You can make the environment of your home or business area more green by using a variety of artificial items, however, nothing does the job quite as well as real plants. In fact, artificial plants can actually be worse for the environment as compared to real plants.

Artificial plants can radiate a lot of toxins and bad odors into the air if they are made from plastic or low-quality materials, they store a lot of dust on their leaves, they are home to a lot of bacteria that they collect over time and at the end of the day, they are just inanimate objects like many other things. A real plant does quite the opposite of all these things and the fact that it is a living being, it changes the environment of the space in a very different way.

Moreover, if you are looking for a solution that will actually improve the environment, real plants are the only way to go. If you are considering indoor plants for your area, these are some things you should be mindful of.

1. Water

Just like humans, and any other living thing, water is a key component of a plant’s life. You need to know what the water requirements for your plant are, and what the best way to water that plant is. For some plants you just need to spray the entire plant with a mist of water to get it to grow, some will need a few cups of water, while others can do fine with just half a cup of water poured directly towards the roots without adding any moisture to other parts of the plant.

Also, for nearly every plant, it helps to use room temperature water. Coldwater is something that can shock the plant and this can be detrimental to its health. Similarly, for plants with shallow roots, it is a good idea to use some kind of sprinkler head that can decrease the impact of the stream of water and minimize the disturbance to the soil and roots.

2. Light

Light is also very important for plant health. Without light, plants cannot synthesize water and the available nutrients available in the soil into sugar, which is the building block for plants. While every plant requires light, some plants can also grow with artificial light. Other species of plants can use artificial light, but also need some form of natural light to grow. If you look at the Stromanthe Triostar, you’ll discover that it is a rather sturdy plant, and it can withstand direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

With more sensitive indoor plants, it is recommended that you don’t leave them exposed to direct sunlight for too long. Some small indoor plants such as kitchen herbs can do just fine sitting on the windowsill where they are constantly under full-time sunlight. It helps to know what kind of light your plant needs and how much it needs to get the best growth in the shortest period of time.

3. Humidity

Together with water, plants also benefit from a humid environment. However, you don’t want to expose the wrong kind of plant to humidity. For instance, cactus plants don’t do very well in humidity, and on the contrary, they grow better when they are underfed and exposed to high temperatures. Similarly, some plants like the Lotus plant do extremely well in very wet, very humid conditions. Humidity can easily be managed by misting the plant and limiting exposure to cold, dry air.

4. Temperature

One of the most important things for a plant is the temperature that it grows in. This includes both the external temperature at the stem and leaf level, as well as the temperature of the ground in which the roots are settled. When a plant is grown indoors it might not get as cold as it does outside and the roots are very insulated from the environment, for some plants that have very small pots or the roots are pressed against the wall of the pot, it can be easy for the roots to go into shock because the external temperature is too low. When this is combined with wet soil, it is a dangerous combination.

Also, for indoor plants, it’s important that you use a good fertilizer and treat the soil with the things that it needs. In outdoor situations, the plant is given these things by nature and since there is so much soil with so much insect life, it can be hard for the soil to run out of nutrition. In a small container indoors, the plant is severely limited, and it is not uncommon for the plant to max out what the soil has to offer. At this stage, you want an expert who can advise you on how to go about it.