Instruction

At the beginning of summer, poplars begin to bloom. Their fluff circulates through the streets, irritating many residents. However, local authorities are not always in a hurry to cut down these trees. There is a good reason for this: poplar can be called the champion among trees for air purification. Its wide and sticky leaves successfully trap dust by filtering the air.

Poplar grows rapidly and gains green mass, which absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen through photosynthesis. A hectare of poplars produces 40 times more oxygen than a hectare of coniferous trees. Oxygen, which is released by one adult tree per day, is enough for 3 people during this time. At the same time, one car burns as much oxygen in 2 hours of operation as one poplar synthesizes in 2 years. In addition, poplar successfully moisturizes the air around it.

A special advantage of poplar is its unpretentiousness and vitality: it survives along highways and next to smoking factories. Limes and birches die under these conditions. The problem of poplar fluff, which irritates many, can be solved by replacing black poplar with “non-fluffy” species - silver and white.

Rosehip, lilac, acacia, elm cope well with the absorption of harmful substances from the air. These plants also survive in high dust conditions. They can be planted along motorways as a green shield against exhaust fumes. Elms with their wide leaves hold 6 times more dust than poplars.

Chestnut is very useful in urban conditions. It is almost as unpretentious as poplar. At the same time, an adult tree cleans about 20 cubic meters of air from exhaust gases and dust per year. It is estimated that a hectare of deciduous trees holds up to 100 tons of dust and airborne particulate matter per year.

Although coniferous trees do not capture dust as successfully as deciduous trees, they produce phytoncides - biologically suppressing pathogens. Thuja, juniper, fir and spruce will help residents cope with pathogenic microbes. In addition, they purify the air throughout the year, and not just in warm weather. Birches also produce phytoncides, but these trees, like lindens, are best planted away from roads and “dirty” industries - they are not as hardy as poplars or chestnuts.

Very healthy lead, which enters the atmosphere as a result of the combustion of fuel in a car. In a year, one car can emit up to 1 kg of this metal. You can often see that the leaves on the trees along the highways curl up and fall off - this is the result of lead poisoning. Larch and a variety of mosses absorb lead best. It takes 10 trees to neutralize the damage from 1 car.

Tip 2: Top 5 Indoor Plants for Clean Air in Your Apartment

House plants and indoor flowers are not only a pretty part of the interior. They are able to influence in a certain way both the atmosphere in the room and the person himself. Among the variety of plants suitable for growing and keeping at home, there are those that purify the air in rooms especially well.

Aglaonema. This indoor tree is worth having in your home for those people who often use lighted candles. The fact is that this plant frees the air from such hazardous substances as toluene and benzene, which are formed during the combustion of paraffin and other candles. However, such harmful components are able to penetrate into the house and from the street. Aglaonema is a home plant that loves high humidity and does not need a constant source of bright light. However, with caution, this indoor tree should be planted if the family has pets, small children. The fact is that the juice of the plant is toxic. Its ingestion into the body can provoke severe intoxication.

Begonia. This pretty indoor flower is very easy to grow and easy to care for. Begonia does not require frequent and abundant watering, however, it is better not to allow the land to dry out in the summer. This home flower is a leader among natural air purifiers that destroy a variety of chemicals. Begonia should be in the house where air fresheners, fragrances, various household chemicals, which can be extremely toxic, are regularly and in large quantities used.

Philodendron. Like the mentioned aglaonema, this houseplant should not be placed in apartments / houses where there are pets and children. However, at the same time, the philodendron is a very unpretentious plant that survives in various conditions. He does not need constant bright light, there is no need to provide increased heat. At the same time, the philodendron effectively purifies the air in the apartment, rids it of harmful volatile substances that can cause various diseases, including bronchial asthma or allergies. It is recommended to start this plant if people often smoke in the premises, use a hookah or burn incense.

Ficus. This is a very harmless house plant that does an excellent job of cleaning the air. Ficus easily and quickly absorbs ammonia vapor, destroys benzene and formaldehyde. At the same time, such a houseplant exists without any problems in almost any conditions. Ficus can be placed in dark rooms, as it will not wither from lack of lighting / sunlight. It does not need regular watering, and in winter it is not necessary to supply the plant with water more than once every seven to ten days. Another distinctive useful feature of ficus is that the plant effectively destroys dust.

Dracaena. This indoor plant should be started if you have to live in an ecologically unfavorable area, where the risk of harmful substances from the street entering the apartment is very high. Dracaena should also be placed at home if there are highways and busy highways nearby. The fact is that it is this indoor flower that cleans the air from various toxic compounds emitted with exhaust gases that can enter the home through open windows. Dracaena also cleans the air of benzene released from floor coverings and destroys a number of other volatile chemicals found in household chemicals, nail polish and hair.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us at Facebook And In contact with

In 1989, NASA launched a study to determine the best houseplants to clean the air around. Scientists have found that indoor air constantly contains particles of harmful volatile organic compounds - trichlorethylene, benzene, ammonia and others. To clean the air in an environmentally friendly way, experts recommend placing them in rooms. Houseplants can neutralize up to 85% of indoor air pollution.

