When buying plants for their offices, people often make a mistake in choosing the plants before deciding where to place them. Different plants thrive in different spots, depending on the amount of space and light, while others prefer shade. When choosing a perfect spot for your plants, make sure to include these considerations.
Available space
Just like human beings, plants need a certain amount of space to grow healthily. Squeezing plants between or behind pieces of furniture is never a good idea, as this blocks the airflow and makes them difficult to breathe. Airflow is essential for plants to develop strong stems, while it also helps plants replenish CO2 and resist disease. Considering this, the best place for your plants is in hallways, in front of windows, and on top of tables and desks. For rooms with poor airflow, choose species that can survive in the low-flow environment, such as the Iron plant.
Foot traffic
Office buildings typically have several high-traffic areas, such as entrances, break rooms, and restrooms. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid putting your plants in these areas, as it’s more likely someone will bump into them, damage them, or even knock them over. If you want to add plants to a high-traffic room, make sure you identify the busiest spots and place plants out of the way or even on vertical surfaces such as walls or support pillars.
Humidity
Due to heaters and air conditioning, most offices have low environmental humidity, which dries out the air and the soil. Make sure your plants are placed away from heaters, radiators, and AC units. Some plants, like Bella Palm, Bird of Paradise, and other tropical plants, require more humidity than others, so if you plan to keep them in a heated or conditioned room, make sure they are misted daily for added moisture.
Temperature
Apart from humidity, the temperature is also essential for plant wellness, as heating causes the soil to dry faster, while air conditioning makes it dry more slowly. Unless you want to get into details which plants prefer moist soil more than the others, make sure you keep them all away from heat sources and AC units. If your office is kept at the constant temperature, it might not be an issue for plants, but if the heat is turned down during the weekends, you may want to water the plants before the office closes on Friday.
Hired plants
If you don’t have time or expertise, but want to bring some greenery into your office, there is more than one reason for you to consider plants for hire – you can choose among the latest in interior plant trends, including both plant types and pots, while a team of experts examines your office space and suggests the best plants for you. These people understand interior design and plant physiology, so the result is plants that thrive instead of looking half-dead. In addition, hired plants come with plant maintenance, so you don’t have to bother with watering, trimming, and dusting ever again.
Light level
On the other hand, if you trust your knowledge of indoor plants, make sure to choose plants that are a good match for the light levels in your office. The light level depends on the exact spot where you want to place your plant, so for example in the northern hemisphere, a southwest facing window will be a high-light area, suitable for Aloe species, Sanseveria, and Money Tree. Medium-light plants like Arrowhead and Pothos will thrive in east- and west-facing windows, while ferns, Corn Plant, and Philodendron are best kept in north-facing windows and rooms with fluorescent light.
What size
In general floor, plants should be taller while those that go on your desk should be shorter. Since plants grow, it's always better to buy smaller than the one you want in the end. Desktop plants that are less than 2.5 feet tall include different species of cacti, the Arrowhead, Bird’s Nest Fern, and Bella Palm, while for the floor plants that match them in height, you can get the Bird of Paradise or Dracaena. These plants work best around seating areas, near entrances, or in high empty corners.
Just like vegetables and different fruit cultivars, decorative indoor plants have their sets of traits and preferences. While some like well-lit areas and dryer air, others thrive in darker corners and moist soil. To solve these issues with one stroke, some business owners choose to hire plants along with professional care and maintenance service.
Guest post by Lillian Connors
About the Author
Lillian Connors can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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