feel more energetic and ready to take on the day.

4. They Can Help You Heal Having a cactus indoors has the potential of helping someone who’s sick recover more quickly. Plants in hospital rooms have been shown to help patients heal faster due to their soothing effects and stress-reducing properties.

5.They Can Reduce Outdoor Or Indoor Background Noise

It’s become a popular trend to use flora to lower the noise you hear in your garden, but did you know that having a plant indoors could help with noise issues, as well? Cacti can help reduce the amount of background noise you hear in your home whenever you’re trying to relax. This is due to their surface area bouncing noise off of it and away from you. Placing cacti next to your doors, windows, in your workspace, or around comfort rooms can help to lower the noise level and induce a calming effect.

6. Cactus plants in terrarium-like environments require being watered every 3-6 weeks! But this does depend on the moistness of the soil - when the soil is dry to the touch, then a good spray of water with a spray bottle will be enough.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AIR PLANTS:

https://www.air-plants.com/blogs/air-plant-care-and-design-articles/benefits-of-plants-in-your-home

1.One big reason to bring air plants into your home is that they can purify the air you breathe! Scientists have found that Tillandsia and numerous other plants can remove mild airborne contaminants and chemicals from the air.

2. Air plants are also perfect plants to display in your bedroom because they photosynthesize at night. So while you are sleeping, they emit fresh oxygen into the air.

3. Being among plants can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve focus at home or work. The influence of green plants can help you feel more relaxed, calm, and even more productive. Studies have shown that indoor plants can improve concentration and productivity by 15%!

4. Since air plants and a lot of other household plants hail from rainforests and regions of high humidity, they can help regulate the humidity levels in your home. Plants can even help you get over a sickness like a cold faster, since they filter airborne contaminants, like dust, from the air.

5. Air plants are low maintenance when it comes to watering them - a spray of water 1-2 times a week is enough to keep them hydrated. Then a slightly heavier watering where the plant can soak more in the water is often required every 2-3 weeks. 6. Air plants grow very slowly, so there is no risk of them overflowing and outgrowing their containers on the installation anytime soon. They start below one inch in size within the first two years (however this is not the size I would plant them at for the installation) - then after the first few years they grow a little faster as they get bigger.

Overall, air-plants and cactus appear to be two of the most manageable and low maintenance small-plants when it comes to their water maintenance and the rate at which they grow. This means that where hospital workers will evidently be highly busy caring for patients, taking care of the installation and the plants within it, will only have to be thought about and maintained by one person, maximum twice a week for a couple of minutes.