Proven: Hortinno® azalea contributes to better and healthy room air quality
To what extent does a Hortinno azalea purify the air? With this question and four collections under his arm, manager Stefan Laridon went to the Bio Science park in Leiden. What was the result? Stefan tells in this article. We already reveal a corner of the veil: the results were exceptionally good. The star of this story is the radiant Christine® azalea, followed closely by the Classic collection.
Why did you have the Hortinno azaleas tested in the Dutch lab?
Stefan: “Hortinno constantly keeps its finger on the pulse and invests heavily in R&D. When breeding our varieties, we pay a lot of attention to extra-long flowering, but we have never investigated air-purifying properties before. I already had a suspicion that our plants would have a positive effect on the air quality. In addition, a great deal of research has already been carried out into air purification in plants, but to my knowledge this had never been done extensively in an azalea. And so I saw an opportunity.”
And so you went to the Netherlands. How did the research go?
Stefan: “Quite smoothly actually. The research was carried out in cooperation with Fytagoras in the Bio Science park in Leiden. All collections were placed in a closed room in which formaldehyde was injected. The time it took for the plants to break down the harmful particles in the air was then measured.”
And the result?
Stefan: “Without exaggerating: pretty spectacularly good score. The absolute number 1 in air purification was the Christine collection. It achieved a score of 8.5/10, with even one measurement of 9/10. Followed closely by the Classic collection with a creditable 8/10. The other two achieved an average of 7/10. Also nice. Why Christine is doing better, we will investigate further. We suspect that her dark green shiny leaves (mass) are in between.”
So what does this mean in concrete terms? Why should I enrich my plant collection with an azalea?
Stefan: "With a Christine azalea you purify about 20 to 25 m2 of living space. So with 2 or 3 Hortinnos in the living room, you will go a long way. This is important in the winter months when people keep their windows and doors closed. But actually, with a Christine from Hortinno you are bringing in a champion anyway: besides better air, you will also enjoy them for a long time and they will brighten up your interior. All that happiness in one plant, especially the multicoloured ones. Moreover, they keep the air humidity in balance. An azalea evaporates up to 50 cl of water per week. All good for your health at home or in the office.
