When summer arrives and / or temperatures rise a lot, we usually react by putting the air conditioning or fan, and even opening the windows. The latter is undoubtedly the most sensible thing to do, not only because it comes out free but also because it manages to renew the air inside the house; And if you are also in an area where the humidity is high, you prevent the walls from blackening. However, Did you know that plants can also help you keep your house cool?
They carry out a process daily which reduces the temperature around them, so when you get closer to one, especially if it is large, you notice that pleasant freshness. So If you want to know how to refresh the house with plants and let it show, follow our advice.
Put these indoor plants to beat the heat
The first thing is to know which plants are the ideal ones to have at home. It must be borne in mind that there are many that cannot be adapted to the conditions that exist inside the house, and others that, on the other hand, do grow very well. The latter tend to be native to tropical or subtropical regions that inhabit those places where the sun does not reach the ground directly. The varieties that we are going to recommend are also easy to care for. Enjoy them:
Headband (Chlorophytum comosum)
Image - Wikimedia / Mokkie
La tape It is a fantastic plant that goes by several names: malamadre, love bow, or spider, as well as ribbon of course. It is a herbaceous plant with green or variegated tapered leaves, which grows 30 centimeters high at most.. It tends to produce stolons, that is, stems from the end of which sprout seedlings that will be identical to the mother. These can be cut as soon as they have roots and planted in other pots. The good thing is that it needs little watering and attention, and that as if that were not enough, it looks great in hanging pots.
Sword fernnephrolepis high)
Image - Wikimedia / David J. Stang
El sword fern or Boston fern as it is also known, is a plant with leaves that can measure up to 1 meter long. It does not have flowers, but that does not matter: adapts very well to living indoors, It is possible to have it in hanging pots and as if that were not enough, you only have to water it a couple of times a week during the summer and a little less the rest of the year.
Tiger tongueSansevieria trifasciata)
Image - Wikimedia / Mokkie
The plant known as tiger tongue, whose scientific name since 2017 is Dracaena trifasciata but what was before Sansevieria trifasciata, is one of the most interesting. According to NASA it cleans the air of impurities. Its height is about 20 to 70 centimeters depending on the variety or cultivar., and you only have to water it when the soil is dry.
monstera (Monstera delicious)
Image - Flickr / Hornbeam Arts
La monstera It is an evergreen plant with a climbing habit that has very large leaves, up to 90 centimeters long, and green. It grows to 20 meters long, although it can be pruned to control its growth. Sometimes it is thought that it is very delicate, but really if you put it in a room where there is a lot of light, away from drafts, and you water it from time to time it will be very good.
Pothos (aureum)
Image - Wikimedia / Joydeep
El pothos It is a fast growing evergreen climber ideal to have indoors. These leaves are heart-shaped, and are green or variegated in color. It can be 10 meters long, but it tolerates pruning well, so you can keep it in a pot throughout its life. It does not require much maintenance since it only has to be watered from time to time.
Where do you put the plants?
If we want to beat the heat with indoor plants It is important that they put in places where we spend more time. But these rooms are the ones that usually have drafts (fan, air conditioning unit, open windows), and that damages the leaves, since it dries the tips and, if the exposure is prolonged, they eventually turn brown and die. .
Therefore, it is crucial that they stay away from these currents. For example, you may be interested in having a beautiful green corner with potted plants in a room where a lot of light enters. If so, you should put them away from the window or windows, always putting the larger ones behind the smaller ones. You can even play with colors, as long as the size of your crops allows. For example, I like to put many green plants and, in the middle of some, put another one of another color to make it stand out.
Those that are hanging or can be used as such, can be very good if the pot is hooked to the ceiling, or in an arch. The same as the climbing plants. Can you imagine having a potos that grows on an arch, or on a door frame? The truth is that it would be interesting, don't you think?
But how do they lower temperatures?
It is a process known as perspiration. To live, plants need to breathe 24 hours a day, and they do so by absorbing oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. But to do so it is inevitable to lose water. The roots are in charge of looking for the precious liquid and, once they find it, they absorb it so that it is transported to the rest of the plant through the conducting vessels (which would be the equivalent of our veins).
What happens is that only a small part of that water is used for photosynthesis. What happens with the rest? Well, it comes out of the pores of the leaves in the form of water vapor. And it is this water vapor that cools the plant, but also reduces the temperature around it.
For this reason, it is highly recommended to have plants at home.