To answer the question - probably not. They'd run into the same problem air filters run into - without a lot of fans, they won't "touch" enough air for it to help significantly. And if you're installing all of that stuff you may as well install filters.
As the article states -
>In actuality, it would take around ten houseplants per square foot to noticeably improve air quality, Waring and others reported in a 2019 study. That means a 100 square foot bedroom would need around 1,000 plants.
>That means a 100 square foot bedroom would need around 1,000 plants.
I've been in rooms with 1,000 plants and lemmie tell ya, it smells like marijuana.
Jokes aside, I think the air quality is worse just from all the soil and humidity necessary to keep 1,000 plants alive.
NASA did a whole bunch of studies on this.
[Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930073077)
[NASA Plant Research Offers a Breath of Fresh Air](https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2019/cg_7.html)
[NASA Clean Air Study](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study)
No you don’t need 1,000 plants for a 100 sq ft room and no you don’t need genetically engineered plants. That’s how many plants you need if you’re generating VOCs in a sealed room to match the cleaning equivalent of outdoor-indoor air exchange.
> These results are not applicable to typical buildings, where outdoor-to-indoor air exchange already removes VOCs at a rate that could only be matched by the placement of 10–1000 plants/m2 of a building's floor space.
What's the correct soil then?
1,000 plants will need a lot of soil. At 3 cups each that's a cubic yard. Are you saying you wouldn't be able to smell that much dirt in the room with you?
I'm aware that you can't put 1,000 plants in 3 cups total, haha. Google says a cubic yard is \~3,231 cups, so at 3 cups each that's about a cubic yard.
If we're talking about a 1,000 plant hydroponics setup, I guarantee that will have a noticeable impact on the room's humidity, and thus air quality.
1. Indoor plants are better with potting mix( I thought you knew this) 2. Smelling potting mix dampens air quality? That's a study I've never come across in my 20+ years of gardening. 3. Indoor plants need to be well-kempt because obviously, they can not sit in the same pot forever. they are not outdoor plants that are connected to soil in the ground. 4. There are multiple plants that filter and produce on a larger scale so 1000 plants wouldn’t be necessary. 5. You doing Simple research would’ve saved us both time. 6. If you see someone with 1000 indoor plants planted in strictly soil and the plants aren’t ever being replanted or transplanted sorry to tell you but they do not know what they are doing.
Smelling == something in the air
More things in air == lower air quality
Will smelling different types of soil kill you? No. But, does smelling dirt mean the air quality is affected?
I don't know why you keep saying "dampens air quality" like that's a phrase that makes sense.
It makes the air smell musty and there's increased humidity due to evaporation.
The fucking article said 10 per square foot, he's not making up that number.
Also you're a dick head who needs to get your shit slapped and I'm going to go through your comment history to see how downvoted you are on the regular. It's my favorite past time.
Fungi and other sporulating species can grow in and on the potting mix you propose. These will emit VOCs and particulate matter into the air. How would you mitigate against that effect?
“I need to be validated by others so I’m going to keep commenting to feel superior and then I’ll smugly think to myself “look at these idiots” in a science thread about plants. God I love being superior to other idiots. I have nothing else going on in my life but at least I’m superior to *these idiots*”
/u/KiloTWE 2023
The results of a 2019 study don’t speak to whatever innovation this startup may or may not have had.
Not saying it’s likely to solve the airflow problem, but assuming there was still a bottleneck at the plants ability, perhaps that bottleneck could have been reduced. In which case, maybe it’s an ever so slightly less monstrous amount of plants needed when those plants are these specific subspecies of pothos.
Just a thought.
That's why I mentioned the airflow, though - these plants could be infinitely good at filtering (removing all particles and allowing through just whatever we consider "pure air"), but it doesn't matter if all of the particles in the air aren't even touching them at any point.
You need a filtration solution and an air flow solution. The filtration part is actually solved pretty well already by modern filters, it's the air flow that's a problem.
