When you walk into a plant shop and see healthy plants lined up on shelves, it’s easy to assume they arrived that way. In reality, every plant goes through a process before it ever reaches the sales floor.
At Prop Me Up, when a shipment arrives it’s only the beginning of the plant’s journey in the shop. Our goal is to make sure every plant is healthy, pest-free, and set up for success in its new home.
Here’s a look at what happens behind the scenes.
Step 1: Unpacking and Inspection
Plants typically arrive packed tightly in boxes or trays after traveling from greenhouses that may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Shipping can be stressful for plants, so the first step is always a careful inspection.
We check each plant for:
- Damage from shipping
- Signs of pests
- Soil condition
- Overall plant health
Sometimes plants look perfect right away. Other times they need a little attention before they’re ready for the shop.
Step 2: Preventative Pest Treatment
Even well-grown greenhouse plants can occasionally carry hitchhiking pests. Because plants live close together in a shop environment, prevention is extremely important.
When new plants arrive, they are treated proactively to reduce the chance of pests spreading. This helps protect both the new shipment and the plants already in the store.
Step 3: Soil and Potting Checks
Many plants arrive in the same soil they were grown in at the greenhouse. That soil is designed for large-scale production and shipping, not always for long-term home growing.
For that reason, we often check the root system and soil condition and repot many plants into our custom mix of fresh, high-quality potting materials before they ever hit the shelf. This helps improve drainage and gives the plant a healthier growing environment.
It also helps set customers up for success once they bring the plant home.
If you see a plant in a clear pot at Prop Me Up, it’s a great sign it’s been freshly repotted. Clear pots also allow you to easily check the root system.
Step 4: The “Plant Rehab” Area
Not every plant arrives looking perfect — and that’s okay.
If a plant is stressed from travel or needs a little extra care, it doesn’t go straight to the sales floor. Instead, it goes into our plant rehab area where it can recover.
That might mean:
- Adjusting watering
- Repotting
- Treating pests
- Giving it time to acclimate
Once the plant is thriving again, it can join the rest of the shop.
Step 5: Daily Plant Checks
Plants are living things, which means they need ongoing care.
Every day we walk through the shop and check the plants for things like:
- Soil moisture
- Leaf health
- Signs of pests
- Growth and overall condition
If something isn’t looking right, that plant comes off the floor for further care. Our goal is that every plant we sell is one we would happily take home ourselves.
Step 6: Finding the Right Home
Once plants are healthy and ready, they’re placed out in the shop where customers can find them.
But our job doesn’t end there. One of our favorite parts of running a plant shop is helping people choose the right plant for their home and lifestyle. Light levels, watering habits, and experience all play a role in finding the right match.
Because when the right plant goes to the right home, everyone wins.
A Living Shop
Plants are constantly arriving, growing, and changing, which means no two weeks in a plant shop are exactly the same.
That’s part of the magic.
And the next time you pick out a plant to bring home, you’ll know a little more about the care and attention it received before it ever reached the shelf. 🌿