Receiving Houseplants By Mail: Avoid These 6 Newbie Mistakes!

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Houseplants are stressed enough when they are shipped, so it is important to know exactly how to handle them once you receive houseplants by mail! There are numerous newbie mistakes that many people make when they receive their plants.

Be sure to read through this post fully as it will give your mail-order houseplants the best shot at living! I’ve seen people make ALL of these mistakes and it is important to get it right from the beginning so you can achieve the best results!

DOs and DON’Ts WHEN RECEIVING HOUSEPLANTS BY MAIL

There are many DOs and DON’Ts when you first unbox your plants.

DOs

Before we get to the DON’TS, here are some things that you should do when you receive your houseplants in the mail.

Online houseplant ordering has exploded, with many growers not being able to keep up with demand, so it is important to know how to handle your plants!

Some plants are more sensitive than others, but it is best to follow these best practices.

1. UNPACK IMMEDIATELY

Be very careful if you are ordering during cooler months. Be aware where the nursery is and also be aware of your weather during the shipping period. It may not always be a good idea to order during the coldest months in the year.

Good nurseries will suspend shipping of cold sensitive plants during particularly cold months, and sometimes will also include heat packs to be safe.

Be sure to track your package and if you won’t be home for a while, especially if the weather is very cold or even very hot, have someone pick up your box to bring indoors in order to avoid more shock, or even death, to your plants.

You certainly don’t want to your plants to freeze or cook in the box before you come home.

Carefully unpack all your plants as soon as you can. Remove any plastic, tape, shredded paper and any other packing materials that were used to protect the plant during shipping.

2. WATER IF DRY

Next, check the soil of your plant with your finger. Is the surface dry? If so, give it a good watering and discard of the excess water. If the surface feels moist, don’t water.

3. REMOVE DEAD OR BROKEN LEAVES

If anything has broken during shipment, go ahead and remove it (you can even use it to propagate in some cases!). Remove any dry or dead leaves.

4. INCREASE HUMIDITY

This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it can help your new plant transition to your home environment. Especially if you have a plant that needs high humidity to thrive.

Sometimes plants come with a clear plastic tent or humidity dome. Cover the plant with the plastic bag, maybe using a couple bamboo sticks inserted into the pot to support the bag. You may want to leave this on for a week or so before you take it off.

Be sure to keep it out of direct sun though during this time.

You can even place your plant in an empty aquarium and place a clear cover over the aquarium to keep the humidity high.

You can also use other methods of increasing humidity for your plants if you don’t want to use the plastic tent method.

Now let’s talk about some VERY important DON’TS.

DON’TS

DON’T #1: REPOTTING TOO EARLY

This is a HUGE mistake that I see many people make. They rush to go repot their plant as soon as they receive it.

When you receive a houseplant in the mail, you should just give your plant a break and not be the “active” plant parent that you want to be. Sometimes it best to just let things be.

Your plant has been shipped in a completely dark box, potentially for days, so tread lightly when you receive it.

Wait at least 2 weeks before repotting your houseplant. It’ll give your plant some time to adjust “out of the box” and regain some strength. Repotting can be stressful on a plant too, so don’t make the situation worse!

And when you DO repot, be sure to follow proper repotting procedures as this is critical to your houseplant’s health!

After 2 weeks, if your plant is pot bound and need to pot up to a larger size, only go up ONE pot size. No larger otherwise your soil may stay too wet and cause you some major problems (especially if you don’t give your plant enough light).

Of course if your plant was shipped bare root, by all means plant it in a pot.

DON’T #2: FERTILIZING TOO EARLY

For the same reason as above, allow your plant to adjust to your home for 2 weeks or so before starting to fertilize. Let your plant adjust.

DON’T #3: PLACING INTO BRIGHT LIGHT TOO EARLY

This one is very important as well and a mistake many people make. Place any plant that you receive right in front of a window without any direct sunshine for about 2 weeks as well.

Even if your plant is a sun-lover, you need to harden off your plant a bit. Allow it to adjust in “bright indirect” light for a couple weeks before you start to give it direct sun.

Remember, it has been in a dark box for a while, so you want to gradually increase your light, so no direct sun for 2 weeks. A window that has no direct sun but appears bright is perfect.

If you don’t do this, you may risk burning your houseplant. Of course if you plan on having your plant in an area with NO direct sun, you don’t have to worry. I’m talking about getting any sun-loving plants hardened off.

I liken this to people getting sunburned. If you are pasty white and have been indoors all winter, but suddenly go on a beach vacation and sit in the sun all day, you will quickly burn. Unless you develop a base tan, you will quickly roast!

So give your plant its “base tan” before you place it in a sunny window! Introduce higher light gradually if your plant needs direct sun.

DON’T #4: WATERING IF SOIL IS ALREADY MOIST

If you feel the surface of the soil and it is moist, do NOT water it again. Some people want to be too active as a plant parent and think that the more they do, the better.

Resist the temptation! Sometimes less is more. With very few exceptions, you want to wait until at least the surface of your soil is dry before you water again.

DON’T #5: PLACING INTO AN AREA WITH DRAFTS

You should always try and implement this next tip, but especially with a brand new plant that you received in the mail..

Avoid placing your plant near areas that experience cold or hot drafts such as heating or cooling vents in your home, or even drafty windows and doors.

Many houseplants, such as Calathea and many others, detest the cold and will quickly protest. Air conditioning vents can be very bad if your plant is too close.

Also, having your plants right by a heating vent may very quickly burn leaves. Avoid these locations.

DON’T #6: PLACING YOUR PLANT IMMEDIATELY WITH THE REST OF YOUR COLLECTION

When you bring any new plant into your home, it is safer to quarantine it from other plants for a couple weeks so you can monitor for pests. That last thing you want to do is to bring home pests and then have them spread to the rest of your plant collection.

While in quarantine, keep your eye out for common pests such as spider mites, scale, thrips, fungus gnats, mealybugs, etc. and treat accordingly if you do find them.

THINGS TO EXPECT

There are two things that you should be aware of and even expect after receiving houseplants by mail.

DON’T FREAK OUT OVER A YELLOW LEAF

No, you are not killing your plant if you see a yellow leaf or two in the beginning (as long as you’re following all my tips above that is…)

It is not uncommon for many houseplants to shed a leaf or two until they get adjusted to your new environment. Your plant is not dying. Just be sure to follow all my best practices above for the highest chance of success!

EXPECT SLOWER GROWTH IN THE BEGINNING

Some plants are more robust and less finicky than others, but don’t expect your plant to immediately take off growing and overtake your room as soon as you receive it. Some plants may start growing right away, but many won’t.

Patience! I hope these tips for receiving houseplants by mail help you acclimate your plants.

If you follow all these tips, your plant will adjust quicker and will start to become the thriving houseplant that you’ve always wanted.