Mark Your Calendars for National Indoor Plant Week

We're excited to help spread the word about National Indoor Plant Week (September 16-22), a grassroots initiative that was created to raise awareness of the value and benefits of live indoor plants.

Did you know that research indicates that certain varieties help purify interior spaces and improve productivity in offices where we spend most of our day? Studies from the US Environmental Protection Agency have found that levels of indoor air pollution can be 2-5 times higher - and in some cases 10 times more polluted than outdoor air.

This is where the indoor plants come in! These green heroes, as we like to call them, provide truly amazing benefits. Working 24/7, certain plants absorb almost all volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in indoor air. These VOC's are common chemicals like ammonia, formaldehyde and benzene found in many products around your home and office, like carpets, printer ink, tobacco smoke and cleaning products.

During National Indoor Plant Week and through the month of September, look for varieties such as peace lilies, palms, ferns and spider plants, with 'O2 for You' plant tags at your local retailer. These are the hardest working plants when it comes to cleaning your air!

Please help us spread the word about the about the many benefits of indoor plants! For more information on National Plant Week visit www.nationalindoorplantweek.com). To learn more about 'O2 for You: Houseplants with a Purpose' visit www.o2foryou.org.

-Stacey

Garden Media Group

Easy Ways to Save Water

This spring, Americans should make conserving water one of the most important environmental actions they take at home.  According to the EPA's WaterSense publication, “One of the best ways to save energy across the country and in our own home is to use water more efficiently.”

Mother Nature Network's Roni Robbins lends advice on easy ways to save water at home. Not to mention how it will help cut utility bills.

Don’t water your lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away or evaporates. (Photo: tympsy/Flickr)

Below are tips for preserving this natural resource when landscaping - since it accounts for between 30-70% of water used daily in American homes, depending on the region and season. Taken from “100 Ways to Conserve.”

Rain Barrel from The Growers Exchange

• Don’t water your lawn on windy days when most of the water blows away. Also note: trickling or cascading fountains lose less water to evaporation than those spraying water into the air.
• Water your plants deeply, but less frequently, to encourage deep root growth and drought tolerance. More plants die from over-watering than under-watering. Set a kitchen timer when watering your lawn or garden to remind you when to stop or redirect the water. A running hose can lose up to 10 gallons/ min
• Check the root zone of your lawn or garden for moisture before watering. If it’s still moist 2-3 inches under the soil surface you have enough water. Install a rain sensor on your irrigation controller so your system won’t run when it’s raining. Use a rain gauge, or empty tuna can, to track rainfall on your lawn. Then reduce your watering accordingly. A can of tuna also measures sprinkler output. 1in of water on 1sq ft of grass is 2/3 of a gallon of water.
• Next time you add or replace a flower or shrub, choose a native, low-water-use plant like those from American Beauties for year-round landscape color, and save up to 550 gallons a year
• Direct water from your roof’s rain gutters into a rain barrel to water your garden. 

Soil Reef soil amendment

And finally, a GMG tip: Soil Reef, a biochar based soil amendment, helps your soil retain water and nutrients.  Use it in your garden or in containers and you won't have to water as often.

For other easy ways to save water in and around  the house, check out the graphic home tour navigator at www.H2ouse.net to target room-specific conservation ideas.

And, use this tool on the EPA’s website to calculate the savings you would achieve by using water saving products.

 Katie @KatieGMG
www.gardenmediagroup.com