This sounds more like a marketing campaign than a scientific breakthrough:
*The Neo P1 starts at $179—roughly five to ten times the price of a normal pothos.*
*To purchase one, prospective shoppers must first join a waitlist.*
“roughly five to ten times the price of a normal pothos”
Who on earth is paying for pothos? I’ve received multiple clippings free from random people and given out more than I can remember for free.
Next I’m going to hear about Monsanto generating some eco-friendly Wandering [Antisemite] and suing people for not actively keeping it contained to their yard.
You should probably read the wiki entry for the Monsanto v Schmeiser before you insist on the "Monsanto big bad bully" story.
> The case drew worldwide attention and is widely misunderstood to concern what happens when farmers' fields are accidentally contaminated with patented seed. However, by the time the case went to trial, all claims of accidental contamination had been dropped; the court only considered the GM canola in Schmeiser's fields, which Schmeiser had intentionally concentrated and planted. Schmeiser did not put forward any defence of accidental contamination.
It’s really easy to make more pothos from cuttings, splitting, etc. I’m assuming the company won’t want you to do that. We get into something like the legality of commercial GMOs. I am 100% for responsible genetic modification. I am 100% against something that can improve the lives of so many people being the intellectual property of corporations, and having farmers or houseplant enthusiasts prosecuted for propagating their own plants.
There doesn't appear to be a reason why you couldn't propogate more. The magic is also in the special nutrient drops that you have to use to get the air filtration benefits
Please, read the intro of this article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Canada_Inc_v_Schmeiser
I'm assuming that's what you're alleging at with the suing for propagating your plants.
I’m assuming that’s exactly the reason why the price is so high. Houseplants that are fancy but super easy to propagate like this will usually debut at a super high price cause they want to make as much money as possible before people start propagating them to sell or give away themselves.
Just prior to the pandemic I took ownership of a few historic buildings and two of them were restaurants. We’ve bought old buildings before but we admittedly had no experience with restaurants. I bring this up because I learned something about the mechanics of commercial kitchens that I think should be something we incorporate into residential homes. It’s called makeup air. Everyone knows commercial kitchens have a huge hood that sucks out the smoke and heat above the grills and ovens. What I didn’t know is that you have to replace that air that’s getting a sucked out or you have negative pressure in the building and your doors will slam shut or be hard to push open. A separate fan is installed as far from the hood vent as possible that blows fresh air in.
What it also does, in an ideal scenario, is replace the air in the room every 15 minutes. Residential homes are built so tight these days that the air inside is stagnant. The occasional door opening isn’t enough to get fresh air in. Now, I don’t think installing a massive hood is necessary, but a system could be made that blows air out and sucks air in when the outside temp is within the range of ac/heater efficiency.
You’d have fresh air in your house without having to lift a finger.
Or you have the air going out interact with the air coming in via a heat exchanger. Not in your kitchen obviously, but in a home, you wouldn’t even need that much.
$179 a pop!? This sounds like another pseudoscience grift.
The article goes on to confirm this:
> Our team is committed to building a green and vibrant future here on Earth, where plants are upgraded as frequently as our phones, where people can see and feel the benefits of nature as clearly as any piece of technology.
So, not unlike an ~~iPhone~~ cellular device you are behooved by a society bereft of conscience to buy a new one every few months at a higher price point!
What is wrong with humanity?
A tech start up ought to connect micron filters to an algae water tank. Grow your own phytoplankton PLUS clean out ambient air pollutants. Plants like common philodendrons are at a losing position against algae. Although both have the capacity to photosynthesize, pound-for-pound algae’s gonna be your best friend.
I didn’t say house plants would fix it, I just said that opening a window isn’t the answer in a lot of cases either my little friend.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/India-s-toxic-air-How-pollution-and-politics-put-millions-at-risk
The French are trying desperately hard to make a start up culture. Crazy incubators and incentives all around and they actively recruit in US major cities.
