Strategies to improve foliage plant acclimatization to interior landscape

Interiorscaping has become an integral part of contemporary life and the roleof plants as living air purifiers and reducing psychological stress associated withhigh population densities is becoming more relevant. Ornamental foliage plants arewidely used in interiorscaping due to their adaptation to low light levels afterappropriate acclimatization. For this reason these plants are usually produced undershade.With the aim of investigating the effect of shading levels and their durationon the quality and performance of weeping fig and garden croton in a simulatedinterior environment, plants were grown in pots for three months under 50, 70 and90% shading. After this period, half of the plants belonging to 50 and 70% shadinglevels were transferred to 90% shade for two further months. At the end ofcultivation plants were transferred to a characteristic interior environment (lowlight and RH) and kept there for eight weeks. Tested species showed differentresponses in relation to previous cultivation conditions. For both species, moreshaded plants (70 and 90%), showed higher net photosynthesis than the othertreatments. Nevertheless, weeping fig showed better adaptation to interior conditionsif the plants were transferred to the highest shading level only during the last periodof cultivation. On the contrary plants of garden croton grown under low lightintensity during all or a part of the cycle had higher aesthetic characteristics valuesduring indoor life.