Delivery · 4 min read
Your plant has arrived: the first 48 hours
In the greenhouse this morning, at your place now. How to unpack it properly and help it through the first two days.
This morning it was still in the greenhouse, now it's on your doorstep. A trip in a dark box is quite a change for a plant. Different light, a different temperature, different air. A few simple things help it settle in over the first couple of days.
Unpack it straight away
Even if you're busy, take it out of the box the same day. A plant is fine in the dark for a day, but not much longer. Open the box from the top and lift the plant by its pot, not by the stems or leaves. The paper and cardboard can go straight in the recycling. There's no plastic in there.
There's a care card with your plant. Keep it handy, it tells you how much light and water it wants.
Put it in its spot, then leave it be
Put the plant where you want it to live straight away. Every move is another small change. For the first few days, pick a spot out of strong afternoon sun, even if it's a sun lover. The leaves need a moment to adjust.
Is it cold outside? Let it come up to room temperature slowly, and don't put it right next to a radiator.
Water: feel first
The grower waters your plant before it goes into the box, so it usually doesn't need anything on day one. Feel the soil with your finger. If the top layer is dry, give it a little. If it's still damp, wait.
Don't repot yet
Your plant comes in the pot from the photo, with its nursery pot inside. It can happily stay there for at least the first year. Repotting is as big a change for a plant as the trip, and both at once is too much. Wait until spring, or until you see roots poking out of the bottom of the nursery pot.
A yellow leaf is normal
In the first few weeks a plant may drop a leaf or let one turn yellow. That's how it gets used to the new light. Snip the leaf off once it's fully yellow and otherwise leave the plant alone.
With big plants, a leaf can take a knock on the way. A bird of paradise also has leaves that split by themselves. In the wild the wind does that, and it's simply part of the plant. A monstera will often put out a new leaf within a few weeks.
Something not right?
If something's broken, or the plant goes downhill within 30 days, send us a photo through the contact page. You'll get a new plant and you don't need to send anything back. That's how our plant guarantee works.
Curious how your plant gets from the greenhouse to your door? It is all on the delivery page.
