Air pollution has now become a daily meal for residents in various cities. If left unchecked, air pollution can gradually harm the health of the body. Therefore, it is necessary to have real countermeasures to overcome the problem of air pollution in the area. This is where the benefits of growing plants can no longer be underestimated.
The purpose of planting plants may not be immediately felt by us in a short time. But in the future, this effort will be very useful for our children and grandchildren later, so that they can grow in areas with clean air and free from disease.
Benefits of growing plants for health and the environment
Why do we have to grow plants? Plants are not only beautiful plants to look at, but also have many health benefits for the body and the area in the long term.
There are many benefits of growing plants, ranging from sterilizing the air to easing mental stress.
Here are the benefits of growing plants that are good for health and the area:
1. Make the air fresher
One of the benefits of growing plants is to make the air fresh
One of the benefits of growing plants is to make the air fresh
When asked, what is the purpose of growing plants? The very first answer that comes to mind is refreshing the air.
Plants are air filters on earth. With their leaves and stems, plants absorb harmful gases and components in the air and then produce oxygen, thereby helping us to breathe.
In big cities, plants generally also absorb polluting gases produced by vehicles such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, and carbon monoxide. Not only that, dust and other smoke will also be removed by it.
2. Protects mental health
The benefits of growing plants near the house can protect psychological health. Living in a shady area and lots of trees, is good for mental health. Getting closer to nature can also improve cognitive skills and reduce the stress we feel.
3. Reduce UV light exposure to the skin
In a tropical country like Indonesia with abundant sun exposure, there is an increasing risk, namely the high exposure to ultraviolet light. Meanwhile, constant exposure to light on the skin can increase the risk of developing skin cancer.
Plants can reduce UVB light exposure by as much as 50{9cee231af4442b6aea73d6ab676325b3161b84c5f43230a6f869604305edf9eb} and lower our risk of being attacked by the negative effects of that light.
4. Reduce the impact of climate change
One of the triggers for the formation of air changes is the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Plants can help reduce levels significantly and release oxygen into the air.
Not only avoiding the formation of air changes, plants also actually help us survive.
5. Avoid water pollution
During heavy rains or storms, the water that falls to the earth is at risk of carrying pollutants in the form of phosphorus and nitrogen. If there are no plants, these pollutants will flow directly into the sea without filtering.
Meanwhile, if many plants are planted, the rainwater that falls will be filtered and can absorb into the soil. That way, he doesn’t want to pollute the sea.
6. Increase groundwater reserves
Plants can protect the water that is placed in the soil so that it does not evaporate too quickly. So, our ground water reserves can always be maintained. Not only that, plants only need 15 gallons of water to survive each week, but can help produce 200-450 gallons of water per day.
7. Protecting the population of living things
One plant stem, can be the home of tens or even hundreds of types of living things ranging from birds, insects, reptiles, fungi, and also other plants.
Without plants, various living things will run out of their homes.
8. Avoid flooding
Recently, news about floods always decorates the mirror screen. Many people were affected by this disaster, and had to run out of their possessions. Until then, flood prevention measures need to be tried from now on.
Avoiding floods is the responsibility of all of us. You can start with simple steps such as not littering and starting to grow plants, at least in your own garden.
Not only that, it was mentioned that planting plants in the riverbank zone can reduce flood water levels by up to 20 percent.
9. Avoid soil erosion
What else is the purpose of planting plants not only to avoid soil erosion that stimulates landslides?
Dry, arid and wide land without overgrown plants will easily collapse when afflicted by
the water pressure is so great when it rains.
If there are plants, then the water pressure from the dense rain can be reduced before reaching the ground and the excess water is absorbed by the base. The risk of landslides is also low.
10. Energy saving
Planting plants is one solution to save energy. The reason is that plants can make the air fresher and cooler, thus reducing pollution.
This benefit can reduce the use of electronic equipment, such as air conditioners (AC) to fans that require great power. As it is known that the temperature of the earth continues to increase due to the phenomenon of global warming, so energy-saving measures need to be tried.
Methods of growing plants in the home garden
After knowing the benefits of growing plants, are you currently interested in doing them at home? If so, some gardening tips and growing plants in this home garden are worth a try.
1. Determine what the purpose of planting trees is
The purpose of planting plants is important to examine first so that next time you know what plants you want to start planting.
If your goal of growing plants is to relieve stress and fill your spare time, you can try planting various ornamental plants.
However, if you want to try to start gardening to produce fruit or vegetables, growing plants such as tomatoes, onions or other vegetables will be the right choice.
The purpose of planting plants that are clear will also help you more easily prepare all the needs that match the space or garden of the house that is available.
2. Prepare the gardening space
The first thing that must be considered before starting gardening is to prepare a room or garden for planting plants.
You don’t need a large garden, you just need to prepare a small garden or plant container for growing plants.
In preparing a gardening space, also pay attention to the amount of sunlight in the room and the water source in the home garden is there.
3. Selection of the right seeds
If you want to be successful in gardening, you must know what plant seeds are suitable for planting at certain times and weather conditions that are suitable for the area where you live.
Choose vines if the balcony or rooftop is your gardening zone. These vines will help reduce the seriousness of excessive sunlight at certain times.
If you are just starting out in gardening, choose ornamental plants with various colors and types whose planting method is fairly easy.
Not only flowers, some plants such as tomatoes, beans, onions to radishes can be the right choice.
4. Apply regular maintenance
To create beautiful and healthy plants, gardening patience is very necessary. Make sure you regularly trim wilted leaves or dry parts so that the rotation of the plant is always maintained.
Do not flush too much water to wet the garden area or home garden. Be diligent about changing or distributing fertilizers to your plants so they can grow healthier.