Why do plants not like dust?
Let’s start with a little refresher course in biology: Plants absorb light through their leaves, which is then converted into glucose and oxygen. In this way, the plant not only produces nutrients for itself but also gives us extra oxygen at home. But… you guessed it: if there’s a layer of dust on the leaves, the plants can hardly absorb light, and therefore can’t produce nutrients. Not only is this bad for the growth and health of your plant, but it will also prevent you from getting extra fresh oxygen.
You don’t have to clean all the plants
However, you don’t have to clean all the plants. Some plants, such as succulents or ferns, have a special protective layer, or tiny hairs, on their leaves. This layer protects the plants from direct sunlight, so you don’t want to damage them. In this case, it is better not to dust!
This way you keep your plants dust free
Well, now that you know why you should keep most of your plants dust-free, it’s also helpful to know the best way to do it. How often you have to do this depends entirely on your home. Simply put, one house gets dusty faster than the other. So it’s a matter of keeping a close eye on that. However, it is often the large-leaved plants that collect a lot of dust, such as the ficus plant, banana plant, or bird-of-paradise plant.
You can remove dust in several ways. But whatever you do, use it There are no cleaning products.
Below we explain three ways to keep your plants dust free:
1. Spray the plant and cloth
A simple way to keep your plants dust free is to wipe them down with a damp cloth or mist your plant with a plant spray. but keep an eye on When using a plant sprayer, you spray the dust well and, if necessary, wipe it off with a cloth. If you don’t, just spray it on while it’s wet, then it stays on and it dries again. It is also important to check first if the leaves of your plant can get wet. Some plants do not like wet leaves, such as Begonia maculata, or Polka dot plant.
Additionally, you have to be careful that if you use one cloth for several plants, you won’t accidentally spread a pest infestation.
2. Aspirate
Another good and easy way to dust your plants is to give them a (lukewarm) bath. This is akin to a gentle rain shower that really makes the plants happiest. If you don’t want the soil to get too wet, you can cover it with a plastic bag.
3. tassel
There are, of course, also plants that are impossible to clean with a cloth, or require so little water that they may drown in the shower. Of course, it can only be about one plant: aloe vera. So it’s best to clean them with a small, soft brush, so you can also remove the dust between the skewers.
Image credits
header image: Scott Webb – Unsplash
