Choosing your first desk plant can be very overwhelming if you are not really into gardening in the first place. There are so many considerations, so many options of plants and so much hesitation involved since you don’t want to be stuck with a plant that at the end puts too much burden and makes you less-productive at office.
and after so many hours of research, you get to the point that you want a small potted plant which is easy to take care of and fit on your desk beautifully. And then, succulents and cacti pop up as one of the best candidates which you would like to purchase. but, you are still wondering, are succulents good desk plants after-all?
Succulents and cacti are good if not the best desk plants you could have. They are the easiest plants to maintain indoor. In nature they grow in places where often not a drop of water falls for months. Hence, they can store large amounts of moisture. Moreover, they are ‘built’ in such a way that hardly a drop of moisture evaporates. And there are hundreds of varieties you can choose from.
Succulents come in all shapes and sizes. An example of a beautiful succulent plant is Aloe Vera . This plant makes your living room smell wonderful and the plant also looks beautiful. Another succulent you should definitely take a look at is the Sansevieria Futura Superba; with its twisted leaves, the plant gives your living room an original touch! Or how about Sansevieria Velvet Touch? A special succulent with a brightly colored top. Rosalina is a succulent that is sold a lot nowadays; this is probably due to her brightly colored flowers.
What are the benefits of a succulent plant?
Succulents are quite popular again. This is not surprising, because these indoor plants have many advantages:
- Succulents, like cacti, are succulent plants. That means it will store water in their leaves, stems and roots. The plants therefore have their own water reservoir and this means that they do not need much water.
- Whether your living style is modern or classic; succulents really suit any interior .
- There are many different types of succulents. There is always one you like. For example, could your interior use some color? Then choose a succulent with colorful flowers.
- It is all right if you forget to water the succulent once. This plant can handle that well.
There is numerous scientific research that has been done on the subject of the benefit of having plants in office.
The research was conducted at various companies and healthcare institutions in the Netherlands. Various sensors have been used (to measure the indoor climate) in office spaces where office plants are temporarily used and where no office plants have been used. The employees gave them an opinion about the workplace before and after planting. Various tests have also been done to determine the level of cortisol (a stress hormone) and the ability to concentrate. The following results were obtained from this.
THE SIX POSITIVE EFFECTS OF PLANTS IN THE WORKPLACE:
- Humidity: the humidity in rooms with plants is on average 5% higher than without plants. In winter this can be as much as a 17% improvement.
- Pleasant workplace: employees rate the workplace as more attractive to see (an increase of 26%).
- State of mind : the state of mind of employees is more positive after the planting than before. Another study by bregroup also shows an increase of 15%.
- More creative and better functioning: employees notice that they have an increased ability to concentrate, are more creative (15% more from research by bregroup) and therefore function better.
- Better distribution of temperature: the temperature with office plants in rooms is better distributed, so that employees are less likely to feel too hot or too cold.
- Less sick leave: 1.6 sick days less per employee per year. Which means that employees report sick 20% less with a plant in the workplace.
How do I care for my succulents?
Succulents are really easy plants to care for. Proper care takes little time. Water the plants once a week in the summer and once every two weeks at other times. Unless the ground is still very wet; Too much water will cause the roots to rot and chances are that the succulent will not survive. The succulents prefer to be placed on the windowsill. Here it is sunny and they also get warmth from the heating. A tip from us: watch out for full sun. When the sun is really very hot, the leaves can get a kind of brown wounds. In addition, it is good to know that succulents must be re-potted every year. In this way, the plants can in any case continue to grow well.
Gardening is my passion and growing plants indoors has always been a stress relief for me. Grow a banana tree in my apartment once (although failed to produce bananas).
