When we started our business in Lithuania a couple of years ago, we set ourselves a very clear mission: Lithuania’s walls no longer have to be empty and gloomy. They must bloom! In a literal sense, we have called our company “Žydinčios sienos” (“Blooming Walls”). The whole idea of our activity is focused on vertical planting solutions, by choosing different forms, which often surprises a client with their unexpectedness. These are beautiful pictures of live plants that give a life to the wall, and plant partitions, harmoniously dividing the spaces of open areas, and the backdrops for your events which can be distinguished by their breath-taking luxury. Any tool creates a magnificent view of your home or office wall, which has been without life and is now decorated with plants. From the very beginning, we are interested in naturalness in an innovative way: live plants and vertical cultivation solutions.
Why is such a passion for live plants and how did you come up with the idea of growing plants differently? These and similar questions are asked by you, our customers, people who understand the value of the plants, everyone who wants to create a favourable and safe environment for themselves, family, friends or colleagues.
As interest grows, the number of questions is also growing, the idea of starting writing a blog and to start a regular conversation with you, who are trying to learn as much as possible and are willing to make the right decisions by creating a cosy home or the office of the desired employer, arose. We would like to start with the usual plants that are close to us, and the tradition of growing comes from our mothers and grandmothers. However, do we really know why live plants are so valuable and important to us?
Why do you need to be friends with plants?
German scientists have investigated indoor air and have found that it contains more than 1,000 names of toxic substances, 250 of which are highly toxic and 15 may cause cancer. About 150 names of volatile substances are released by the human body by sweating and breathing. These include acetone, ethyl and methyl alcohols, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and etc. Many toxic substances are emitted by building and interior finishing materials — wood fibre boards, pipelines, synthetic carpets, paints, varnishes. Various devices used to improve people’s quality of life –gas stoves, printers, computers, and copiers also emit harmful substances.
There are various ways to clean the air indoors, starting from sophisticated air conditioning systems that are expensive and create a distance from naturalness and nature. The more effective and more close to human nature is an approach that has been proven by the research performed by American NASA scientists, which is to use plants. Indoor plants can improve indoor air quality by removing small concentrations of poisonous substances contained therein. They studied 50 most commonly indoors grown plants. And all of them cleaned the air of substances harmful to human being.
Various microorganisms, such as bacteria, microscopic fungi multiply in human work and living quarters. There are those who cause diseases among them. Plants emit volatile phyto-organic substances that destroy or prevent the growth of microorganisms. These are various ethers, spirits, phenols, terpenes.
People feel good when relative humidity of the air is 45-55 %. When relative humidity is lower, unpleasant senses, such as dryness of the skin, eyes, nasal mucous membrane and breakage of nails appear. Dry air can be the cause of bronchitis and even pneumonia. The most ecological air humidifier is plants. They evaporate around 98 % of the water used for watering. They do this without using any extra energy.
Plants breathe all the time, during day and night, they release oxygen. Oxygen ions are classified as a group of light negative ions, the number of which in the air is dependent on human health. They provide energy, regulate the activity of respiratory enzymes and metabolism, improve blood composition and increase the body’s resistance. In light ions enriched air people recover faster, and when they are healthy, they are physically and mentally active.
Plants through their shapes and colours affect the psycho-emotional state of human beings. Emotionally a human being is affected by the shape, silhouette and colour of the plant. Calming plants are of round or oval shape with tilted, close-fitting branches and leaves. Green leaf plants are grown in our walls or in live plant pictures. We can relax by looking at them: changing shades of colour are calming, no plant has a perfect uniform shape, diversity brings attention, distracts from everyday worries, the image of plant details, then moving to thoughts promotes positive emotions, removes tension.
Undoubtedly, we all want to have and grow live plants indoors. We will tell you in the next texts of our blog how to do this in a new, stylish and interesting way.
We are looking forward for readers’ questions, please email us at info@zydinciossienos.lt
Prepared according to the information provided by LEU, KTU and Public Health Bureau.