If you purchase plants from our online shop, remember, they have will be in the post for several days and will have been denied light and water for that period.
It is quite natural for them to look a little stressed and less than perfect.
The plants have left here in good health and will recover the shock of transport in almost all cases.(depending on AusPost’s treatment)
Over the years, we have experimented with the plants and we do not send plants that cannot recover from the process.
Care, from this point is really common sense, and the first thing to do after unpacking them and removing the tape from the pot is to soak them in a container eg.(Ice cream tub ) so that the water can draw up into the pot, re-hydrating the roots.
Leaf fall during postage is quite common and not usually a reason for panic.
Leaves are useless in the dark and the plants often recognise this fact and prefer not to supply nutrient to some leaves during this time.
It is more convenient for the plant to re shoot leaves, rather than maintain them during a period of stress.
After the pots have soaked for a few hours, remove them and allow the excess water to drain out from the base.
The next couple of days are best spent in a semi shaded position.
A general rule of thumb is to keep the plants in their tubestock pots until the roots start to show out of the base of the pot.
Tube stock pots help guide the roots down for better establishment. It may be necessary to leave them in their pots for several months, (depending on the season) for the best chances of robust success.
If you intend to plant out the seedlings, then several days of gradual exposure to the sun is essential before planting out into the prepared garden.
If you ignore these suggestions and go ahead and plant outside before the plants are ready and acclimatised then the chances of success are minimal.
If the plants you have purchased are deciduous and you have ordered them out of their normal season, then the procedure is the same but you will have no leaf presence to gauge the effectiveness of your treatment until they ‘shoot’ in their correct time. It didn’t die in the post, it’s asleep until the weather changes to it’s liking.
Remember, most of the plants we sell are perennial and will not respond with the same speed as annuals. Be patient with them.
It is the very nature of gardening. We have placed as much information on the various websites that we think is necessary and we are continually adding to this. Please use this information as often as you need to.