Indoor air contains five harmful substances:

• Formaldehyde. Contained in furniture made of chipboard, fiberboard, carpeting and upholstery, tobacco smoke, plastic utensils, household gas. Causes allergic reactions, irritation of the mucous membrane, asthma, skin diseases.
• Trichlorethylene. Contained in carpet and fabric cleaners, chlorinated water, printer cartridges, paint and varnish products. Trichlorethylene is a strong carcinogen that irritates the eyes and skin, affects the liver and kidneys, and causes psychomotor agitation.
• Benzene. Found in tobacco smoke, cleaning products and detergents, including soaps, paints, rubber products. Carcinogen, which is capable of provoking leukemia, accumulates in adipose tissue,
  causes excitation similar to alcohol, shortness of breath and convulsions,
  lowers blood pressure.
• Ammonia. Contained in computer technology, tobacco smoke, household chemicals. Causes dryness and sore throat, cough, provokes chest pain, causes swelling of the larynx and lungs.
• Xylene. It is based on many types of plastics, paints and varnishes, adhesives, and it is also found in automobile exhaust gases, leather products and tobacco smoke. Causes irritation of the skin, respiratory tract and mucous membranes of the eye.

website collected in one post 15 plants that will not only decorate the house, but will also work devotedly and uninterruptedly to clean the air 24 hours a day.

Anthurium André ("flamingo lily")

Perfectly moisturizes the air and saturates it with purified water vapor. Actively assimilates xylene And toluene and converts them into compounds harmless to humans.

Gerber Jameson

Scindapsus ("golden lotus")

Its main advantage is its enormous shade tolerance. Effectively cleans the air formaldehyde And benzene. A poisonous plant that should be kept away from children and animals.

Aglaonema

The Chinese Evergreen Tree is a houseplant that grows in low light conditions and loves moist air. Effectively cleans the air toluene And benzene. The juice and berries of the plant are poisonous.

Chlorophytum ("spider")

A "spider" plant with rich foliage and small white flowers actively fights against benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide And xylene. Another reason to get this plant is safety for children and animals.

ivy curly

Azalea

Sansevieria ("mother-in-law's tongue")

A very hardy plant, you need to try to ruin it. Fights contaminants like formaldehyde, benzene, trichlorethylene. At night, it absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen.

Dracaena fringed

Philodendron

The workhorse of air purification formaldehyde and other types of toxic compounds. A non-capricious plant, feels great in rooms with low light. Not recommended for those with children or pets.

Today, an article atypical for our blog: we are not talking about technical assistants, but about natural ones - houseplants. Can they affect the microclimate? Are there really plants that purify the air? We understand.

It is widely believed that plants clean well and even “sterilize” and “disinfect” indoor air. This opinion is often supported by a reference to information from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency, USA).

NASA, in fact, has been studying the ability of plants to purify the air. In 1989, a report was published titled "Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement", text available online. Scientists tested 12 varieties of plants. They studied their ability to filter three pollutants: benzene, trichlorethylene and formaldehyde. Among the results obtained were, for example, the following:

Removed contaminants in the test chamber over a 24-hour period.
"Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement", NASA, 1989

The numbers, indeed, can inspire, if not to create a balcony garden, then at least to water your cactus. But not everything is so simple. It should be borne in mind that the data given are the numbers achieved under test conditions. More specifically, the conditions were as follows: the plants were installed in special chambers, where a continuous supply of water and light was organized. Of course, we don't keep plants like that in our apartments. But, more importantly, the camera used an activated carbon filter. In other words, the indicated efficiency is the efficiency of the entire system equipped by scientists, and not just the “green defenders”. This is also indicated by the conclusion at the end of the report: “Indoor plants, together with activated carbon filters, show the potential to improve indoor air.” The air purification efficiency of the plants themselves is unknown.

In addition, in addition to these three, there are many more common and harmful ones. Therefore, if you are seriously thinking about the microclimate, then you should rely not on plants that clean the air, but on specialized devices. One with a recycling function or will replace a whole army of ficuses 🙂

In fairness, it must be said that plants do have a certain effect on the microclimate. First, they absorb carbon dioxide and some other volatile compounds. By the way, about carbon dioxide: a certain amount of it is released during the respiration of plants - just like in humans and animals. Secondly, plants secrete phytoncides - protective substances that counteract microorganisms. And although the claims that plants disinfect the air are greatly exaggerated, some merit in improving the microclimate still belongs to them.

And for those who want to conduct their own tests, we have selected seven of the most suitable indoor plants for our latitudes.

When the hated poplar fluff begins to fly through the streets of Russian cities, not only allergy sufferers, but also the rest of the townspeople, without hiding their indignation, sigh: “And when these trees are finally cut down, they will cause so many problems!” But in fact, planting poplars in cities is much more important than just decorating the urban landscape. Today we will talk about which trees do the best job of cleaning the air from harmful pollutants.

