5 Tips to Maintaining Plant Life at your Storefront

Caring for your business is like caring for your plant. You put in the time, energy, and resources, then hope that it grows into something beautiful. Having plants around your store is an excellent idea for many reasons; plants are known to elevate mood, reduce stress, and boost productivity levels! All of which spell excellent news for you, your employees, and even your customers. 

Pick a Low-Maintenance Plant

If you want to maintain plant life at your storefront, choosing the right plant is more important than you would first think.

Some plants that are virtually unkillable include:

• Cacti and succulents
• Pothos or Devil’s Ivy
• ZZ Plant
• Philodendron
• Spider Plant and air plants
• Snake Plant
• Bamboo
• Peace Lily
• English ivy

These plants are perfect for novices and have high tolerances to dim-light or bright-light conditions (although it is advisable to read up on the best conditions for them). Furthermore, they can thrive even if you skip the occasional watering round or two. These plants also take up minimal space, which is a plus because maintaining potted plants is more manageable.

Place Them Near Natural Light

Some plants, such as the ZZ or spider plants, can survive in low-light conditions. However, cacti, lucky bamboos, and others will require a greater amount of sunlight to live their best lives. Most plants also prefer natural light, especially considering that the ones placed on the storefront would be exposed to the sun more than plants within your store.

That said, too much direct sunlight can sometimes result in wilting, drooping, and even scorching of plants! Having decaying plants around your store will convey the idea to your customers that you don’t put the effort in your plants or your business. Try offering limited sunlight by placing plants in the shadows of window signs.

Follow a Watering Schedule

Did you know that more plants die from overwatering than those that die due to lack thereof? If you do not wish the plants in your storefront to fall prey to rot, chart a watering schedule for them. Here are a few general guidelines to follow:

• Most 4” to 4.5” green plants need watering twice a week
• Most 4” to 4.5” blooming plants need water on alternate days
• 6” green plants need watering once a week while 6” blooming plants need water daily
• 8” and 10” plants need water once a week, but lots of water every time
• Hanging plants need water twice a week
• Cacti need water once a month, while succulents need water every 15 days

If you need a reminder, you can use tiny garden flags to keep track of their schedule. That being said, do not follow this schedule blindly. The best litmus test on whether your plant needs watering or otherwise is to stick your finger about an inch inside the soil. If the soil seems moist, then the plant does not need watering. If the soil is dry, then water the plant.

Prune Them Regularly

Use scissors to snip off all browning and yellow leaves and snap off any broken or dried stems. If you have flowering plants, deadheading can cut down the plant’s energy expenditure and encourage new bud growth. You can even consider propagating the branches, stems, and vines you cut and adding more plants to your store!

Even though these pruning tips sound like work, it hardly takes any time, especially when you do it regularly. If you cannot find the time to prune daily or weekly, at least make seasonal pruning a priority.

Incorporate Them into your Displays

Why not mix things up with the plants and displays? All you need to do is switch and rotate amongst the existing plants. For instance, placing flowering plants in the storefront during springtime can truly usher in the season. Alternatively, you could have a stunning Red Aglaonema complement your green table covers dotted with shamrocks for St. Patrick’sDay. Some thoughtfully placed vines (and squashes) can set the mood around fall. Whichever holiday is around the corner, it’s easy to combine your existing plant life with displays.