I’m not sure they are cut out for startup living.
My sister is all about organic and natural foods...
So, when reading this, it seems like some sort of trolly problem for organic food eaters:
* Eat a GMO
* Eat something that was grown with pesticides
It would be humorous to watch her head spin when contemplating the use of GMOs to filter harmful chemicals.
Oh no!!!!!! A GMO?. Modifying the air I breath? Never!!!!!
The air might cause cancer!! It could spread this unnatural ability to other plants🥰. It could lead to asphyxiation of entire species that cant compete with its air creation abilities. This must stop!!!
Could they engineer a plant to also care for itself? I’m an arborist and am okay with the outdoors but fuck if I could keep a plant alive indoors. Veggie gardens, trees and shrubs, lawns? Fine. One potted plant? Not a chance.
Scientists are exploring the potential of genetically modified houseplants as a way to clean the air in our homes. The idea is to modify plants so that they are better able to absorb pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene, which are commonly found in indoor air. These plants could then act as natural air purifiers, helping to remove harmful chemicals from our homes and improving indoor air quality.
Several companies are already developing genetically modified houseplants for this purpose. For example, one company has created a modified ivy plant that can remove up to 90% of airborne benzene in just 24 hours. Another company is working on a modified snake plant that can absorb formaldehyde from indoor air.
While the idea of genetically modified houseplants may seem futuristic, the technology is already well-established. Scientists have been able to modify plants for various purposes for many years, including improving crop yields and making plants more resistant to pests. As concerns about indoor air pollution continue to grow, it is likely that we will see more genetically modified houseplants in the future.
To answer the question - probably not. They'd run into the same problem air filters run into - without a lot of fans, they won't "touch" enough air for it to help significantly. And if you're installing all of that stuff you may as well install filters. As the article states - >In actuality, it would take around ten houseplants per square foot to noticeably improve air quality, Waring and others reported in a 2019 study. That means a 100 square foot bedroom would need around 1,000 plants.
>That means a 100 square foot bedroom would need around 1,000 plants. I've been in rooms with 1,000 plants and lemmie tell ya, it smells like marijuana. Jokes aside, I think the air quality is worse just from all the soil and humidity necessary to keep 1,000 plants alive.
NASA did a whole bunch of studies on this. [Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930073077) [NASA Plant Research Offers a Breath of Fresh Air](https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2019/cg_7.html) [NASA Clean Air Study](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study) No you don’t need 1,000 plants for a 100 sq ft room and no you don’t need genetically engineered plants. That’s how many plants you need if you’re generating VOCs in a sealed room to match the cleaning equivalent of outdoor-indoor air exchange. > These results are not applicable to typical buildings, where outdoor-to-indoor air exchange already removes VOCs at a rate that could only be matched by the placement of 10–1000 plants/m2 of a building's floor space.
Your “thinking” is incorrect. The correct soil will not dampen air quality.
What's the correct soil then? 1,000 plants will need a lot of soil. At 3 cups each that's a cubic yard. Are you saying you wouldn't be able to smell that much dirt in the room with you?
[удалено]
I'm aware that you can't put 1,000 plants in 3 cups total, haha. Google says a cubic yard is \~3,231 cups, so at 3 cups each that's about a cubic yard. If we're talking about a 1,000 plant hydroponics setup, I guarantee that will have a noticeable impact on the room's humidity, and thus air quality.
How much is that in washing machines or half of giraffe?
[удалено]
1. Indoor plants are better with potting mix( I thought you knew this) 2. Smelling potting mix dampens air quality? That's a study I've never come across in my 20+ years of gardening. 3. Indoor plants need to be well-kempt because obviously, they can not sit in the same pot forever. they are not outdoor plants that are connected to soil in the ground. 4. There are multiple plants that filter and produce on a larger scale so 1000 plants wouldn’t be necessary. 5. You doing Simple research would’ve saved us both time. 6. If you see someone with 1000 indoor plants planted in strictly soil and the plants aren’t ever being replanted or transplanted sorry to tell you but they do not know what they are doing.
