Acclimating houseplants properly can save you a lot of time, money, and effort. Many houseplants purchased at local plant shops go through quite a few relocations before they get to you— from greenhouse, to truck, to distribution center/wholesaler, to truck, to shop, to car, to you. Those relocations cause stress that affects how well a plant adjusts in your home. This article covers my general recommendations for bringing a new plant home.
Plant Stress
Every plant experiences some degree of relocation stress. Many factors can affect how well a plant acclimates, but where the plant just came could be key. Some plants just came from perfect growing conditions such as greenhouses. Some plants just came from less than ideal conditions such as through the mail (where the plant was in the dark, variable temperature, and roughed up for 2-28 days). Some plants come from other indoor environments such as friend’s homes or offices.
Some plants adjust to indoor spaces quite easily, and some are a challenge. It’s important to research plants (especially expensive ones) before purchasing to assess if you are able to provide the plant the right conditions. Houseplants require a bit of trial and error that comes with practice, patience, and time. Start small and build up your houseplant care confidence before taking the plunge into less common houseplants.
First step: Quarantine
3-7 days minimum
Keep new plants away from your current plant collection for a minimum of 3-7 days. Bugs, bacteria, fungus, and more can spread! Just let your new plant chill out on a counter for awhile and don't fuss with it.
The more you fuss with a new plant the harder the plant has to work to adjust to it's new environment.
Treat for pests immediately Assume every plant has pests and you'll save yourself a lot of headache. Treat even if pests they aren’t visible to the eye. Check out my pest prevention and control blog for my care suggestions and product recommendations.
Easy on the light Give plants lower light than they'll need long-term. No direct sunlight or intense light. 6-12 feet away from a window with a view of the sky is usually sufficient.
Don’t water Unless the soil is completely dry, don't give new plants water for at least a few days. Water uptake through roots decreases as plants are acclimating to their new surroundings.
Second step: Adjustments
After quarantine
Do not make any adjustments until after your plant has gone through quarantine and is not showing signs of significant decline. If you need to make any adjustments to the plant’s potting medium, trim, prune, etc., it’s good to make these changes early rather than constantly disrupting the acclimation process.
Trim and prune
Yellowing leaves, suckers on trunks, deformed growth, etc. should be removed after quarantine to conserve energy and to put that energy back into healthy root and foliage growth. Remember, some leaf loss is normal during the acclimation process. It’s good practice to buy plants with more than one leaf and node because a plant will almost always lose the single leaf as it uses the leaf's stored energy to grow.
Re-potting
I don't recommend re-potting a new plant unless the plant is in a bad potting mix or unless the root ball is literally busting out of it's pot. Check out my blog on repotting for more information on determining root-pot snugness ratios.
If your plant needs a new potting medium, use the same size pot as you purchased it in (or some cases where sellers think more pot = more money, go down in size). Many plant owners make the mistake of “potting up” in size too quickly; the more you disrupt the roots the more time it will take a houseplant to acclimate. Also note that a different potting medium substantially different from the old one can induce additional stress in the plant.
Third step: In with the rest!
If the plant is adjusting well
Now it’s time to introduce your plant to the rest of your collection! Find the location that will best suit your new plant’s needs (light, humidity, temperature, shelf space) and don’t move it.
Slowly increase watering
The plant is working on adjusting, not water uptake. Watering too deeply can sometimes add stress to a plant that's still adjusting. Provide small amounts of water when the top portion of potting medium is dry rather than soaking or flushing the soil.
Do not move the plant unless you fear it is getting too little light!
Moving a plant around the house will significantly stress it out. Find a spot and keep it there, plus or minus a few inches.
Observe Watch how your plant does over the course of a couple months- a few leaves yellowing and dropping is totally normal. If your plant begins to significantly decline, it may not be adjusting properly or the conditions are not suitable for the plant to thrive.
If the plant isn't acclimating well Check out my Acclimating plant mail blog or Humidity rehab boxes blog next if you are a houseplant enthusiast who loves to purchase from online retailers or need a little extra help with plants that are declining instead of acclimating!
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