Don't Kill Your New Plant - 6 Crucial Steps After Buying A Houseplant
This newsletter is for you if you’ve ever lost a plant shortly after bringing it home.
You can take a few simple steps to ensure an easy transition from the store to your home. Taking just a few minutes, the list below will increase the odds of your houseplant thriving in its new home.
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The first step may seem obvious, but it might be the most crucial.
Inspect The Plant
BEFORE BUYING any plants, you need to inspect them carefully. If the plant doesn’t look healthy, put it back. Checking for signs of pests before bringing the plant back to your home is very important. The last thing you want is to bring bugs from the store into your house to infect your other plants.
Below is a helpful guide for what to look for while inspecting your plants. It covers the most common types of pests you might encounter.
Pests are not super common, and some people may never have to deal with them, but the risk is not worth skipping a simple inspection to avoid the headache.
Rinse It Off
Take your plant into the shower or use a garden hose and give it a good rinse. This will clean off the leaves and wash off any pests that might be clinging to them. This is a quick step that can help prevent bringing bugs into your home!
Note: If the pot doesn’t have drainage, be careful with how much water gets into your soil. You could accidentally drown your plant if the water has nowhere to go.
Spray with Insecticide
Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew is the best insecticide I have found for dealing with pests. While you already have your plant in the shower, give it a quick spray with this; it will kill anything in its path. Just make sure you get the stems and under the leaves too!
* You can purchase it on Amazon here :) *
Check roots for foam or root cages, also known as death cages.
Many nurseries and greenhouses grow their plants in tiny cages to restrict root growth. The cages help the plant grow quickly at first but will kill it by restricting root growth if left in them for too long.
I have found multiple plants with death cages wrapped around the roots and have always been lucky enough to remove them before any negative symptoms show.
Poking around in the soil near the base of the plant or gently lifting your plant out of the soil is a quick and easy way to check for any root restrictions. They can be plastic, wire, or felt. If you can confirm your roots are unrestricted, gently put the plant back in the soil, and you are good to go!
Root cages bind the roots, and physically restrict root growth, forcing the plant to put its energy into producing those big, beautiful leaves that customers want to buy! It’s a quick way for growers to get big plants, and fast. (https://philoandthos.com/blog/f/root-cages)
Leave It In The Nursery Pot
Your plant is already experiencing enough changes by bringing it into your home: new light levels, humidity, and temps are enough to deal with. Repotting it instantly can put a lot of added stress that can result in leaves dropping and potentially killing your plant.
One caveat to this will be if the soil is disgusting. Many box stores sell plants in decorative pots with no drainage and water them far too often. This can result in soggy soil that is sure to cause root rot. If this is the case, I recommend doing a complete soil swap as soon as possible.
Isolate From Other Plants
Once you have completed these steps, it is best to isolate your plant from other houseplants for a few weeks to monitor for any pest or fungal issues. If it looks perfectly healthy in a few weeks, move it into its permanent spot :)
Expect some adjustment period like wilting, loss of a leaf or two, and possible color change. The plant is used to being in a store, which is a horrible environment for a plant, or being in a greenhouse, which is like a plant paradise.
* If you missed my last newsletter about greenhouses, I linked it here for you to read! *
After a few weeks, you can change it into a new pot if you’d like, but I will generally keep it in its original pot as long as it seems happy.
Final Notes
To guarantee a healthy transition into your home, make sure to do a quick run-through of the following list.
Inspect the plant before purchasing
Rinse it off
Spray with Insecticide
Check for root cages
Leave it in the nursery pot
Isolate from other plants
If you have any other steps you think are essential, I would love to hear them in the comment section of this article :)
This Week’s Happy Planter Submission
Hi ! I can't say if she's my favourite because I love them all, but she's my lastest. I saw one when I was in London and I fell instantly in love. So after a long search, I finally found her and now she's home
(Calathea Surprise Star) Voilà !
Thank you, @bouffeplante, for sharing your wonderful plant! I hope it grows big and healthy!
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Remember a couple of weeks ago when I sent out the string of pearls revival I was working on?
If not, check it out here!
Well, I have good news! It looks like it’s starting to bounce back! I have been monitoring it and picking out any dead pieces I see to help prevent mold, but the other day when I was looking at it, I noticed all this new growth.
Do you see the small stems reaching up for the sky? That is all new growth! I have a bunch of tiny pearls still small enough to reach for the light before they get too big and weigh themselves down.
I’ll keep you updated on everything I am working on. I appreciate you all being here!
That’s all for now!
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Talk soon! Feel free to enjoy my content on Twitter until the next newsletter :)
-Houseplant Hobbyist