Whether you’re looking to tend to one spider plant or cultivate your own personal jungle of greenery, you’ll want to pop into a nursery.
If you’re new to the plant world — or just need an etiquette refresher — Business Insider asked shop owners and employees about the biggest mistakes and faux pas customers make.
Here’s what they said.
Try not to buy a plant just for its looks
“Honestly, the worst thing you can do in a plant shop is to buy a plant because you like the look of it,” Calista Budrow, the owner of Green Spell Plant Shop, said.
If you find yourself attracted to the look or aesthetic of a certain plant, do some research about what kind of light, care, and environment it needs before rushing to the register.
Don’t touch any of the shop’s variegated plants
The monstera Thai constellation and other plants with variegations — different colors on the leaves — can be fragile. Willa Claire, a store manager at rOOTS KC, told BI that touching these specialty offerings is a no-go.
“Oils from our fingers can cause browning on variegated plants,” she said.
You’re not there to offer advice to fellow customers
Claire discouraged people from talking other customers out of buying specific plants just because they’ve had trouble with them in the past.
“Not every plant is meant for every person,” she told BI. “There are lots of varieties and levels to plant parenthood, and we are here to help the customer find what’s right for them.”
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Stealing clippings for propagation is a big faux pas
Under no circumstances should you ever cut nodes or find other ways of sneakily propagating plants in a nursery. You can often successfully grow whole new plants from small clippings, so you’re really impacting a shop’s business.
“Don’t pluck a leaf, a chunk off a cactus, or a vine from a plant,” Reba Hamilton, the owner of Virgil’s Plant Shop, said. “If you see a chunk lying on the floor, that is a great opportunity to bring it to the shopkeeper and let them know how you found it.”
Don’t administer ‘care’ to the plants
Taking care of the plants in a retail store, especially a specialty shop, is out of bounds.
“Don’t water a plant you think needs watering or pull off a leaf that you think is ‘dead’ because it’s yellowing,” Andie Schultz, an inventory manager at rOOTS KC, said.
Employees are trained to know different plants’ needs and most likely have a watering and pruning schedule based on the delivery date and humidity needs.
Don’t shake the plants
Shaking plants to make them stronger and heartier has become a bit of a trend online. But Cate Ferguson, a plant-care consultant at rOOTS KC, said the practice can actually damage some species.
Whether you’re an expert on this sort of thing or not, as a customer, it’s not your job to shake the plants and potentially cause harm.
Infesting a shop with pests is a bad look
If you’re having plant problems involving bugs, don’t show up to your local nursery with the plant in hand.
“Never bring in your plants from home without thoroughly checking for pests,” Budrow said. “Plant pests spread quickly and you could be doing major damage to the shop’s inventory.”
Instead, call the store — or another trusted plant person — for troubleshooting and advice.