Tips on Choosing a Plant Online

First time online plant buyer? Read on for a few tips

Online shopping opens up a world of possibilities if you’re a plant lover, giving you access to plants you would rarely, if ever, find in a nursery. If it’s your first time shopping online, you might feel like you don’t know where to start with all the options that exist. Here at Uprooted, we want to make sure each and every one of our customers feels totally comfortable before they check out, so we’ve put together a few tips on how to pick the right plant.

 

Cactus next to window 

 

Think about the light your plant will live in

Light is one of the most important ingredients your new plant will need to live and thrive, and different plants are made for different levels of light. Before buying a plant, have a think about the position you’re going to place it in, and how bright that spot is. Plant care guides online will often refer to light in terms of bright, medium, or low, and these can be roughly defined as:

  • Bright – right next to a window (within 30cm)
  • Medium – within 2m of a window
  • Low – within 2m to 4m of a window

 

If you want to get more technical about it, you can use a light meter or even a light meter app such as Plant Light Meter on iOS to measure the light in the space you’re considering to truly inform you of how bright an area is.

 

Research before you buy

We provide information on each plant across our website, but also encourage you to do your own research so you feel confident that you can provide the right care for your potential new plant. Factors include:

 

  • The light requirements of a plant
  • How much humidity it needs – some plants such as Devils Ivy can handle a broad range of humidity levels, whereas the more delicate Calatheas require high humidity to match the rainforest setting where they grow in the wild
  • How much water it requires
  • How it grows – is it a climber, a trailer, a creeper? Will it sprawl out or will it grow high? This way you can check if you’ll have enough room for it as it grows, plus ensure you provide anything extra it may need such as a moss pole once it’s bigger
  • The soil/potting mix it needs
  • The seasonality of the plant – some plants may go slightly dormant during certain months of the year
  • If it’s safe for pets/kids – many common houseplants are toxic to humans and animals alike, so it’s good to be aware if you need to position your plant out of reach

 

 

iPad browsing Uprooted site

 

Read the deets

On each plant page, we will explain the size of the plant’s pot, its care needs, if it will be sent bare root or in a pot, and any other specific information you should know. We also provide information on our delivery page which explains when orders are sent out and when you should expect to receive your order. Check out our shipping info here.

 

If in doubt…

Send us an email at hello@uprooted.com.au or DM us on Instagram or Facebook. We love chatting to our customers and are here to help. Please feel free to send through any and all questions you may have so we can help you on your journey to plant parenthood!