Congratulations on your new plant! Unless you're personally picking up your plant, it has been in transit and in a dark box for at least 24 hours. Here are some tips to ensure a smooth transition to its new home.
When your plant arrives, bring it inside as soon as possible. You don’t want to let it sit outside any longer than it has to. Unwrap your plant carefully. When you get your plant open, you may notice some folded leaves or small tears. This is completely normal, and after some time, folded leaves may straighten themselves out.
Another thing you may notice is yellowing leaves. If it is only the lower leaves that are yellowing, this is normal and nothing to be concerned about- you can simply snip off the leaves, or leave them there until they are ready to fall off themselves. You should only be concerned if all of the leaves on your new plant are yellowing.
In variegated plants, you may notice that some of the white sections may show some browning. This is also normal and common, but you can help prevent any further browning with the acclimation tips that we will go into below.
At our nursery, we keep our plants at approximately 75°F and between 70-75% humidity. It will help your plant acclimate quicker if you can match these conditions as closely as possible. Do not immediately put your plant into environments with humidity higher than 75%, such as terrariums or cloches. This may cause root rot or stress to your plant.
Do not immediately expose your plant to high light conditions. After being shipped, this could stress your plant. Instead, start out with medium or indirect light conditions and slowly increase the light as your plant becomes acclimated to its environment.
Your new plant may arrive in different mediums, such as sphagnum moss, a sphagnum moss/perlite mix, or lechuza-pon (a semi-hydro medium). Your plant’s watering needs upon arrival will vary depending on what it is planted in.
If your plant arrives in moss or moss/perlite, check to see if it feels dry. If so, water lightly from the top. If it feels moist on the top, do not water until it feels dry. After your plant acclimates to its new home, you can begin to water thoroughly like normal.
Lechuza-pon is a medium that we use to grow plants semi-hydroponically. If you receive your plant planted in Lechuza-pon, there is no need to water normally from the top. Instead, grab a plastic tray or deep saucer, and fill it with some perlite or gravel to about ½”- 1” deep. Fill it with water to the top of the perlite or gravel, and place your plant in the tray. Your plant will draw up the water from the tray as needed through a process called capillary action. Simply refill the tray with water as it dries out.
If you wish to replant into a different medium, it is best to wait 4 weeks to prevent any stress to your plant. After that time, if your plant is acclimated and showing no signs of stress, feel free to replant into a medium of your choice.