Urban Jungle – A Series On Indoor Plants – Featuring: Money Plant

A Series On Indoor Plants – Featuring: Money Plant

 

Z. Retiwalla 

Are you looking to design an urban jungle for your home? Sustainable home landscaping is the talk of the town. It allows you to convert your space into a healthier and happier dwelling. Through this series, I will reveal some of the latest green design ideas and tips to help you design the most fabulous urban jungle for your home. 

In today’s blog, I will talk about another useful indoor plant which is easy to maintain – Epipremnum aureum, popularly known as the “Money Plant” or “Devil’s Ivy”. This lovely plant that can adorn your balcony or simply be hung in a basket or as part of an arrangement in clear glass, is NASA certified. It purifies the air, along with being a hit with the Feng Shui lovers is usually very easy to grow in the indoor set up.

Pleasing to the eye, this plant has several health benefits:

  • Money plants increase the oxygen level of the air and help in easy breathing
  • They take up VOC agents like formaldehyde and even potential carcinogenic gases like benzene, toluene, and xylene of the air around
  • A green planter in your bedroom will give you a feeling of freshness since this is one of the few plants that give out oxygen at night
  • As it can grow in various grades of light, the money plant can be easily grown by home gardeners
  • Only one plant per 100 square feet of floor space is enough to purify the air

Easy to grow and maintain, this plant practically requires minimal care, very little water, and can flourish in indirect sunlight as well. 

  1. It requires a large and strong support and thrives well on a moss-stick
  2. Thrives in usually any soil, however avoid very alkaline soil
  3. Moisture and liquid feeding during main growing season in summer and monsoon
  4. Do well with bright sunlight, but also thrive in shades
  5. Require good air circulation
  6. Free from pests and diseases

The best part is that money plants can easily be grown in bottles. Here’s how:  

  1. Take a thick stem of 25 to 30 cm from an existing money plant
  2. Make a deep cut of around 45 degrees just above a node
  3. Put the stem in a glass jar or bottle. Fill the jar with clean filtered water and make sure at least 1 node is covered
  4. Place the jar near the window where it gets a good amount of indirect sunlight
  5. In 10 days new roots will start appearing
  6. Change the water when turbid

Do send us pictures of your very own money plant! We don’t know if you will attract more money, but we can guarantee you better air quality in your home.

The series on indoor plants is written by Mr. Zeeshan A. Retiwalla, who is a landscape designer with over 15 years of experience and runs a successful landscaping company in Mumbai which has presence pan India. Feel free to check their work on www.pldindia.com 

Urban Jungle – A Series On Indoor Plants – Featuring: Raphis Palm

A Series On Indoor Plants – Featuring: Raphis Palm

 

Z. Retiwalla 

Are you looking to design an urban jungle for your home? Sustainable home landscaping is the talk of the town. It allows you to convert your space into a healthier and happier dwelling. Through this series, I will reveal some of the latest green design ideas and tips to help you design the most fabulous urban jungle for your home. 

Winter, dry climate, and poor air quality will make a perfect time for you to acquaint yourself with the third plant, the Rhapis excelsa, also known as the Lady Palm, and let it adorn your home. Not only is this plant beautiful, but it also has excellent air-purifying properties.

This plant adapts in diverse conditions and can be placed at home, offices, and other indoor spaces to beautify as well improve indoor air quality. Feng Shui lovers will also be happy to keep this auspicious plant at home.

In a laboratory study by Dr. Wolverton PhD, the lady plant was found to have a removal rate of 876 micrograms of Formaldehyde per hour. In NASA’s research, the Rhapis excelsa, ties with the Areca palm to top the list of Air Purifier plants.

Rhapis are some of the easiest palms to grow and care for, but each species has its own particular environment, cultural requirements and care needs. This makes lady palm very versatile. Both 6″ and 8″ pots can be used as tabletop and accent plants, while 10″ and up are free-standing specimens. Wherever you may live, Rhapis excelsa is one plant that will thrive in your house or landscape.

Tips to grow

These are slow-growing plants and require full sunlight or bright shade to grow, they will stay good in a pot for at least 12 to 15 years, requiring moderate water and a well-drained potting mix.

Once grown, this is a sturdy plant, requiring very little care, it needs partial deep shade for its survival. Water only when the soil is dry, overwatering may lead to rotting of the roots. Proper, aerated porous soil is best for its healthy growth. It is resistant to pests and insects.

Ultimate Guide to Broadleaf Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) - Petal Republic

So what are you waiting for? When are you getting your Lady Palm? Do send us photographs of your beautifully adorned home and office with the green, air-purifying plants.

