Adaptation of indoor plants after purchase

Every florist at least once in his life had to deal with a situation when a luxurious houseplant, bought in a flower shop, did not live up to expectations. Problems are more common in capricious, adult, exotic and flowering plants; but it is not always possible to preserve the decorative leafy Spartans. The reason for the death or loss of decorativeness is always fully or partially associated with improper care at the initial stage (after purchase). After all, purchased indoor plants need a smooth adaptation to a new home. And if you make mistakes in the initial care, the chances of a successful replenishment of the collection will decrease tenfold.

Ornamental plants in the interior of the room

There are many factors that affect the ability of a plant not only to maintain its beauty, to continue flowering or not to shed leaves in a new place, but also to simply survive. And most of them have no control over the florist. Some flower centers often treat plants with growth inhibitors, use a combination of fertilizers and stimulants, and even constantly treat crops with fungicides and phytohormones, grow them under special conditions that allow them to preserve their decorative effect and “presentation”.

In this regard, many flower shops are no different from floristic ones: there and there there are many secrets of preserving the freshness and beauty of plants, which stop working as soon as the plants migrate into the hands of the buyer. But even if we are talking about really loving and responsible flower shops with a good reputation, the conditions in them are still specific. Plants live there, in fact, in an environment similar to flower greenhouses. They are accustomed to stable and most often artificial lighting, high air humidity and frequent feeding.

In supermarkets, handsome indoor men do not receive the necessary care, in markets they suffer from the vagaries of the weather. And whenever a plant enters a typical private house environment and the above conditions cease, its true state is revealed. And there are far more myths that plants are almost impossible to save than the real shortcomings of purchased crops.

You don’t need to be afraid to buy plants. Most of the indoor plants used in the interior are not grown on their own, but bought. And if there are still green favorites in our homes, then their preservation is not such an impossible and problematic matter. First of all, you need to remember that you are not saving the plant, but helping it to adapt to changes. You should not be afraid of myths about an unviable transport soil, in which there seems to be no environment suitable for plants, nor the fact that they are treated with inhibitors or stimulants, nor a cardinal change in conditions.

Even a plant weakened by distillation or overfed will survive with proper adaptation, and in its absence, it is almost guaranteed to die. Therefore, the rules for the primary care of plants should not be violated, and it is better to observe all the requirements for the conditions strictly.

To adapt purchased indoor plants according to all canons, you need to take care of three most important components:

  1. On the correct transportation and compliance with all standards of inspection and selection of plants.
  2. On the primary adaptation in quarantine.
  3. About the beginning of systemic basic care.

Adaptation of purchased indoor plantsAdaptation of purchased indoor plants. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Kieran Birchall

Buying and transporting is the first step

The correct approach to buying, rational and even prudent is the best guarantee of success. Of course, indoor plants, first of all, are chosen with the heart. But in fact, the choice should be, first of all, practical. Beauty and irresistibility are only good when we can provide the plant with the conditions and care it needs.

It is necessary to accurately assess where it will be located, whether it is consistent in style and size, whether it will fit into the collection, whether it will have enough light and whether the temperatures are suitable. From global factors like color and influence on the perception of space to “little things” like the shape of the leaves and the type of structure – it is important to consider everything.

Despite the fact that getting the plant home is considered more of a part of the buying process, it is with it that crop adaptation begins. The degree of damage to the plant will depend on whether you forget the packaging rules, whether you take good care of the plant and take into account all the factors. And he will definitely be. Even a door-to-door car ride is stressful for the plant. And the florist’s task is to minimize it. Caution, competent organization and lack of haste are the best helpers.

Re-examination is required

When you get the plant home, don’t rush to take it to the spot right away. Before choosing lighting, a beautiful angle and evaluating how the room with the new handsome man will look, you need to check how much the plant has suffered during transportation. But even an inspection is best done not immediately.

When you bring indoor culture into your home, do not rush to remove the packaging. The same principle “works” here as when handling household appliances: let the temperatures “equalize” and protect the plant from the drop. Just leave the plant wrapped for 30-40 minutes or more in the coolest part of the house. You will not create any additional shock by simply waiting while removing the paper or film. If the plant is afraid of rearrangement and drafts, then it will be able to “calm down”, bounce back a little before inspection.

The inspection itself is not carried out as carefully as when buying a plant: you just need to assess the degree of injury during transportation. The packaging is carefully removed from the plant, handling as carefully as possible, and then the shoots, leaves and flowers are examined. If you notice that some part of the plant is injured, broken off or even wilted, it is better to remove such a leaf or twig right away.

The damaged parts will no longer be restored, and the plant, which is already in a state of shock, will spend its strength and resources on them. All the cuts that you are forced to make, like other wounds, be sure to treat them – with special balms or just crushed charcoal.

Do not rush to water immediately after unpacking. In fact, it is better not to spend 2-3 days until the plants adapt slightly to light and temperature conditions. The only exception is an extremely dry substrate. After unpacking and inspecting, check how moist the soil is in the middle layer. If only the top layer is dry, wait at least 1 day before watering. If the soil is damp, then postpone watering for a few days.

Caring for purchased indoor ornamental plantsCaring for purchased indoor ornamental plants. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com loversiq

The period of soft adaptation in “medium” conditions

The first few weeks after purchase, the habit-forming plants are often referred to as the quarantine stage. And this name is quite fair. An indoor plant needs not only mild habituation, but also placement away from other indoor crops. Indeed, sometimes diseases and pests can simply not be noticed, and slight mistakes in inspection can turn into a disaster for the entire collection.

Plants for the period of quarantine and adaptation are placed separately, away from any other plants, carefully observing signs of problems on the leaves, shoots, buds. But finding out whether a crop is affected by pests or diseases is only one aspect of this period. After all, the most important thing in it is soft and smooth adaptation to new and unfamiliar conditions for the plant.

