How many plants do I need in my house?

Scientific research has proven that plants have a favourable impact on their local environment as well as human well-being. We've all heard that plants help filter the air, due to a well-known NASA research from 1989. We also know that plants provide a slew of other advantages that are directly tied to our health.

Higher productivity, being more relaxed, getting a better night's sleep, and being able to deal with life better are some of the wellbeing benefits. That's because the core brain developed in nature, so when we're in touch with it, we're more relaxed and able to do higher functions like creativity and intuition.

But after knowing so many benefits, we really don’t know how many plants exactly do we need in our house. Don’t worry there is plenty of research done on this riddle and we are here going to share all that information with you.

Here are a few insights about how many plants you need in your house to achieve maximum benefits.

1.The NASA Study Recommends

The NASA scientist who did this study, Bill Wolverton, gave some insight on the number of plants you'd need per room to assist filter indoor air. Although it's impossible to say how many plants are required to filter interior air, Wolverton suggests at least two large plants for every 100 square feet (about 9.3 square metres) of indoor area. The larger and more leafy the plant, the better. This is because the amount of surface area of leaves present affects air purification.

2. The Plant Life Balance Research

Horticultural initiative Plant Life Balance collaborated with scientists at RMIT University in Melbourne to examine past and current research on the benefits of plants and how that information applies to our modern living conditions in order to provide a better understanding of how many plants one needs in their home. New research has found the exact number of plants you should have in your house for optimal health and happiness.

Plants, of course, have two main benefits: improved air quality and increased well-being. In fact, one plant can clean the air in an ordinary four by five metre space by 25%, while five plants can clean the air by up to 75%.

In an average four by five metre room, 10 plants was the golden number for maximum cleansing and wellbeing effects. While a single plant has minimal effect on your well-being, a variety of plants of all sizes and varietals can help you feel more relaxed, inspired, and cheerful.

Why does the size of your plant matter when it comes to cleaning your Indoor Air ?

The size of your plant, as well as the size of its leaf, play a significant impact in giving the air purifying advantages you seek. The overall leaf surface area will determine the number of plants required to clean your home space.

To eliminate poisons from indoor air, plants must first release water vapour from their leaves in order to absorb it and push it to their roots. As a result, the rate at which a plant can remove poisons from the air has become associated with the rate at which water is lost. A little aloe vera plant on a window sill isn't nearly as effective as a huge bamboo palm at cleaning the air.

Some plants are simply better at filtering out the air than others, regardless of the size of their leaves. This is due to the fact that these plants' roots contain more microbes. Microorganisms, unlike humans, prefer dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) because they can break them down and absorb the nutrients they contain. You can always add more plants to your indoor garden to get the most out of it.

You may always refer back to the NASA study to see the whole list of air-purifying plants and which types are perhaps the most efficient.


Basic Calculation of Plants needed for Different Sizes of Rooms

In a 4 by 5 metre room:

According to the research done, one plant will bring minimal mental health in a four by five foot room. Five plants will increase mental wellbeing by 60%, while ten plants will maximise the health and wellbeing advantages.

In a 3 by 3 metre room :

One plant produces 45 percent cleaner air and a modest level of mental health in a three by three metre room. Two plants can produce up to 75% cleaner air and 50% better mental health. In a space this size, 5 plants will provide the most health and wellbeing benefits.

In a 8 by 8 metre room :

16 plants in an eight-by-eight-metre room give 75 percent cleaner air and 60 percent better mental health. The benefits of 32 plants will be maximum in such space.

How many houseplants are too many houseplants?

Houseplants are the best hobby you can pick up, but like any other hobby, it can soon become an obsession and take over your life in order to improve it. Houseplants are unique in that they have the power to make your home feel more alive and improve the appearance of any space.

However, have you ever considered how many plants are too many? If you have too many houseplants or if the ones you have are enormous and neglected, they will clutter your home and make it feel like an untamed jungle where you trip every time you try to go to the restroom.

If you don't love the hobby anymore or they start dying because you don't have enough money, time, space, or the right environment to keep them alive, you have too many houseplants. Every plant you have will eat up some of your time during the day, week, or month. You'll need to water, prune, or repot the plant. Problems will arise from time to time, and your plants will become ill.

Our point here is, all you need to do is commit yourself to the plant babies you bring to your home. Don’t bring plants only because you fancy them. They need your love and attention. If you think you can manage all the urban jungle in your apartment then go ahead and buy every kind of plant. But if you can’t take care of your plants, start with minimum recommended numbers.

This will help you reap their benefits and will not let your plants die in neglect.