Houseplants for Clean Air?

[Time Waster]

Perhaps something with vicious spikes instead? I used to have an Opuntia Microdasys. Not exactly spikey but you only touch it once before you learn better. Instead of spines it had lots of fine, barbed hairs that stick in you at the slightest touch. Although it's unfair to buy something that will hurt your cat. Better to give up on things it likes to destroy.

 

[Reynard]

Perhaps something with vicious spikes instead? I used to have an Opuntia Microdasys. Not exactly spikey but you only touch it once before you learn better. Instead of spines it had lots of fine, barbed hairs that stick in you at the slightest touch. Although it's unfair to buy something that will hurt your cat. Better to give up on things it likes to destroy.

I did have one of those - but never underestimate the power of a determined cat to piddle in the pot

It's just easier not to bother tbh, especially given that so many houseplants aren't actually cat safe.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Ooh! When I was a kid I'd have fun identifying the species of all those. I think I got up to about 15 different species. My first was an off shoot of my parents 15 year old cactus. It flowered for the first time and I took an offshoot then grew it on, eventually growing about 5 off that one which flowered twice. I had a Kalanchoe Katy and a "Mexican hat plant". The one that kept producing little plantlets in the notches of its leaves only to drop them into the pot and grow on. Eventually they take over.

I was a cactus and succulent aficionado with an obsessive interest in reading ID books. When I went to garden centres with my parents I'd spend my time identifying the cacti. It's not unusual for me to spot a naming error on the ID label.

I loved the idea that some normal looking plants and spiky succulents were the same genus, like euphorbia. A fairly common garden species but also sold as a houseplant among the cacti and succulents.

Not so good for this house, we get direct sun into the windows but the sills aren't that deep and we have blinds there. So we're looking for plants that need less direct sun. Some succ might do though.

Yeah! My wife has stacks of books on cacti and succulents and she keenly studies them, she also likes spotting mislabelled succulents in the garden centre too.
I think we have about 50 different species.

 

[Time Waster]

Just read a book on cacti in a garden centre today. They described medicinal uses of cacti and succulents. IIRC there's a type of lythops (living stone) that's got a active ingredient that's similar in effect to LSD? Is it called peyote? Definitely not one for a house with a plant nibbling cat or dog!

 

[Time Waster]

Yeah! My wife has stacks of books on cacti and succulents and she keenly studies them, she also likes spotting mislabelled succulents in the garden centre too.
I think we have about 50 different species.

I grew out of it and one by one they died. Last one to go was my first which was the one I grew from an offset from my parents only cactus. I used to joke that I had brown fingers, that even cacti died on me. Truth was I lost interest as it took time and I was a kid with other priorities. Repotting, watering, feeding, etc. I no longer had the time. Then I went to uni.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Most plants have a very minimal benefit for clean air, especially when compared to simply opening your windows, never mind reducing the products used in the home that create the problems, but cacti are an incredible plant, with a host of attractive variations for blossoms.

 

[Time Waster]

Can be difficult to get them to flower, apart from a few genus which flower really easily like mammilaria.

Echinocactus parryi is a nice cactus also Echinocactus texensis which I had and once got a few flowers from.

 

[raleighnut]

Here is the cactus... And the cat... Although she was about 5 months old in this pic, and she's now well over 12...

View attachment 625534

Love the 'eye' when Kizzy get's that look you know to keep away............................. or duck

 

[MontyVeda]

Most plants have a very minimal benefit for clean air, especially when compared to simply opening your windows, never mind reducing the products used in the home that create the problems, but cacti are an incredible plant, with a host of attractive variations for blossoms.

I think the trick is to have about 300 in each room

 

[steveindenmark]

I have no idea of the answer. But they always seem to gravitate to my favourite corner of the house.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

In our kitchen we have a large Spider Plant and a small money plant.





In our lounge we have a pair of African Violets.

 

[Reynard]

Love the 'eye' when Kizzy get's that look you know to keep away............................. or duck

Hah! Tell me about it...

Madam Poppy is in purrfect Tortie Working Order.

 

[MrGrumpy]

No live plants at all in our house as they just die . Honestly we forget a very busy house and don’t get much time at all to sit on my arris .