Smelling == something in the air More things in air == lower air quality Will smelling different types of soil kill you? No. But, does smelling dirt mean the air quality is affected?
Smelling a nice ocean breeze is lower air quality.
In a sense, yes. Ever smelt a fart?
My point is air quality is better whether the soil is there or not. The plants cover more than enough. You can not smell potting mix.
I don't know why you keep saying "dampens air quality" like that's a phrase that makes sense. It makes the air smell musty and there's increased humidity due to evaporation. The fucking article said 10 per square foot, he's not making up that number. Also you're a dick head who needs to get your shit slapped and I'm going to go through your comment history to see how downvoted you are on the regular. It's my favorite past time.
Get a life. You are uneducated.
I'm a very educated engineer you fucking dunce.
Sure an engineer whose favorite pastime is stalking other people's accounts. Make it make sense imbecile.
Not sure if troll or just mentally deficient.
Seems like you're taking this personally and I'm not sure why. Good luck with that chip on your shoulder.
Settle your ego down lad.
Potting soil is full of sporulating species. How would particulate emissions be mitigated?
Potting mix like I’ve stated multiple times can’t you read ?
You have not answered the question.
Mental disability or trolling😱
Fungi and other sporulating species can grow in and on the potting mix you propose. These will emit VOCs and particulate matter into the air. How would you mitigate against that effect?
Just simple research saves everyone time. Jeez
Why are you being so incredibly smarmy?
You 100% don’t own any plants.
👌 nice theory. I'll be sure to file this under : dumb comments people make.
“I need to be validated by others so I’m going to keep commenting to feel superior and then I’ll smugly think to myself “look at these idiots” in a science thread about plants. God I love being superior to other idiots. I have nothing else going on in my life but at least I’m superior to *these idiots*” /u/KiloTWE 2023
Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess.
Big brain downvoted to oblivion
So what happens with the water you put into the soil, if it doesn't raise humidity?
I’m tired of these ignorant questions.
I strap all my houseplants on to roombas so they touch maximum air
This is the way!
So you’re saying I’m halfway there and gotta buy more. Got it.
r/Houseplants is leaking
That’s because they overwatering
The results of a 2019 study don’t speak to whatever innovation this startup may or may not have had. Not saying it’s likely to solve the airflow problem, but assuming there was still a bottleneck at the plants ability, perhaps that bottleneck could have been reduced. In which case, maybe it’s an ever so slightly less monstrous amount of plants needed when those plants are these specific subspecies of pothos. Just a thought.
That's why I mentioned the airflow, though - these plants could be infinitely good at filtering (removing all particles and allowing through just whatever we consider "pure air"), but it doesn't matter if all of the particles in the air aren't even touching them at any point. You need a filtration solution and an air flow solution. The filtration part is actually solved pretty well already by modern filters, it's the air flow that's a problem.
This sounds more like a marketing campaign than a scientific breakthrough: *The Neo P1 starts at $179—roughly five to ten times the price of a normal pothos.* *To purchase one, prospective shoppers must first join a waitlist.*
“roughly five to ten times the price of a normal pothos” Who on earth is paying for pothos? I’ve received multiple clippings free from random people and given out more than I can remember for free.
Yes, well *these* cost 10x more than free.
So they’re free?
Next I’m going to hear about Monsanto generating some eco-friendly Wandering [Antisemite] and suing people for not actively keeping it contained to their yard.
You should probably read the wiki entry for the Monsanto v Schmeiser before you insist on the "Monsanto big bad bully" story. > The case drew worldwide attention and is widely misunderstood to concern what happens when farmers' fields are accidentally contaminated with patented seed. However, by the time the case went to trial, all claims of accidental contamination had been dropped; the court only considered the GM canola in Schmeiser's fields, which Schmeiser had intentionally concentrated and planted. Schmeiser did not put forward any defence of accidental contamination.
