I am a part of several facebook plant lovers pages and see people post time and time again about not knowing what to do when they buy or receive a new plant. It can seem like there is too much to do when figuring out that new plant, but really you just have to walk through a simple checklist to make sure they are set up well. 

If you’ve already bought a new houseplant or have been gifted one and seem to just be looking at it, not really sure where to start, run through this checklist to make sure they are set up to do well in their new home!

1. Make sure your new houseplant has proper soil by doing the slide test or the water test. 

• Slide Test: lightly pull on your plant. If the soil comes up in the shape of your growers cup, then the soil is not good. If the plant rises without a clump of soil, that soil is probably not too bad. 
• Water Test: take the growers cup and see how water runs through it. If water is not able to saturate the soil, it will either roll right off the top or run through the soil too quickly and straight out the bottom. This means no water is able to get to the roots of your plant. If water slowly saturates all of the soil and then eventually runs out the bottom, the soil is looking good. 

If the soil is terrible, get your plant out of that immediately by repotting. If the soil is good but you want to repot, you can wait a few days.

2. When repotting keep these four things in mind:

• You want to find fluffy, nourishing soil for your houseplant, like our small batch houseplant soil.
• Make sure you re-pot in an absorbent pot like ours or a terracotta pot. This will help remove any excess water so you avoid root rot and other watering problems. 
• Make sure the pot size is correct so your plant is not in one that is too small or too big. Learn more about picking the perfect size pot for your plant on our blog.
• We don’t use a lot of plant tools, but when it comes to repotting, we can’t help but recommend using a plant tarp. They help keep your space clean and make post-potting cleaning up a breeze. 

3. Once your new plant is repotted, cut away any unsightly leaves and gently remove any dead ones so the plant's energy only goes towards healthy leaves and growth.

4. Find out the specific instructions for caring for that type of plant and see if they like to be dried out in between waterings or moist all the time. This will tell you how often you need to water.

5. Find out your plant's light preference and then find a place in your home that has that type of light. If you aren’t sure how to tell what type of light your plant is in, our blog How to *Actually* Understand Different Types of Indoor Light can help!

6. Be sure you put your plant in a space that is not near any heating or AC vents.

7. Once you know your plant's care instructions, start building good plant care habits with these tips. 

Taking care of a new houseplant can be very exciting but some plants just aren’t set up for success.

If you are worried about that, check out our Houseplant Kits that come with everything you need so you don’t have to worry about the checklist above.

If you’ve already got a plant and don’t know exactly where to start or you are not sure if you have all the right materials, running through this quick checklist can help make sure your plant thrives in its new home!