In order for the plant to painlessly survive the habituation period, it needs to provide intermediate conditions – both in terms of lighting and temperature. Do not put crops immediately in a permanent place and at their usual temperatures. It is best to place indoor plants so that they are in a cool or temperate room environment – temperatures no higher than 18-20 degrees Celsius or cooler if the plant is cold-resistant.

Plants should be placed away from heating devices and protected as thoroughly as possible from drafts, active air movements: the environment for them during the adaptation period should be as stable as possible.

Lighting is also selected from among the most “soft” options. Investigate your crop preferences and select the minimum required light intensity. If the culture prefers the brightest possible lighting, it is displayed in a bright place with diffused light. If it feels good both in the light and in partial shade, they are exposed in partial shade, and shade-tolerant crops are placed not in the light, but in shade. Direct sunlight is unacceptable for any culture that has just moved to your home.

The third parameter that you must pay attention to is air humidity. If you have not bought a desert dweller, then you will have to increase the humidity in order to adapt as gently as possible. Dry and even more extreme dry air can be a serious factor in foliage loss, drying of leaf tips and the spread of diseases and pests on a vulnerable plant.

Most plants have been in conditions similar to greenhouses prior to your purchase, and the increased humidity will help to gently accustom them to the new environment. Frequent spraying or the installation of artisanal and industrial humidifiers will create an ideal transition environment. The most moisture-loving plants can be placed under the hood in greenhouses for 2-3 days.

Having exposed the plant for the adaptation period, try to disturb it less. Do not rearrange the crop or rotate the pots, do not wash the leaves, do not carry out other manipulations, and try to avoid contact altogether. Monitor soil moisture and maintain light but constant moisture (it is best to choose the same strategy as with lighting – the minimum moisture level allowed for a particular crop).

Do not be afraid that the plants may be a little capricious, their depressed appearance or other signs of stress: if you give the plant time to adjust to the new home, it will cope with such problems on its own. It is worth considering them as clear signs of ill health when, after the completion of adaptation, clear signs of violations and damage are observed.

The period of adaptation in intermediate conditions should last until the signs of growth and development resume. The minimum duration is 3-5 days, the optimal duration is 2-3 weeks.

Choosing ornamental indoor plants in the storeA selection of decorative indoor plants in the store. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com PatuxentNursery

The beginning of complete care

After the adaptation period is completed, the plants are placed in the conditions in which you will grow them in the future; they are put in a permanent place and are fully used in interior design. But the ultimate success and how much the purchased plant will delight you further depends on the quality of care. Slips for purchased plants are much more dangerous than for self-grown from seeds or cuttings. In fact, adaptation will not stop for many months to come.

For crops after initial adaptation, it is important to ensure constant monitoring, regular inspections, carefully noticing any problems. Watering, air humidity indicators must exactly match the individual preferences of the plants. Top dressing for purchased crops is not spent 1-2 months after purchase (an exception is made for abundantly flowering plants, which are transferred to their optimal schedule immediately after quarantine). Most plants are accustomed to foliar feeding, so incorporating them into the care program will only improve adaptation.

The most dangerous thing is a transplant. If you want to change the pot for aesthetic reasons, then just put the container in a new one or disguise the pot in another way, and transplant the plant at the optimal time: in early spring or when active growth begins and only in the way that the plant prefers (if the plant is afraid of injury, then carefully pass it over according to all the rules). A transplant is the most serious traumatic factor.

Even if you inattentively chose a plant and there are signs of a lack of soil, it is better to delay it (transplant) for 2-3 weeks after quarantine. In any case, do not replant crops until the end of the quarantine. And never, under any circumstances (except for strong soil contamination), do not try to completely get rid of the soil, and even more so – wash the roots.

Plants are also not transplanted during the dormant period, during budding and flowering: for most plants, transplantation can be carried out only when the optimal period of growth and development comes, often next year (if the container is spacious and the plant has not filled the substrate, then it can be postponed even for 2-3 years, replacing only the upper prodrug).

Situations when there is a need to urgently transplant a plant arise when there are mistakes in inspection (moldy, damp soil, completely braided by an earthen ball, poor quality of the substrate). If you pay attention to inspection and selection, ensure normal neat care, control the degree of drying of the substrate between procedures, and not watering “like everyone else”, everything will be fine.

Despite the huge amount of rumors and speculation, foreign “landless” substrates, in which plants from Dutch (and not only) breeding come, will be an excellent permeable and air-permeable earth mixture for your plant. There is no concept of transport soil for most crops: plants are grown from seed or cuttings in the same type of substrate in which you buy it.

Exceptions are large crops and palms, which are sometimes transferred to a new transport light mixture for transportation, but they are always warned about their mandatory transplant in advance. And for other plants, the environment of peat, coconut fiber and other soilless mixtures is familiar and comfortable. For them, unfamiliar soil is a far greater source of stress. The lack of a nutrient medium in the soil in which plants are sold is the same myth as their inability to water.

It’s just that with such a substrate, violation of the watering rules is much more obvious and dangerous: too abundant watering almost immediately leads to acidification and mold, insufficient or uneven watering leads to a violation of the stability of the soil characteristics. And nutrients are replenished not through organic matter, but thanks to long-lasting fertilizers – exactly the same that any grower can use to simplify maintenance. Improper feeding in such soil is also felt more strongly in the case of a lack of fertilizers, and with their excess.

It is advisable to start pruning on purchased plants no earlier than a few months after purchase. It is permissible only for crops that, without it, will not be able to bloom again or need constant crown formation. It is not worth removing the buds, stopping flowering for better adaptation: an emergency interruption of the development phase will only exacerbate the stress to the plant.

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Anna Evans

Author โœ“ Farmer

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