This article has been written by Mr. Zeeshan A. Retiwalla, who is a Landscape Designer with over 15 years of experience and runs a successful landscaping company in Mumbai which has a presence pan India. Feel free to check his team’s work on www.pldindia.com 

This article was published originally by SamacharLive and you can find it here. 

A Home in the Clouds

A Home in the Clouds: Research and Enquiry Into Design

 

Z. Retiwalla 

One of our recent projects in Khopoli, India was highlighted by Arch Daily. Find below a few specs of the project. 

HOUSES

 

KHOPOLI, INDIA
 

This article was published in Arch Daily. For more details and pictures, visit the original publication here.  

Urban Jungle – A Series On Indoor Plants – Featuring: Snake Plant

A Series On Indoor Plants – Featuring: Snake Plant

 

Z. Retiwalla 

Are you looking to design an urban jungle for your home? Sustainable home landscaping is the talk of the town. It allows you to convert your space into a healthier and happier dwelling. Through this series, I will reveal some of the latest green design ideas and tips to help you design the most fabulous urban jungle for your home. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become the most pressing public health emergency across the globe. While unprecedented, this new normal has pushed us into reflecting on several issues, viz. our mental health, our relationships, our priorities, and of course our physical health as well. One such reflective soirée prompted me to think about the choices we make on how we beautify our homes. 

A home! What a blessing it is to have one. While some of us can rely on outside agencies to beautify our houses, there is no denying that it is only ‘love’ that makes a house a home. 

In close to 15 years of my experience with landscaping, I have met numerous people who are passionate about setting up their homes. Everything from the perfect piece of art on their centre table, to the selection of the perfect painting, is tastefully done. Few, however, are keenly interested in actually learning what plants we can put indoors and the benefits we can gain by simply placing a few plants in and around the house. I begin this fortnightly series by informing our readers about the types of indoor plants and the benefits we gain from each of these green beauties.

To kick off this series, I decided to go with a beginner’s plant, the “Snake Plant”.

Commonly called “Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata) because of the shape and sharp margins of its leaves, this plant is easily found in India, this plant has made a great comeback into our homes ever since NASA’s declaration that the Snake Plant is one of the best plants to purify air even in closed space stations. 

Pleasing to the eye, this plant comes in a few varieties and has several health benefits:

  • The Snake Plant is one of the few indoor plants that can convert carbon dioxide to oxygen even at night! This makes it a perfect bedroom plant. 
  • It is one of the most oxygen-producing houseplants and is effective against allergies.
  • Research shows us that the Snake Plant absorbs cancer-causing air pollutants like carbon monoxide, xylene, formaldehyde, and benzene.
  • A study conducted at Naresuan University showed that Carbon dioxide in office spaces, reduced with the presence of 5 Snake Plants in the office at different locations. 
  • The NASA study shows us that the Snake Plant removed 52.6% of benzene in a sealed chamber. Benzene is an air pollutant that is commonly found in the indoor setup, through solvents, paints, heaters, and air conditioners and causes headaches and nausea.
  • The NASA study also sheds light on the role of the Snake Plant in removing 31,294 micrograms of formaldehyde in 24 hours. Formaldehyde emission has a few sources like cosmetics, cooking, paints, fuel, and traffic combustion and causes respiratory issues and rare nose and throat cancers.

Easy to grow and maintain, this plant practically requires minimal care, very little water, and indirect sunlight to flourish. 

Tips to grow and maintain – 

  • Best grown in indirect but steady sunlight
  • Soil – Well-draining soil
  • Water – Minimal, only water when the soil is dehydrated and cracked. Too much water can kill the plant.
  • Temperature required – warm
  • Very low maintenance, practically require no care at all

Word of caution – Ingesting this plant is toxic for human beings and animals, keep away from little children and pets who would possibly nibble.

Do invest in your health and improve the air quality at home and buy the Snake Plant!

Send us pictures of your new green babies!

This article was published in Samachar Live. Find the original publication here.  

Urban Jungle – A Series On Indoor Plants

Urban Jungle – A Series On Indoor Plants

 

Z. Retiwalla 

 

Are you looking to design an urban jungle for your home? Sustainable home landscaping is the talk of the town. It allows you to convert your space into a healthier and happier dwelling. Through this series, I will reveal some of the latest green design ideas and tips to help you design the most fabulous urban jungle for your home. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become the most pressing public health emergency across the globe. While unprecedented, this new normal has pushed us into reflecting on several issues, viz. our mental health, our relationships, our priorities, and of course our physical health as well. One such reflective soirée prompted me to think about the choices we make on how we beautify our homes. 

A home! What a blessing it is to have one. While some of us can rely on outside agencies to beautify our houses, there is no denying that it is only ‘love’ that makes a house a home. 