Poplar fragrant - one of the most common inhabitants of the old city blocks

The choice of poplar as the main landscape plant in Russian cities is not accidental. And although modern city governors increasingly give preference to little-known exotic plant species, poplars can still be found in the old industrial areas along the perimeter of enterprises. The fact is that it is poplar that is the best air purifier in megacities among all other types of trees. Poplar absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and produces oxygen, and in terms of the amount of oxygen produced, poplar is ten times greater than coniferous trees.

Pyramidal poplar - a variety of black poplar, which grows well not only in the south, but also in Siberia

It is worth noting that the genus of poplars includes more than 90 species. All of them, including pyramidal poplar and aspen, are excellent absorbers of pollutants from the surrounding air. All poplars grow very quickly and gain green mass useful for the city. In addition, they are able to survive in the most difficult conditions - along busy highways or in the territory of industrial enterprises. Among the poplar genus there are a lot of beautiful decorative species that can decorate the streets of cities. Well, the problem with flying fluff is actually solved quite easily, just pick up types of plants that do not form fluff (silver or white poplar), or propagate in nurseries only male plants that are devoid of this unpleasant feature.

Chestnut is a great air purifier

In addition to poplar, chestnuts have good dust-collecting abilities in urban conditions, which are almost as hardy as poplars, but can grow only in the relatively warm climate of the south of the European part of Russia. Elms, as well as shrubs such as wild rose, lilac and acacia, do a good job of cleaning the air. The Manchurian walnut, which grows in the Far East, and is also actively used in landscaping throughout Siberia, has good cleansing abilities, as an extremely hardy species to low temperatures. But lindens and birches, beloved by everyone, unfortunately, are not able to grow in conditions of increased gas pollution, therefore they do not survive along highways and can exist only in park areas and residential areas.

Manchurian walnut - decorative and very frost-resistant type of trees

Despite their attractiveness, coniferous plants do not absorb carbon dioxide as actively as deciduous trees. But they are able to do it all year round, besides, conifers emit useful phytoncides. Among them, it is worth noting larch, which very well absorbs lead compounds from the surrounding air.

In addition to processing dangerous compounds from the air, trees in urban ecosystems contribute to an increase in air humidity, as well as reduce surface overheating in the summer.

Unfortunately, the current trend in the development of large cities around the world is such that little attention is paid to improving air quality. The number of park areas and green spaces does not meet the standards, and the number of vehicles is growing every year, thereby worsening the quality of the air inhaled by citizens. In place of old felled trees, semi-dried large trees or tree species appear that are poorly adapted to the aggressive conditions of the urban environment. As a result, these trees are forced to fight for survival instead of helping to purify the air. Therefore, poplars, with their remarkable ability to purify the air and quickly grow green mass, should take their rightful place in the urban landscape.

Emissions from industrial enterprises and exhaust gases, dust and fumes from hot asphalt make the problem of air purification from pollution very urgent. Trees play an important role in its solution.

Instruction

At the beginning of summer, poplars begin to bloom. Their fluff circulates through the streets, irritating many residents. However, local authorities are not always in a hurry to cut down these trees. There is a good reason for this: poplar can be called the champion among trees for air purification. Its wide and sticky leaves successfully trap dust by filtering the air.

Poplar grows rapidly and gains green mass, which absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen through photosynthesis. A hectare of poplars produces 40 times more oxygen than a hectare of coniferous trees. The oxygen released by one adult tree per day is enough to breathe for 3 people during this time. At the same time, one car burns as much oxygen in 2 hours of operation as one poplar synthesizes in 2 years. In addition, poplar successfully moisturizes the air around it.

A special advantage of poplar is its unpretentiousness and vitality: it survives along highways and next to smoking factories. Limes and birches die under these conditions. The problem of poplar fluff, which irritates many, can be solved by replacing black poplar with “non-fluffy” species - silver and white.

Rosehip, lilac, acacia, elm cope well with the absorption of harmful substances from the air. These plants also survive in high dust conditions. They can be planted along motorways as a green shield against exhaust fumes. Elms with their wide leaves hold 6 times more dust than poplars.

Chestnut is very useful in urban conditions. It is almost as unpretentious as poplar. At the same time, an adult tree cleans about 20 cubic meters of air from exhaust gases and dust per year. It is estimated that a hectare of deciduous trees holds up to 100 tons of dust and airborne particulate matter per year.

Although coniferous trees do not capture dust as successfully as deciduous trees, they produce phytoncides - biologically active substances that suppress pathogenic microorganisms. Thuja, juniper, fir and spruce will help residents cope with pathogenic microbes. In addition, coniferous plants purify the air throughout the year, and not just in warm weather. Birches also produce phytoncides, but these trees, like lindens, are best planted away from roads and “dirty” industries - they are not as hardy as poplars or chestnuts.

Lead, which is released into the atmosphere as a result of the combustion of fuel in a car engine, is very harmful to health. In a year, one car can emit up to 1 kg of this metal. You can often see that the leaves on the trees along the highways curl up and fall off - this is the result of lead poisoning. Larch and a variety of mosses absorb lead best. It takes 10 trees to neutralize the damage from 1 car.