Question
Hello, Mr. Creed.  I would love some guidance about acclimating and quarantining new houseplants.

I recently found out that new houseplants need acclimated to their new environment.  Although I have read about this procedure, I am still unclear about the actual steps involved, and how many days the process should last.  

In addition, how does acclimating the new plant work with quarantining it? Currently, I temporarily keep any new houseplants in a separate room from my healthy houseplants.  I never considered it could be a problem before, but the quarantined plants receive far less light than they will receive once they are in their permanent location.  Should I quarantine before I acclimate?  Should I acclimate the plant twice (when I first bring the plant into the house, and then again when I move the plant to its permanent location?)

I appreciate any bit of knowledge you are willing to share!  The more I learn about houseplants, the more I realize I have been doing a lot of stuff wrong.

Answer
Hi Dave,

I understand your dilemma. There is a great deal of misinformation available from even seemingly reliable sources. There is far too much attention paid to repotting, fertilizing and humidity and not enough emphasis on proper light and pruning.

Quarantining new plants is really not necessary. Inspect your new plants carefully prior to purchase, looking for signs of plant pests on the undersides of leaves and in crevices where leaves attach to stems. My article on plant pests (see below) will help you identify specific pests. Although careful inspection is not a guarantee that the plant does not have any pests, it is sufficient for you to skip the quarantining. Quarantining doesn't really work anyway because plant pests often don't show up for many months or even years later. Indeed, it is plants that are under stress that are most vulnerable to pests, so keeping a new plant in poor light will only enhance the chances of pest infestations.

In production facilities (nurseries), plant are grown in ideal conditions where the light intensity, temperature, watering and humidity are very carefully controlled. In such conditions, plants flourish. No home owner can duplicate such ideal conditions so plants must acclimate to a less desirable environment. Some plant species adapt more readily than others and some more quickly than others. There is no formula, only general guidelines.

Light is the most important variable for acclimatization. The more closely you can match the ideal light requirements of a plant, the easier the adjustment. Thus, it is important to know what light intensity a particular plant species prefers and then try to match that with your home environment. A plant that prefers high or medium light will have a hard time acclimating to low light. And a low light plant will not adapt well to a very sunny window.

Other than providing the best possible light match, there is not much you can do as the plant does all of the adapting. It is never a good idea to repot a newly acquired plant because that just adds one more stressful factor that it must adjust to. A plant that is moved to reduced light will gradually grow more slowly and gradually use less water, so it is important to monitor your watering routine and not lock into a set schedule. Finally, I would note that most new plants are loaded up with fertilizers at the nursery, so it is best not to fertilize for several months or until the plant is well acclimated and pushing out lots of healthy new growth.

I have written articles on plant pests and light evaluation that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC