How to care for your new Houseplant

A general Guide.

While we endeavour to provide the most hardy Rare Houseplants, this is not always the case as certain plants are more sensitive than others. Below is a general guide on how to keep your new houseplant happy.

When your new Houseplant arrives…

If your new houseplant is delivered bare-root, please rinse off the roots in water that is around room temperature. This is to ensure that the roots do not suffer any shock. Place the plant in a glass or other container of water so that only the roots are submerged. Check the water every 2 days and provide the plant with fresh water.

If your plant arrived limp/floppy, using this method should restore the plant within 72 hours. It is recommended that you use this process no matter what condition the plant is in (in order to be covered by our guarantee).

It is completely normal for your houseplant to undergo some cosmetic damage due to acclimation to your environment - a single yellow leaf for example, is nothing to worry about and is to be expected with more sensitive houseplants such as these.

If you experience multiple leaves yellowing and the plants health is declining, please get in touch with us within 10 days of delivery and we will assist you.

Transitioning your plant into new media…

Here at The Rare Plant Shop, we mainly grow our plants in either LECA or PON. These are soil-less substrates that consist of clay or pumice and other types of rock. (more information on LECA and PON can be found online) Therefore we recommend transitioning your new plant to one of these in order to minimise stress to your new houseplant. It is also important that you follow the manufacturers instructions on how to use LECA and PON respectively.

It is not recommended that you transition your new houseplant into a more traditional soil mix until the plant is showing sustained and visible growth (after around 6-8 weeks in the spring/summer and around 12-14 weeks in the winter.)

General care for your new rare Houseplant

At The Rare Plant Shop, our temperatures fluctuate from around 23 degrees Celsius in the winter and 28 degrees in the summer. Our humidity ranges from around 75-80% all year round.

The more warm and humid your environment, the more your houseplant is likely to thrive. This is not true in all cases but it is for most of the houseplants we sell. However, it is not imperative that your humidity is over 75% and your temperatures are as high as ours as your plant will acclimate to your environment providing it is an acceptable habitat. Here are our minimum humidity and temperature recommendations for most of our plants:

  • Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius

  • Humidity 60% minimum

As for feeding - less is more! Feed your plants at 1/2 the recommended strength and if the plant responds well, feed again in the next couple of weeks. Too much fertiliser can burn the root system and kill your plant very quickly! When in doubt - don’t feed this time!