The first two weeks: settling an imported plant

A plant that reaches you from Thailand has spent days in the dark, at the wrong temperature, with no light and no air movement. It is not sick. It is tired. Almost everything that goes wrong in the first fortnight comes from treating that tiredness as a problem to solve.

The first day

Unpack it fully, take off any wrapping, and look at the roots. Some leaf loss and a few yellow edges are normal after transit. Stand it somewhere bright but out of direct sun, at ordinary room temperature, away from a radiator and away from a draught. Then leave it.

Do not feed it. Do not repot it. Do not put it in a south-facing window because it looks like it needs sun. A plant with a tired root system cannot use any of that yet.

Watering during acclimatisation

Check the medium with a finger. If it is damp, wait. If it is dry through, water thoroughly and let it drain completely — never leave the pot standing in what it has drained. Roots that have been in transit are vulnerable, and standing water is how rot begins.

Humidity and Quebec air

Thailand is humid year round. A heated flat here in February is not. You do not need a greenhouse, but grouping plants together, standing the pot on a tray of damp pebbles, or running a small humidifier nearby all help through the first weeks. Misting looks helpful and does very little.

What is normal, and what is not

• Normal — one or two lower leaves yellowing and dropping, slight droop for a few days, no new growth for several weeks.
• Worth a message — soft brown stems at soil level, a sour smell from the pot, or rapid collapse of several leaves at once.

Send us a photograph if you are unsure. We would far rather help you settle a plant than replace it.

When it has settled

A new leaf is the signal. Once one appears, the roots have taken hold and you can start feeding lightly and move the plant to its permanent spot. Until then, patience is the whole of the work.