Plant breath
Breathing is one of the foundations in the process of metabolism in plants, providing the exchange of air oxygen and carbon dioxide tissues.
The air around us, and therefore the plants, consists of 4/5 of nitrogen and about 1/5 of oxygen. In addition to these gases, the air contains water vapor and dust. Sometimes the air can contain gases harmful to both humans and plants, for example, sulfur dioxide, etc.
Plants are 45% carbon (from dry mass), and the source of carbon in the plant tissue is air carbon dioxide and to a small extent carbon dioxide from the soil. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis, while complex organic substances (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc.) are created, from which the plant builds its tissues and organs. The process of photosynthesis occurs in plant tissues only during the daytime. In this case, photosynthesis proceeds more in the leaves of plants.
Oxygen is essential for plants to breathe. In the process of breathing, organic substances created during photosynthesis decay. Plant respiration occurs constantly regardless of the time of day. In the process of breathing, carbon dioxide, water and some energy are released. The breathing process is characteristic of all parts of plants, however, to varying degrees. For example, flowers breathe more strongly than leaves, and leaves more strongly than stems.
The processes of photosynthesis and respiration largely depend on the intensity of illumination. In fairly good light, the process of photosynthesis prevails over breathing, and the plant grows and develops well. With a decrease in illumination, the breathing process prevails over the process of photosynthesis, while it is accompanied by the loss of organic matter. This often happens in winter, when the plant does not have enough light, it is bad or does not grow at all. If the leaves are crushed and stretched, they say that the plant is "starving." At the same time, root feeding will not bring anything but harm, since (this was mentioned above) carbon dioxide should be absorbed by leaves. Therefore, plants are simply rearranged closer to the light.
Air in apartments
As a rule, almost all houseplants treat the influx of fresh air well, despite the fact that green leaves themselves produce oxygen. For cacti, for example, regular ventilation, mainly in the summer, is the key to success in their maintenance. Plants can react very sensitively to harmful fumes emitted during painting.
In the kitchen, plants should not be placed in the immediate vicinity of the stove, as hot steam from a boiling kettle or saucepan can get on the plant. And in general, the air in the kitchen is much drier and dirtier than in the room.
Almost all plants are afraid of cold drafts, especially with a sharp temperature drop. In this case, we mean drafts in the cold season. Sometimes plants are mentioned in the literature that can tolerate drafts, however, if a plant grows in a warm room all the time, it simply gets used to such content and damage from a draft can be done even to the most unpretentious plant. Of course, a few minutes of airing the room may not damage the plants, but if the plant stands for several hours at an open window in cold windy weather, you should not be surprised that even the most undemanding of the plants will drop not only buds, but also leaves.
But at home, not only the composition of the air (the proportion of oxygen and impurities) is important, but also its movement. This becomes especially important when the humidity of the air is increased. Lack of oxygen and strong air flows leads to the development of harmful microorganisms, mold. Remember that damage from stagnant ground air in the apartment is caused not only to plants, but also to people.
Fresh air in summer
There are plants that for the summer it is better to take to the balcony or plant in open ground, so that with the onset of cold weather they can be transplanted into a pot and returned to the room. Such lovers of fresh air include: acacia, pomegranate, jasmine, laurel, balsamine (Vanka wet), passiflora, citrus fruits, yucca and many others. When transferring plants to fresh air, it should be borne in mind that they should get used not only to lighting, but also to wind, the difference in daily temperatures, and rain. When returning plants home with the onset of autumn cold weather, do not forget to check them for accidental pests. After all, you can bring slugs, earwigs, millipedes and other completely unpleasant insects and arthropods from the garden.