Why Can't I Plant My Pine Tree Indoors?
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 Plants that are used to decorate our indoor environment chiefly have their origins from tropical climates. The diversity and sheer numbers of plant and animal species of the tropics far out number the biodiversity of the northern climate. For the most part, an acre of the tropical rain forest is home to many different types of plants while an acre of forest in colder climates may only host a few -- with a single species dominating all others.
Pine forests are an example. One can hike through acre after acre of pine forest and find little else but pine. Plants that are commercially grown for indoor use come in a vast assortment of leaf shape, color, branch and stem form and size. But still the interior designer often seeks a plant variety that may be growing in the landscape outside.
The further south you go geographically, the more likely you are to be able to grow a plant indoors while only a few feet away the same variety is planted outdoors. Why then, can we not grow, say a Maple Tree (Acer sp.) indoors?
The answer in a word is adaptation. Plants' characteristics like all living things are formed over time to live in harmony with the prevailing environment. Plants subjected to four seasons where annual temperatures can range by more than 70 degrees must adapt. Because such adaptation evolves over thousands of years, that plant can simply not adapt or acclimate to a radical change in its environment overnight. The deciduous tree loses its leaves in the fall as shorter day length and reduced temperatures trigger the development of flowers, fruit, and seed. This reproductive cycle would not occur without seasonal change.
The tropical environment from which our indoor plants originate remains consistent with regard to temperature and is an environment that closely mimics our indoors. Temperatures as little as 50 degrees Fahrenheit can damage some of the plants that you will find indoors. Plants from the tropical forest floor receive light as it filters through the dense upper story jungle canopy and this lower light condition is also similar to conditions we find indoors.
Plants that are grown for indoor use are subjected to additional processes aimed at acclimatizing them to the indoor environment, such as special shading and the use of planting media that are blended to accommodate the proper balance of air space, water retention, and nutrient content that is suitable to the particular plant species.
While some plants have a broader tolerance for environmental extremes such as certain bamboo species, most plants that grow naturally above the limits of the subtropical zone cannot survive indoors. Fortunately, so many varieties of plants are available for indoor use today that you can likely find one to suit your special design needs. |
Keep it Green and Healthy!
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