In close to 15 years of my experience with landscaping, I have met numerous people who are passionate about setting up their homes. Everything from the perfect piece of art on their centre table, to the selection of the perfect painting, is tastefully done. Few, however, are keenly interested in actually learning what plants we can put indoors and the benefits we can gain by simply placing a few plants in and around the house. I begin this fortnightly series by informing our readers about the types of indoor plants and the benefits we gain from each of these green beauties.

1. Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) 

2. Raphis Palm (Rhapis excelsa)

3. Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum)

Stay tuned for more! 

Urban Farming: Nurturing Hope In Uncertain Times – A Beginner’s Guide

Urban Farming: Nurturing Hope In Uncertain Times – A Beginner’s Guide

 

Z. Retiwalla 

 

Sustainable home landscaping is the talk of the town. Urban farming allows you to convert your space into an organic grocery store. When done right, you can reap what you sow for years.

Among the many fond memories from my childhood, the one that stands out paints a vivid picture of our quaint apartment garden in the heart of Mumbai. My father, A. Y. Retiwalla, ensured that my sibling and I learned gardening the right way – hands covered with manure and minds focused on nurturing the earth. He always said, “Learn how to grow your food, that way you will know the effort that goes into it and you will never take things for granted.”

His teachings ring truer in today’s pandemic landscape. Panic-buying and the inevitable economic recession have sent millions in search of their next meals, creating an unprecedented strain on the food supply chain. In the world before COVID-19, urban farming was a mere hobby for green thumb enthusiasts. Now though, with the implementation of stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures, sustainable home landscaping is the talk of the town. The good news is, with a little training, anyone can do it.

The key is not about reinventing the wheel, but rather about making sensible choices in terms of plants and basic management. Problems arise when we put plants in areas with temperature, soil, and moisture conditions that they aren’t used to, forcing us to use fertilizers or chemicals. Plants adapted to a region not only save water, but they require a lot less effort and can easily be organic. Organics are not only healthier but also increasingly delicious when compared to pesticide-laced produce. 

Here is a step-wise guide to help you sprout joy and build your own urban garden!

1. Consider what to plant?

Do you want to plant a vegetable garden or an herb garden? Each one, or even a combination, would make for a wonderful garden but will have different maintenance requirements. In Indian summers, when sunlight is plentiful, the best growers are: spinach, fenugreek, mint, red Amaranthus, green Amaranthus, lemon grass, garlic, coriander, chillies, limes, lemons, tomatoes, Aloe Vera, basil etc.

Pro Tip: Start small until you know what you’re getting into.

2. Pick the right spot

Most vegetables and herbs need 6-8 hours of full sun every day. So pick a spot with maximum sunlight. If your lot is mostly shady, don’t worry – you can still grow most vegetables and herbs, just make sure you move the planters and pots into sunlight for at least a few hours a day.

3. Work the soil

The more fertile the soil, the better your vegetables will grow. The same holds true for other plants. Residential soil always needs a boost – the key is to add organic matter. Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost, decayed leaves, dry grass clippings, or old manure to the soil when potting.

4. Start Planting

Many plants are easy to grow from seed directly in the garden. Be sure to read the seed packet for information about planting time, depth, and spacing. Place the containers on a sunny windowsill or under grow lights if you don’t have window space. Be sure to keep the seeds and seedlings moist but not wet, or they may rot.

An easier method of starting your garden is to buy young plants, called set plants or transplants. Dig holes in your prepared bed based on tag instructions. Remove plants from the container by pushing up from the bottom. If the roots have grown into a big ball (known as being root-bound), use a fork or your fingers to untangle some outer roots before setting it into the hole. Pat soil into place around the roots, then soak the soil with water.

5. Water at the right time

Seedlings should never be allowed to dry out, so water daily. Taper off as the plants get larger. Transplants also need frequent watering (every other day or so) until their roots become established. After that, how often you need to water depends on your soil, humidity, and rainfall, though once a week is a good place to start. Feel the soil 3 to 4 inches below the surface. If it feels dry, it’s time to water. Water slowly and deeply, so the water soaks in instead of running off. To minimize evaporation, water in the early morning.

What next?

Your garden is beginning to grow. Help it reach its full potential by keeping up with garden chores. Water the plants. Pull weeds before they get big. Get rid of dead, dying, and diseased vegetation. Banish destructive insects by picking them off the plant or spraying on a natural insecticides.

Now that you know the basics, you’ll feel confident growing vegetables. The plants develop quickly, and they respond generously to consistently good care. Only two or three months after planting, you’ll be picking as much delicious produce as you can eat. No other form of gardening has such bountiful, delicious rewards.

Awaken your inner green thumb! Happy growing!