Many people believe house plants are good for you. They’re cheerful. They’re calming. And they’re natural cleansers of stuffy indoor air. But a lot of house plants can be toxic if nibbled on by pets or small children. I'm going to give you a few tips to help avoid an accidental poisoning in your home.
First of all, identification is the key. Use a reference book like this one or better yet, a website. If you don’t have either one of those, take your phone. Get a little focus. Take a picture. And then take your picture to a local gardening guru in your area. They’ll know what you’ve got there.
Once you’ve identified the plants, then labeling. Now in a case such as this, this holly plant, most of us know that this is holly. And if you don’t need these berries for the small child wouldn’t be able to read the label. And these little red berries might look particularly appetizing. So, I have a firm rule about plants like this. When in doubt, get it out.
Be aware of these household favorites from the Oxalate family. This is a Dieffenbachia really pretty, variegated leaf. Over here, we have a Philadendron. And this little guy is a Caladium. These are loaded with microscopic Oxalate crystals which are really painful to the mouth, tongue, throat, and skin. Also, the Lilium family, this is a stargazer. It's beautiful. It smells great, really toxic to cats. Make sure you’ve got the number for poison control. Post it prominently near the phone.
Bulbs like this one are especially toxic. That’s why underground creatures don’t eat your daffodils. But, you wouldn’t want to store these bulbs anywhere near your food. You can see they look a little bit like onions. You don’t want to get them confused. There are some healthy, safe and beautiful plants. Two examples, this one here is a Rubber Plant and this little guy is a Spider Plant. Both of these have been proven by scientists at NASA to moisten the air and also remove formaldehyde. With tips for a healthy and leafy home, I'm Jay
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