Feeling Nervous About Your Houseplants?

Working in a plant shop teaches us not only about plants, but also about the perceptions and beliefs people have of their plants and nature. If you’ve ever felt like your plant is not living up to your expectations, this article is for you. We’ll be looking at perceived plant issues, how to set your plants up for success before they leave the shop or garden center, and more.

Oh no! A leaf fell off… what’s the plant trying to tell us?

In a plant’s natural environment, there is one primary caregiver—mother nature. She has millions of years of experience, as well as skills and techniques beyond our comprehension. Plants in nature lose leaves, grow in odd directions, and coexist with pests and fungi, and yet, they continue to grow and prosper even with what humans might perceive as flaws.

A huge Ficus tree in nature [Florida], dropping both brown leaves and bright green, newer growth.

Here is the truth about your houseplants: when you shop in a plant shop or garden center, you are purchasing plants in the state of what, in many instances, is their prime. They are fit, green, full, and thriving because they have been living in a greenhouse or shade house with ample amounts of light, fertilizer, water, and lots of other plants to enjoy their life’s purpose of growing together with. 

When you visit a plant shop or garden center, it’s key to remember that the plant you’re choosing to take home with you will not always remain the same shape, size, or maintain the amount of leaves it has at that moment. Your plants, over time, will take on their own character—this is one of our favorite parts of caring for plants. Wouldn’t it be a shame if they continued to stay the same and didn’t grow and change along with you?

Top: A Dracaena reflexa that we thinned the center leaves out of while it was in the shop so it will drop fewer leaves as it acclimates in its new home.

Middle & bottom: Pruning leaves and branches, even healthy ones, helps give your plants more pleasing shapes and encourages new growth.

When you bring your plant home, the first—and arguably most important—factor is deciding where it will live and thrive. To set your plant up for success, it’s helpful to think of where your plant would grow naturally (think: tropical rainforests, deserts, high up in the canopy of trees, etc.) and try your best to mimic those conditions. This location, with any luck, will be the spot that it looks best in. While it is sometimes possible to acclimate a plant to living in less than ideal conditions, it’s important to consider some basic plant principles.

In general, plants require a healthy balance of light and water. When directions on plant care are given (e.g. “water once a week,” “water once a month”), it is assumed that your plants will be placed in the correct type of sunlight. When they’re placed in lower sunlight, you’ll want to adjust accordingly and water them less often, as they won’t be photosynthesizing as much and they won’t be using up their water as quickly. The reverse is also true—if a plant is placed in more sunlight than its typical “baseline” level of light, you may find yourself needing to water more often to compensate for the amount of light your plant is receiving.

When plants drop leaves, it’s important to not rush to the conclusion that you’re doing anything wrong. Look at where the yellowing leaf is—is it close to the bottom of the plant, or is it a part of some older stems or branches? If so, chances are you’re doing just fine. Plants naturally lose their oldest leaves to make way for new growth, or when they’re acclimating to being in a new space with different levels of light. If it’s in ample sunlight and you’re diligent about watering the right amount and frequency, chances are that this is a natural part of your plant’s growth.

Your plant’s health is also directly related to your soil’s health. While we don’t often consider it to be, soil is a living being, much like our plants—it’s full of nutrients, micro-organisms, and even fungi that all come together to form a symbiotic relationship with our plants. The nutrients in your plant’s soil will eventually be depleted after some time, which is when you want to consider fertilizing your plants. This is something that should be done infrequently (once a month or even less often, depending on your type of plant) during the spring and summer months when your plant will be growing their most. With this being said, repotting your plants isn’t something that needs to happen often either, or even on an annual basis. If you’re noticing roots coming out of either the bottom of your planter or the top of your plant’s soil, that’s the best indicator your plant is wanting some more space to grow into. Many varieties of houseplants can go 3-4 years without being repotted, though ideally the soil is replenished with plant food or slow-release pellet fertilizer along the way.

In conclusion, doing your part to understand your plant’s basic needs and native environment, as well as understanding that plants will change, adapt, thrive, and sometimes die, and that this is part of their life cycle and the fun part about living with plants. In our opinion, caring and collecting plants is most satisfying when you look at a photo of your plants when you first purchased them compared to how they have changed over time as they take on their own personalities and grow. Change is good and something to be celebrated—perhaps this is why we have learned and fully believe that we are better with plants, as they are the best teachers of this intricate cycle of nature. 

Top: New leaves with blemishes.
Middle: Cactus with corking [a natural process that involves the darkening and hardening of plant tissue]/ Norfolk pine we have had for years that hasn’t grown much.
Bottom Left: A rat tail cactus with thin growth from being inside, then thicker once we put it outside over the summer.
Bottom Right: a large Stapelia grandifolia that my mom has in her sun room… it’s grown so quickly over a year.

Sometimes you just have to wait a few weeks, or even months, for the new growth to look its best.

Co-Written by: Egan Thorne & Brian Kellett
Photos by: Brian Kellett