Plants that can be kept inside homes are highly sought after, especially since many people in cities live in apartments and do not always have the possibility of having a patio, balcony, terrace or garden.
But plants not only fill the rooms with life and make the house much more beautiful and welcoming. They also have benefits such as purifying the air to improve our health. These characteristics of houseplants were investigated by NASA, and they chose one of them as the best to have indoors: the pothos.
Pothos is a plant native to Southeast Asia. Thanks to its aerial roots, it can climb up the branches of trees up to 20 meters high. Its leaves are evergreen (they do not fall off in the fall). It can be found in different varieties, with light green, dark green, or white and yellow spotted leaves.
But the most important thing, according to NASA, is its action on air pollution.
purifying action
According to NASA, potus acts on indoor environmental pollution, eliminating three toxic elements that may be present in the atmosphere and be very harmful to health.
One of them is formaldehyde, one of the main causes of cancer. Another is xylene, a very harmful component that can cause headaches, nausea, and even problems with the nervous system or blood-forming organs.
Finally, pothos purifies the air of benzene, a substance that in large doses can cause death; and to a lesser extent it could cause drowsiness, dizziness or tachycardia.
All this makes it a plant that we could all have at home. You just have to take into account that, although it is one of the most beneficial plants for humans, it is toxic to our pets if they ingest it, causing irritation, vomiting or difficulties when swallowing, and for this reason it must be kept at a height, away from within reach so they can’t eat it.
Pothos care
The pothos is a plant that is very easy to care for and that can adapt to very different environments.
In a pot, it needs to be watered about once a week, when the soil is dry to the touch. It can also grow as a hydroponic culture, in a container with water, where you can see its wonderful and large roots.
It must receive indirect light, otherwise it will burn. It can also live in rooms with little light, so it can be kept in the bedroom or bathroom.
In addition, it likes temperatures between 17 and 30 ºC; and it is recommended to transplant it every two years.
How to play it
If we don’t have a pothos, or we want to have more than one, its reproduction from cuttings is very simple.
You should cut a cutting between 15 and 20 centimeters, and place it in water for a few days until it takes small roots. It can also grow if it is planted directly in the pot with soil, but placing it in water will better control its rooting.
Once it has roots, you can transplant it into a pot. When it starts to grow a rod can also be attached as it likes to climb very much.
And you, where would you place it?