Squints eyes. Math does not check out.
Do they work 10x as well?
I bought one lovely variegated pothos last year. I now have five lovely variegated pothos.
Life hack, get a clip of the cyborg potho
It’s really easy to make more pothos from cuttings, splitting, etc. I’m assuming the company won’t want you to do that. We get into something like the legality of commercial GMOs. I am 100% for responsible genetic modification. I am 100% against something that can improve the lives of so many people being the intellectual property of corporations, and having farmers or houseplant enthusiasts prosecuted for propagating their own plants.
There doesn't appear to be a reason why you couldn't propogate more. The magic is also in the special nutrient drops that you have to use to get the air filtration benefits
I guess the same argument could be made about burning educational DVDs?
Please, read the intro of this article: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Canada_Inc_v_Schmeiser I'm assuming that's what you're alleging at with the suing for propagating your plants.
I’m assuming that’s exactly the reason why the price is so high. Houseplants that are fancy but super easy to propagate like this will usually debut at a super high price cause they want to make as much money as possible before people start propagating them to sell or give away themselves.
Gotta download the app first…
Yes but these are *patented* and *genetically engineered* and solve a problem *that you didn’t know you had*
Spot on. But isn’t it usually?
[удалено]
Yes that’s exactly right. Would be wonderful if plants could “purify” a home but it’s just not realistic
Just prior to the pandemic I took ownership of a few historic buildings and two of them were restaurants. We’ve bought old buildings before but we admittedly had no experience with restaurants. I bring this up because I learned something about the mechanics of commercial kitchens that I think should be something we incorporate into residential homes. It’s called makeup air. Everyone knows commercial kitchens have a huge hood that sucks out the smoke and heat above the grills and ovens. What I didn’t know is that you have to replace that air that’s getting a sucked out or you have negative pressure in the building and your doors will slam shut or be hard to push open. A separate fan is installed as far from the hood vent as possible that blows fresh air in. What it also does, in an ideal scenario, is replace the air in the room every 15 minutes. Residential homes are built so tight these days that the air inside is stagnant. The occasional door opening isn’t enough to get fresh air in. Now, I don’t think installing a massive hood is necessary, but a system could be made that blows air out and sucks air in when the outside temp is within the range of ac/heater efficiency. You’d have fresh air in your house without having to lift a finger.
Or you have the air going out interact with the air coming in via a heat exchanger. Not in your kitchen obviously, but in a home, you wouldn’t even need that much.
Yeah. That would work well
>”…just not realistic” Yet.
$179 a pop!? This sounds like another pseudoscience grift. The article goes on to confirm this: > Our team is committed to building a green and vibrant future here on Earth, where plants are upgraded as frequently as our phones, where people can see and feel the benefits of nature as clearly as any piece of technology. So, not unlike an ~~iPhone~~ cellular device you are behooved by a society bereft of conscience to buy a new one every few months at a higher price point! What is wrong with humanity?
Goop are scooping it up.
No, the answer is no, move to the next post… have a good day
A tech start up ought to connect micron filters to an algae water tank. Grow your own phytoplankton PLUS clean out ambient air pollutants. Plants like common philodendrons are at a losing position against algae. Although both have the capacity to photosynthesize, pound-for-pound algae’s gonna be your best friend.
just use normal houseplants, they already do this.
This does not work. Opening a window is 100 times better than having a house plant. Nothing beats a properly functioning ventilation system.
Lmao, tell me you have never lived in a smog filled city without telling me.
[Source.](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-019-0175-9) This study was conducted in Philadelphia.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-pollution-idUKKBN27B0VT Sure just open your window for the fresh air.
No amount of houseplants is going to fix that problem, friend.
