What to do when you receive your plants

Picture this: you have been taped up and put in a dark box (safely), where you now feel yourself being moved and jostled around for at least a day. 

- "Did someone just drop me? "

- "Are you kidding me?! Someone dropped me again! "

Finally, you feel settled and the box is opened to a new posh place with a friendly, excited face. Thank goodness! You're safe and in a new home. 

*End of scene*

As you can imagine, the journey that your plants take is not your average cruise. Remember that any plant you buy, whether online or otherwise, has travelled (most likely in a box for safe keeping) to get to that destination. As plant parents ourselves, we do everything to ensure that our plants are secure during the packing stage, to minimize distress. They are taped down so that they do not move around in the box, which minimizes damage to the foliage. Despite our snug packing technique, plants generally tend to not like being moved. As a result, your plants may need a few days to recuperate from the journey, despite how short it is.

Here's how you can help:

1. Unwrap your plant as soon as you receive it

This will allow your plant to start acclimating to the new environment. The leaves are now able to move freely again, air is flowing around the plant once more, and there is light once again.

2. Place your plant in an area of medium light

Even if your plant thrives in brighter light settings, it is much better to ease your plant into their new environment. Having abrupt changes in lighting (i.e. zero light in the box to direct rays from the sun) can cause scorching, drooping and overall unhappiness. You can gradually introduce your plant to brighter light over the next few days. 

3. Monitor water needs

When packaging your plant, we aim to never send a thirsty plant. This means that if you receive your package in about a day, there is a high chance that you do not need to water your plant. Avoid automatically watering your plant when you receive it and do check to see if it is needed. If the soil is still moist, hold off on watering. 

Of course, if the soil is dry, give it a bit of water, but I would suggest not soaking it through. As mentioned before with sun exposure, start with moderation while your plant acclimates. 

Lastly, but this one is important:

4. Do not repot your plant right away! 

Repotting generally is another excursion for your plant, similar to shipping. Imagine finishing your journey only to be literally uprooted from your mini home! 

Trust me, even though you might see roots popping out of the bottom of your pot, your plants don't need to be repotted right away. (Fun fact: many plants don't mind being snug in their pots, and some even enjoy being fully root-bound). I would suggest waiting at least 2 weeks (or until Spring if you receive your plant in the Fall/Winter) to repot your plants.  

If you keep these things in mind when your plant arrives, you can ensure that your plant acclimates quickly to your home, and eases into life with the new family. Of course, if you have any questions along the way, feel free to send them our way via social media and/or e-mail:

• Facebook: The Painted Leaf
• Instagram: @the.painted.leaf

Look out for our “Pack with me” video coming soon!