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Today we will look into 10 important things you should look at when buying a plant from a nursery or a garden store. Please follow all the 10 tips till the end, because these tips will help you get the best plants that will survive after you purchase them but also save your time, money and efforts.
Purchasing a plant from a plant nursery requires patience. Take your time and never purchase anything in a hurry. Remember! If your purchase a plant in a hurry, your time, money and efforts will be wasted.
Please follow these 10 useful tips while choosing your plant. And please watch all the tips till the end, else you will end up buying sick and unhealthy plants.
- Decide on the type of Plant You want to buy whether indoor or outdoor plant. You should know where to place it in your home garden, whether its shade loving, sun loving or semi-shady plant or indoor plant and whether it suits your climate and this knowledge is really important for the plant to survive.
- Do not hesitate to ASK: that is enquire with the nursery staff and question them regarding the name of the plant, how to care for the plant, the type of plant whether indoor or outdoor, fertilizer requirements and so on. Then cross check them at reliable sources at google search.
- The First Look of the Plant: First look on the plant itself will reveal its overall health. Take a Closer look and compare with other similar plants for more bushiness or more branches and new shoots. If its looking fresh and healthy, then decide on it and make further judgement by applying few more coming tips below.
- Overall Look and Hygiene of the Nursery or the Garden Store: Check whether they are maintaining it well like the overall appearance including arrangements of the plants, cleanliness of the nursery and so on.
- Soil and Watering: check whether they are using a good well draining soil for the plant and check whether the plant is watered adequately by the nursery staff. You can assess this by simply dipping your finger into the soil to check watering as well as the soil compactness. Your finger should be moist and should easily enter without much effort into the soil.
- Check for Weeds: If there are lot of weeds around the plant, it indicates poor maintenance by the nursery staff. The weeds actually rob off the nutrients from the main plant, stunting its growth.
- Look at Leaves not Flowers: Do not buy plants in Full Bloom, Instead, choose plants with healthy foliage and nice fresh growth with many flowering buds still to open. Even if its full bloomed plant, check whether it has lot of buds in it.
- Proportionate size of the Pot or the grow bag is also important factor. Check whether the plant is getting adequate space for its root development. Like if you see larger plants in small containers or grow bags, this can indicate poor maintenance and the plant can get root bound and stunted growth. That’s our next point.
- Inspect Roots wherever possible and check for Root Bound Plants: What is the meaning of root bound plants? This happens when the plant grows and matures and there is no space for root development and eventually, the roots grow to the shape of the pot and the growth of the plant stops and the plant may even die. But most of the times you cannot remove the plant and directly check this. But one tip to grossly check this is: Check whether the roots of the plant are coming out of the drainage holes and entering the ground. Better not buy such plants.
- Look for Pest attacks: Look at the plant very carefully especially underneath the leaves for insects & pests. Plus Also check for Damaged/curled leaves, you better reject such plants even if offered free of cost or as a gift. Because such plants may harm & contaminate your other garden plants.
