I know this is a bit off topic. But my workout space where I ride my trainer is a bit drab. I am thinking about adding some houseplants to improve my fun shway. I always liked the way a nice fern looks. Does anybody raise ferns? Can you recommend a variety. I was thinking about either a Boston, Air, Tuberous Sword, African or European. Are they easy to care for?
Thanks.
Jeff
I know this is a bit off topic. But my workout space where I ride my trainer is a bit drab. I am thinking about adding some houseplants to improve my fun shway. I always liked the way a nice fern looks. Does anybody raise ferns? Can you recommend a variety. I was thinking about either a Boston, Air, Tuberous Sword, African or European. Are they easy to care for?
Thanks.
Jeff
HTFU.
Thanks
.
The Boston is definitely the cheapest in the US and has the best oxygen production AFAIK because it is larger and has the longest fronds. A larger indoor plant however would produce even more oxygen. If oxygen production is your most important criteria, I suggest a leafy large plant/tree such as a Ficus.
you ain’t got no plants now !
You need more then one
I get along very well with plants
Thom
The Boston is definitely the cheapest in the US and has the best oxygen production AFAIK because it is larger and has the longest fronds. A larger indoor plant however would produce even more oxygen. If oxygen production is your most important criteria, I suggest a leafy large plant/tree such as a Ficus.
That is real interesting. I never even thought about a ficus. thanks.
Obviously, oxygen production is real high on the list. It is not my sole criteria though.
Can you recommend a good ficus?
The two most popular ones you’ll find at your nursery are the common ficus… and the variegated ficus. The former’s leaves are green. The variegated ficus has either white or yellow perimeter streaks in the leaf pattern. I prefer the white-streaked variegated ficus… as it blends better with most interior decor. I suggest you get the biggest ficus plant you can find that fits in your room. It might cost more… but the looks and oxygen production are worth it. And don’t be dismayed when your ficus sheds its leaves soon after you move it in. This is a common response from the plant when you change its environment or even change the amount of sunlight it gets. The plant will soon recover with new foliage as long as you don’t water it too much.
The two most popular ones you’ll find at your nursery are the common ficus… and the variegated ficus. The former’s leaves are green. The variegated ficus has either white or yellow perimeter streaks in the leaf pattern. I prefer the white-streaked variegated ficus… as it blends better with most interior decor. I suggest you get the biggest ficus plant you can find that fits in your room. It might cost more… but the looks and oxygen production are worth it. And don’t be dismayed when your ficus sheds its leaves soon after you move it in. This is a common response from the plant when you change its environment or even change the amount of sunlight it gets. The plant will soon recover with new foliage as long as you don’t water it too much.
What type of nitrogen ratios are we talkin?
You know. I am still diggin the idea of a few nice ferns. Maybe I can combine a ficus and fern in the mix. Anybody ever try those new silk ferns. Kinda cool. I don’t know how you clean them though. I’ve seen some dusty silk ferns in my life. It ain’t pretty.
improve my fun shway
Feng Shui?
I’m not entirely sure what you mean? The plant absorbs 90% of it’s nitrogen from the soil in it’s pot. Just use a common interior plant food. Miracle grow products are good. But don’t overdo it. Too much nitrogen in the soil can burn the outer roots. Get the biggest pot you can find. And it needs light. It is a semi-tropical plant from Asia that ends up being a huge tree in the wild (a fig tree).
There shouldn’t be too much nitrogen emitted from the leaves. If you are worried about toxins produced by the plant… you can have a test done on a typical air sample from the room. On a typical day swirl a small plastic bottle bottle around in the room and close the lid tightly. Then send the sample off to the Environmental Protection Agency, Air Testing Laboratory. I think they are charging a small fee nowadays for this service, so you may want to check their website.
But realistically, the risk of toxins especially nitrogen and carbon monoxide are very small. An ionising air purifier would probably be sufficient to take out most common impurities.
improve my fun shway
Feng Shui?
If thats how you want to spell it.
I’m not entirely sure what you mean? The plant absorbs 90% of it’s nitrogen from the soil in it’s pot. Just use a common interior plant food. Miracle grow products are good. But don’t overdo it. Too much nitrogen in the soil can burn the outer roots. Get the biggest pot you can find. And it needs light. It is a semi-tropical plant from Asia that ends up being a huge tree in the wild (a fig tree).
There shouldn’t be too much nitrogen emitted from the leaves. If you are worried about toxins produced by the plant… you can have a test done on a typical air sample from the room. On a typical day swirl a small plastic bottle bottle around in the room and close the lid tightly. Then send the sample off to the Environmental Protection Agency, Air Testing Laboratory. I think they are charging a small fee nowadays for this service, so you may want to check their website.
But realistically, the risk of toxins especially nitrogen and carbon monoxide are very small. An ionising air purifier would probably be sufficient to take out most common impurities.
Thanks. I am thinking about the Ionic Breeze Quadra S1737 SNX. Do you have any experience with them?
You know. I am still diggin the idea of a few nice ferns. Maybe I can combine a ficus and fern in the mix. Anybody ever try those new silk ferns. Kinda cool. I don’t know how you clean them though. I’ve seen some dusty silk ferns in my life. It ain’t pretty.
You know that silk ferns have much less oxygen production than natural ferns don’t you?
I like the idea of a ficus/fern mix though. These plants occur together in the wild.
You know. I am still diggin the idea of a few nice ferns. Maybe I can combine a ficus and fern in the mix. Anybody ever try those new silk ferns. Kinda cool. I don’t know how you clean them though. I’ve seen some dusty silk ferns in my life. It ain’t pretty.
You know that silk ferns have much less oxygen production than natural ferns don’t you?
I like the idea of a ficus/fern mix though. These plants occur together in the wild.
Yeah, but it keeps the cats from eating them…
John
I guess that is right. I was never able to solve the dust problem anyhow. Maybe i will move the silk one down on my list.
Whatever you do… steer well clear of any model of Ionic Breeze. Sharper Image is going out of business and I think they had huge problems with the Ionic Breeze’s being returned because they were malfunctioning. I think you would only be able to get them used on ebay or craigslist anyway. There is no stick long enough to touch them with AFAIK.
You know. I am still diggin the idea of a few nice ferns. Maybe I can combine a ficus and fern in the mix. Anybody ever try those new silk ferns. Kinda cool. I don’t know how you clean them though. I’ve seen some dusty silk ferns in my life. It ain’t pretty.
You know that silk ferns have much less oxygen production than natural ferns don’t you?
I like the idea of a ficus/fern mix though. These plants occur together in the wild.
Yeah, but it keeps the cats from eating them…
John
Oh. Never thought of that. I don’t have cats and am highly allergic to them. Yet, I don’t want to foreclose the possibility of getting one because of poor foliage choices I made early in life. Do the cats eat them much?
Here’s a picture that shows how big a boston fern can get and how much leaf area it has to produce natural oxygen. Be careful though if you are training at night. Plants emit carbon dioxide at night and only oxygen during the day.
!(file:///C:/Users/Stewart/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-7.jpg)
All plants emit CO2 at night or just the Boston fern? This is troubling.