Office Houseplant Rescue
Office Houseplant Rescue: Reviving Your Corporate Greenery
At GardenAdvice, we spend a lot of time helping people rescue and recover their office houseplants, mainly through the GardenAdvice corporate garden club. Unfortunately, houseplants are one of those products that, unless you know what you’re doing, are almost guaranteed to fail. However, with a little knowledge, it’s quite simple to establish thriving plants in your office environment. The GardenAdvice Houseplant Corporate Rescue Plan is designed to assess the health of your office plants and provide the steps needed to nurse them back to life.
Why Office Houseplants Struggle
Houseplants grown in nurseries are typically nurtured in controlled greenhouse environments, with regular watering and periodic feeding. Plants are usually housed in plastic pots with peat-free or so called eco composts or similar, which works well in the nursery setting but doesn’t always translate to the office. Once placed in the office, your plants face a drastically different climate: dry, artificial air currents, inconsistent watering, and minimal attention. All of this often leads to plants that fail to thrive within a few months, leaving you with the dilemma of replacing them or abandoning your project altogether. Either way it’s an expensive project when it fails.
The Garden Advice Houseplant Corporate Rescue Plan
Stage 1: Assessing and Rehydrating Your Plants
The first step in the rescue plan is a thorough assessment. Most office plants suffer from under-watering, so the first task is to make sure the plants are fully hydrated. Often, this means taking them outside and soaking them thoroughly to remove dust and ensure the compost is saturated. Dry plants with minimal water retention can sometimes be beyond saving if not treated properly, but with the right care, they can recover.
Stage 2: Feeding and Reviving Growth
Once the plants are properly watered, it’s time to provide them with a boost of nutrients. For this, we recommend feeding with a high-nitrogen fertilizer ( about 24% ), such as Miracle-Gro. Nitrogen helps plants develop strong green growth, which is essential during the recovery process. Miracle-Gro is packed with nutrients, though it’s important to note that it’s high in nitrates, which can be too much for plants in normal conditions. However, for plants recovering from neglect, it’s an excellent solution for rapid revitalization. Office houseplants have often used up all the nutrients in the original compost
Alternatively, if the plants aren’t too far gone, we suggest using liquid tomato feed. With a lower nitrogen content (about 6%), it’s ideal for encouraging new stems, roots, and overall balanced growth. This type of feed is often referred to as the “meat and sweet veg” of plant food, providing essential nutrients for healthy recovery not too high in nitrogen developing strong leaves and stems.
Stage 3: Repotting for Long-Term Success
After around three weeks, when your plants are beginning to show signs of recovery and new growth, it’s time to repot them. We recommend using soil-based compost, such as John Innes No. 1 or No. 2. This compost retains the correct moisture level over time, preventing over-watering and underwatering, which is common in office settings. It’s also much easier to manage than peat-free compost, making it perfect for helping plants stabilize.
Once repotted, we suggest using affordable terracotta pots. Terracotta offers excellent drainage and the pot retains water which increases humidity. It’s essential to place the newly potted plants in the terracotta pots inside waterproof ceramic pots to prevent any water leakage onto the office floor.
Stage 4: Addressing the Dead Plants and Planning for the Future
Part of the process involves recovering any dead plants that may have been left behind in the office. Once the struggling plants are revived, we work with you to start a program of regrowing new plants in the correct positions. It’s essential to match the lighting conditions of each office area with the right type of plant. For instance, a Kentia palm ( Howea forsteriana ) thrives in darker areas with indirect light, while a Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) prefers brighter spaces with direct sunlight.
Considerations for Plant Placement
Position is key when it comes to houseplants. At GardenAdvice, we take the time to match plants to their ideal lighting conditions, ensuring they thrive in their designated space. Additionally, we must always consider the safety of the plants. Some plants, while safe for animals, may cause skin irritations or be toxic to humans. It’s important to choose plants that are both appropriate for your office environment and safe for everyone in the workplace.
Humidity: The Secret Ingredient for Success
Many office houseplants struggle with the dry, high-temperature environments often found in modern offices. Humidity is a crucial factor that’s often overlooked. Plants need a certain level of moisture in the air to maintain their health, especially in areas with air conditioning or central heating. The GardenAdvice offers advice on how to create a more plant-friendly environment by managing humidity levels.
Links to more information
GardenAdvice Office and Houseplants Workshop
How GardenAdvice Can Help
If your office plants are in need of rescue or you’re looking for general advice on houseplant care and maintenance, the GardenAdvice Corporate Team is here to help. Our experts are equipped with the knowledge to guide you through the process of reviving your office plants, from watering and feeding to repotting and repositioning.
Below are some links to additional resources on houseplant care, particularly related to humidity, a key factor in the success of any office houseplant.
With our expert guidance, you’ll be able to restore the health of your plants and create a vibrant, thriving workspace filled with greenery. Contact us today to get started with your houseplant rescue!
