First 28 Days With Your New Houseplant

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1 – First 10–15 Minutes: Unpack and Check Right after delivery:

• Open the box carefully and remove any padding around plant and pot. Cut tape and ties instead of pulling.
• Check that the plant label and name match your order.
• Health check – leaves and stems: look for obvious breaks, black mushy spots, or crushed tissue.
• Health check – substrate surface: look for mould, unusual colour, moving insects, or a strong unpleasant smell.
• Health check – drainage holes (if visible): glance for black, slimy roots, which can indicate rot.
• If you see severe breakage, heavy rot, or clear pest infestation, take photos immediately while the plant is still exactly as it arrived.
• Avoid repotting, heavy pruning, washing roots, or other big interventions at this stage. The goal now is to stabilise, not overhaul.

Step 2 – First 24–48 Hours: Light, Quarantine and Water Check

Once your plant is unpacked:

• Place it in bright but gentle light, close to a window with soft daylight. Avoid deep shade and harsh midday sun on bare glass.
• Keep it away from radiators, direct hot air, and cold draughts from doors or tilted windows.
• Start a short quarantine: keep the new plant a bit away from the rest of your collection for at least a week to reduce pest risk.

“Should I Water Now?” – Simple Rules

Wait before watering if:

• The pot feels medium weight – not extremely heavy, not feather-light.
• The top layer is only slightly dry and the root zone is still lightly moist.
• Leaves are mostly firm with only mild droop that is not getting worse.

Water now if:

• The pot feels very light and “hollow” when you lift it.
• The substrate is dry not just on the surface but all the way through the root zone.
• The plant is clearly limp and does not improve after a few hours in its new position.

If you do water, do it once and properly: water until you see a steady trickle from the drainage holes, let the pot drain fully, and empty any excess from the saucer.

Step 3 – First 7 Days: Acclimation Week

In the first week, your plant is adjusting from greenhouse conditions and transport to your home:

What you can expect:

• A pause in growth or slightly slower growth.
• A few yellow or tired leaves, usually older ones.
• Minor cosmetic imperfections that do not spread.

How to care during this week:

• Keep the plant in the same general spot instead of moving it every day.
• Check moisture in the root zone regularly and water only when needed – not on a fixed calendar.
• For moisture-loving tropical foliage, aim for a lightly moist substrate with a short dry phase at the top.
• For succulents, many Euphorbia, and cacti, let the substrate dry more deeply between waterings.

What not to do:

• Do not repot during this week; your guarantee and the plant’s stress level both depend on this.
• Avoid heavy pruning unless there is clearly dead or mushy tissue that needs to be removed.

If you see rapid collapse, bad smell from the substrate, or large parts of the plant turning mushy, refer back to the “Is this normal?” section and contact us with photos within the guarantee period.

Step 4 – Days 8–28: Build a Stable Routine

After the first few days, build a consistent pattern that fits the plant group you’re dealing with:

Light:

• Tropical foliage plants (many aroids, ferns, Calathea/Ctenanthe types) often do best in bright, indirect light near a window, without long stretches of harsh midday sun.
• Sun-adapted plants (succulents, many Euphorbia, cacti, some shrubs) can be introduced to stronger light stepwise over time to avoid sunburn on tissue grown in softer light.
• If you want more precision, our light guide “How Much Light is ‘Plenty of Bright, Indirect Light’ EXACTLY?” breaks light levels down into simple ranges.

Watering:

• For moisture-loving tropical plants, keep a cycle where the top layer dries slightly between waterings while the deeper root zone stays evenly moist, not saturated.
• For arid, desert-adapted plants, allow more of the pot volume to dry before watering again; staying constantly wet is a bigger risk than brief dryness.
• Always pour off standing water from saucers so roots are not sitting in stagnant water.

Air and temperature:

• Avoid very dry, hot air directly above radiators – it can cause crispy edges and sluggish growth in many tropical species.
• Ensure gentle air movement around your plants, but do not place them in direct cold draughts.

Feeding:

• Your plant was fertilized before shipping. In most cases it does not need extra fertiliser in the first weeks.
• Once growth is steady in your home and you see new leaves or shoots, you can start with a dilute, balanced fertiliser suitable for that plant group.
• Additives or tonics cannot fix wrong light, overwatering, or unsuitable temperatures; they are an optional extra, not a main treatment.

Step 5 – After 28 Days: When and How To Repot

Once the first 28 days have passed and the plant shows clear signs of new growth, repotting becomes safer:

Signs your plant may want a new pot:

• Roots clearly visible in the drainage holes or circling just inside the pot.
• The plant drying out much faster than when it arrived, under the same conditions.
• Substrate breaking down into a dense, compact mass that no longer drains well.

Choosing a pot:

• Go only one or two sizes up; very large pots stay wet for too long and increase the risk of rot.
• Always use a container with proper drainage holes.

Choosing a substrate:

• Use airy, coarse mixes for many aroids and epiphytic species.
• Use fast-draining, largely mineral mixes for succulents, many Euphorbia, and cacti.
• Use fine but still breathable mixes for many baby plants and species with finer roots.

Repotting basics:

• Gently loosen the outer layer of roots if they are very compacted.
• Keep the healthy core of the root ball as intact as possible.
• After repotting, water once to settle substrate around the roots, then let excess water drain completely.

For a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough, use the “Guide to Repotting Houseplants” as a more in-depth reference and keep this step list as your quick overview.

What Acclimatization Means for Indoor Plants

When a plant moves from a controlled greenhouse into a shipping box and then into your living space, several things change at the same time:

• Light intensity and duration usually drop or shift, so the plant must adjust how much energy it can capture with its current leaves.
• Air humidity and temperature become more variable, so the plant re-balances water loss through leaves with absorption through the roots.
• Air movement, background CO₂ levels, and how quickly the substrate dries all differ from the nursery environment.

The plant responds by adapting:

• It may shed some older leaves that are less efficient under the new conditions.
• It often slows growth while new tissue that suits your light and climate develops.
• New leaves may differ slightly in size, thickness, or colour compared to the ones grown in the greenhouse.

This is why a certain amount of yellowing, minor leaf loss, and a growth pause is expected in the first weeks after arrival. Your job during acclimatization is to avoid extra shocks so the plant can complete this adjustment.

If you’d like to see more examples and a deeper breakdown of this process, you can read our ➜ Houseplant Acclimatization Guide.

FAQ – New Plant Aftercare

How do I know if my plant needs more light?

Look for stretched, leggy growth, very small new leaves, dull colouring, and substrate that stays wet for a long time because the plant is not using much water. If you see this pattern, move the plant to a brighter spot with gentle, indirect light and use our light guide for more concrete ranges.

What level of yellowing is still normal after shipping?

A few yellow or tired leaves, especially older ones, are normal in the first weeks. Large areas of mushy, dark tissue, a bad smell from the substrate, or most leaves failing at once are not. If in doubt, compare with the “Is this normal?” section above and contact us with photos.

Should I fertilize my new plant right away?

No. The plant was fertilized before shipping and does not normally need extra fertilizer in the first weeks. Once it has adjusted to your home and shows steady new growth, you can start with a dilute, balanced fertiliser suitable for that plant group.

What does the 28-day guarantee mainly cover?

The guarantee is designed for serious health issues that are not caused by incorrect care after delivery, such as severe hidden rot, significant pest infestation that was not visible on unpacking, or sudden collapse despite appropriate conditions. Damage from early repotting, chronic under- or overwatering, or unsuitable light is not covered.

If you have broader questions about ordering, shipping, payments, or promotions, please visit our main FAQ.