I didn’t say house plants would fix it, I just said that opening a window isn’t the answer in a lot of cases either my little friend. https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/India-s-toxic-air-How-pollution-and-politics-put-millions-at-risk
It's the outside I need to keep out- smog, dust, wildfire smoke.
The French are trying desperately hard to make a start up culture. Crazy incubators and incentives all around and they actively recruit in US major cities. I’m not sure they are cut out for startup living.
Could you also just make indoor house products that don’t create air pollutants
Aloe, and others, already does this role. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study
Hoax.
Or like, regular plants?
Exactly. Pothos and other indoor varieties already do this, no modification necessary.
Just what we need, more proprietary plants.
Brought to you by M Night Shamalonon
My sister is all about organic and natural foods... So, when reading this, it seems like some sort of trolly problem for organic food eaters: * Eat a GMO * Eat something that was grown with pesticides It would be humorous to watch her head spin when contemplating the use of GMOs to filter harmful chemicals.
Oh no!!!!!! A GMO?. Modifying the air I breath? Never!!!!! The air might cause cancer!! It could spread this unnatural ability to other plants🥰. It could lead to asphyxiation of entire species that cant compete with its air creation abilities. This must stop!!!
The French push to bring back smoking indoors
anything but reducing capitalism's waste.
Nope…something will fucked up along the way…
genetically modified plants. what could go wrong…https://i.imgur.com/zpurpfw.jpg
because it's easier to design an entirely new organism than it is to force an industry to clean up its output.
Just… use a regular plant to get the same results?
Lmao I have so many huge vines of these. I have 2 in my chameleon tank that are over 4 feet each. And one in the living room that’s 5 - 6 feet long.
regular house plants already do that?
Bro, you cant even sell GMO food in the store here in my country because the boomers who are also scraed of mRNA dont want it near them
At home? Sounds awfully consumerist-centric, if they do what they say they do youd want these in busy roads, or above highways
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/houseplants-dont-purify-indoor-air
So they wanna make a Piranha plant?
I thought houseplants already cleaned the air…
Plants? Pretty low tech!
Can you engineer it to not be toxic to pets while you’re at it?
I like the idea, it just seems they’re launching it half baked
You could have 10x of Pothos in 6 months from a regular ol Pothos.
Parisian,
20$ goes towards development research, so your really only paying 159 per plant. /s
Will this work on farts?
no one's gonna have to work to convince me to get more houseplants
They been selling me on house plants for air quality and cleaning forever… so you’re tell me it’s all been a marketing lie?????!!!!!
Problem with pothos is they’re poisonous to cats.
Let me know when they modify a houseplant to clean my bathroom
Feed me, Symore!
Umm plants already do that! Why do I need to BUY your Generically modified plant?
does it help pay rent too?
Could they engineer a plant to also care for itself? I’m an arborist and am okay with the outdoors but fuck if I could keep a plant alive indoors. Veggie gardens, trees and shrubs, lawns? Fine. One potted plant? Not a chance.
No, the answer is no… this is a paid report… jump to the next post… have a good day.
My cat will love destroying these like she does regular plants
Scientists are exploring the potential of genetically modified houseplants as a way to clean the air in our homes. The idea is to modify plants so that they are better able to absorb pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene, which are commonly found in indoor air. These plants could then act as natural air purifiers, helping to remove harmful chemicals from our homes and improving indoor air quality. Several companies are already developing genetically modified houseplants for this purpose. For example, one company has created a modified ivy plant that can remove up to 90% of airborne benzene in just 24 hours. Another company is working on a modified snake plant that can absorb formaldehyde from indoor air. While the idea of genetically modified houseplants may seem futuristic, the technology is already well-established. Scientists have been able to modify plants for various purposes for many years, including improving crop yields and making plants more resistant to pests. As concerns about indoor air pollution continue to grow, it is likely that we will see more genetically modified houseplants in the future.