Quinnipiac has cancelled classes a lot in the past two weeks and it often seems like winter is never going to end. The truth is spring is right around the corner, but instead of waiting for April showers and May flowers, you can bring springtime inside your residence hall. Below are some plants that are easy to take care of and will help you break out of your winter rut.
Peace Lily plants are perfect for combatting pollutants in the air. People usually think of pollution as a harmful outdoor toxin, but pollution can also be found indoors, whether it’s in the classroom or a residence hall. Formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene are three common toxins that can exist indoors, according to healthline.com. Peace lilies, among many plants, are able to actually purify the air. The plant grows a multiple white flowers and requires little attention.
Ivy plants, like the Peace Lily, are also able to cleanse the air of pollutants. In addition, Ivy is capable of thriving in medium to low light conditions, which means it doesn’t need to be right next to a window to survive. Ivy can live without sunlight and can even be kept in room with no windows, like a bathroom, according to The American Ivy Society. Artificial light, such as floor lamps are able to keep ivy plants healthy. It’s a great addition to a residence hall to liven up an area of the room that doesn’t necessarily get that much sunlight.
African violets are perfect for those who want a plant that produces a flower. African violets often produce more than two small flowers at a time. African violet buds can bloom into a variety of colors such as blue, purple and pink to name a few, but can also be multi-colored, Purdue University’s department of horticulture states. Since African violets can come in so many different colors, it’s easy to find one that matches with your room’s color scheme. Similar to Aloe vera, African violets will turn a yellow-brown color if exposed to excessive direct sunlight, according to Purdue University.
Aloe vera plants don’t need a whole lot of attention, especially around this time of the year. Aloe vera plants are in greater danger of being over-watered than under-watered, according to aloeplant.info. “Water your Aloe sparingly in the winter since it won’t be drying up very fast,” aloeplant.info states. The website also states that, while Aloe vera is a type of succulent, being exposed to too much sunlight will make the plant turn brown. Aloe plants like indirect light and will do fine on a table or desk.
Pro tip: It’s well-known that Aloe vera is found in a lot of products such as body lotion, sunscreen, shampoo, hair gel, hand sanitizer and even tissues and toilet paper. There is a reason for all the hype and it’s all due to the plant’s mysterious healing abilities. The gooey inside the plant’s stem works well in everyday products, but it also has the power to treat cuts and burns, according to wikiHow. Aloe vera is the perfect plant to keep in the kitchen in case a cooking experiment results in a cut or burn. Breaking off a piece of the plant and applying the juices to the minor injury should help with healing, wikiHow states. An ABC news article agrees with healing property claims. “Some say the gooey gel from inside the leaf reduces inflammation, thus helping the healing process, and there is substantial evidence that’s at least part of the equation,” ABC news stated.
