Acclimating your plant
Yay! Plant mail! ...now what!?
Some things to keep in mind about where your plant came from:
- Raised organically in a hot and humid greenhouse in Central Florida
- We run about an average of 80% humidity and 80f degrees
- Watered via a spring-fed lake or collected rainwater (we never use tap!)
- The plants are fertilized with our famous worm tea
- For most of our plants, we use our special rooting mix made up of sphagnum moss, coconut chunks and fibers, and different sizes of perlite - all soaked in our famous worm tea!
- Anything potted in dirt is potted up in our special secret mix
Do you best to pick the perfect spot for your new plant baby and DON'T MOVE IT for at least 3 weeks while it acclimates to its new environment. Imagine making the plant having to acclimate all over again every time you move it!
When the plant first arrives, it's going to need a little water, a little sunshine, a little love and a lot of air circulation..
We highly suggest bottom watering while the plant is acclimating - this helps reduce rot potential by keeping the node/corm from staying too wet. It's important to remember that water is the #1 killer of all plants - so it's better to underwater than overwater, if anything. It's a smart idea to hold off on any fertilizing for the first month while the plant is acclimating.
You'll want to provide tons of bright indirect light. More light = helps dry out the medium the plant is sitting in and helps leaves photosynthesize. You may notice the leaves start to turn towards a window or a different direction - that's ok! The leaves are looking for the light. It's good for your plants to rotate them every few weeks. If you notice a plant growing "leggy", you'll want to move it closer to the light source as the leaves are traveling to find more light.
While plants appreciate our company as much as we appreciate theirs, try your best to not "over-mother" them. Plants have outlived us millions of years, and they'll be just fine. Try not to touch every leaf all of the time.
To be completely honest - the plant's needs depend 100% on your environment. Lighting, humidity, water and air circulation will all vary based on what your environment already provides. The best advice I can give you is to pay attention to your plant's needs and patiently listen to what it's trying to tell you. A new leaf or flower popping up in its new home is a great sign it's happy right where it's at!
The amount of light your plant receives will determine how much you should water it. Temperature affects the watering amount as well, as higher temps = more water.
It's very important to give your plant at least 3 weeks to acclimate to its new surroundings. Be patient and pay attention - listen to what your plant is telling you!
When you ship a cutting, expect to lose the oldest leaf or two while the plant is acclimating to its new (your) environment. THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL AND SHOULD BE EXPECTED (A new leaf will grow where the old one was, anyway!).