After Your Plants Arrive

Your plants made a long journey. A little travel stress can be completely normal.

Imported plants have spent time packed in the dark, moved through different temperatures, and traveled bare-root before reaching you. When you first open the box, a plant may look tired, droopy, or less perfect than it did before shipping. That does not automatically mean the plant is dying.

The best thing you can give a newly arrived plant is a calm recovery: inspect first, make only the changes it needs, then give it stable conditions and time.

Before Your Plants Arrive

A little preparation makes the first day much easier. You do not need a complicated setup — just a clean, calm place where you can inspect the plants without rushing.

Prepare These Before Delivery

• A clean table or work area
• Clean scissors or pruning shears
• A clean bowl or container and room-temperature water
• Fresh growing medium suitable for the plant
• A clean pot with drainage
• A warm place with bright, indirect light
• Good air circulation without a strong fan blowing directly on the plant
• A separate area away from the rest of your collection for initial observation
• Your phone or camera for documenting the unboxing and plant condition

Keep an Eye on Tracking

If possible, arrange for someone to receive the package and bring it indoors promptly. Avoid leaving a live-plant package outside longer than necessary, especially in very hot, cold, or sunny conditions.

Do Not Feel Pressure to Buy Lots of Treatments

You do not need a shelf full of fertilizers, fungicides, vitamins, or “anti-stress” products before the box arrives. Clean tools, clean water, a suitable fresh medium, and stable growing conditions are more important.

If a treatment is actually needed later, choose it for the specific problem and follow the product instructions rather than mixing several products together “just in case.”

When the Package Arrives

1. Bring the Box Inside and Open It

Open the package soon after delivery. Your plants have already spent enough time packed for transit and will benefit from fresh air and a careful inspection.

2. Document Before You Start Treating Anything

Before trimming roots, removing damaged tissue, or changing the plant significantly, take clear photos or a short unboxing video showing:

• The outside of the package
• The plants as they were packed
• The full plant from roots to leaves
• Any area that concerns you
• The plant label, when applicable

This is especially important if you may need to contact us about a serious arrival issue. Current claim requirements are listed in our Refund Policy.

3. Look at More Than the Leaves

Leaves are often the first part of a plant to show shipping stress. A yellowing, drooping, bruised, or damaged leaf can look alarming, but the condition of the roots, stem, rhizome, corm, node, and growing point can tell you much more about the plant's ability to recover.

A plant can lose leaves during acclimation and still produce healthy new growth later if its main growing structures remain viable.

Checking the Roots

Okanoka ships international plant orders bare-root with sphagnum moss around the roots.

Remove the wrapping carefully. If sphagnum is tightly attached to fine roots, do not pull hard just to make the roots perfectly clean. Moisten or gently rinse it away so you do not damage healthy roots unnecessarily.

What Healthy Roots May Look Like

Healthy roots vary by plant. They may be cream, white, tan, brown, or darker depending on the species and age. What matters more is texture: healthy roots are generally firm rather than soft and collapsing.

What About Root Rot?

If you find a root that is clearly dead, mushy, hollow, or breaking apart, trim only the damaged portion with a clean tool. Avoid cutting healthy roots simply because their color looks different from what you expected.

If you are unsure whether a root, rhizome, corm, or stem is healthy, take a clear photo before cutting it and ask us.

Should I Soak the Roots?

If the roots arrive noticeably dry or dehydrated, you can gently rehydrate them with clean, room-temperature water before placing the plant into fresh medium.

A long soak is not automatically better. If the roots are already moist and firm, they may not need soaking at all. Avoid leaving roots submerged for an unnecessarily long time, especially if you are already concerned about soft or damaged tissue.

What Should I Plant It In?

After inspection and any needed rehydration, place the plant into a fresh, clean, airy growing medium appropriate for that species.

Choose a pot that fits the root system rather than a pot that is much larger than the roots. Good drainage and airflow around the root zone are important while an imported plant is recovering.

We recommend using fresh medium rather than reusing the sphagnum that traveled internationally with the plant.

The First Days: Keep Things Gentle

Light

Start with bright, indirect light. Avoid putting a newly arrived plant straight into intense direct sun, even if that species normally enjoys brighter conditions once established.

Temperature

Keep the plant in a comfortably warm, stable environment. Try to avoid sudden temperature swings, cold drafts, air-conditioning blowing directly on the plant, or excessive heat.

Humidity and Airflow

Many tropical plants appreciate humidity during recovery, but humidity should not mean stagnant, constantly wet conditions. Gentle airflow is helpful.

Water

Keep the root zone appropriately moist for the plant and medium you are using, but avoid treating an imported plant as if “more water” automatically means faster recovery. Roots also need oxygen.

Fertilizer

You usually do not need to feed heavily right away. Let the plant settle and allow the roots to recover before introducing a strong fertilizer routine. New root activity or new growth is a much better sign that the plant is ready to return to normal care.

Give Your New Plant Its Own Space

Even though export plants go through plant-health procedures, it is still good collection hygiene to keep a newly arrived plant separate from your established plants for an initial observation period.

This also makes it easier to watch the plant closely without comparing it to plants that have already been acclimated to your home for months or years.

What Can Be Normal After International Shipping?

Depending on the species, travel time, weather, and the individual plant, you may see some temporary shipping stress such as:

• Drooping or soft-looking leaves
• One or more yellowing leaves
• Leaf loss during acclimation
• Small tears, bruising, or cosmetic leaf damage
• Temporary loss of firmness
• Slow growth while roots recover

These signs can be frustrating to see, especially when you have been excitedly waiting for your plant. But imported plants do not always arrive looking as settled as a plant that has been growing in the same room for months.

When Should I Contact Okanoka?

Please contact us promptly if you are worried about the condition of a newly delivered plant, especially if you see a serious issue affecting the roots, stem, rhizome, corm, or growing point.

Send us clear photos and, when possible, your unboxing documentation. If you are contacting us about a claim, please do this before making major changes to the plant so we can see the original arrival condition.

For claim eligibility, evidence requirements, timing, exclusions, refunds, and replacements, please refer to the current Refund Policy.

Common Questions After Arrival

My leaves are yellow. Is my plant dead?

Not necessarily. Leaves can yellow because of travel stress, temperature changes, dehydration, natural leaf aging, or the plant reallocating energy during acclimation. Check the roots and main growing structure before assuming the whole plant is lost.

Should I remove every damaged leaf immediately?

No. Remove tissue that is clearly dead, rotting, or creating a hygiene problem, but you do not need to make the plant look perfect on day one. A partly damaged leaf may still help the plant while it recovers.

Should I fertilize as soon as the plant arrives?

Usually, no heavy feeding is needed immediately. Give the roots time to recover first. Once the plant is stable and shows signs of active root or new growth, you can gradually return to a normal feeding routine appropriate for that plant.

Can I put the plant under direct sunlight to help it recover?

Start with bright, indirect light. A newly arrived plant may be more sensitive than an established one, and sudden intense light can add another source of stress.

Can I reuse the sphagnum from the shipping package?

We recommend using fresh, clean growing medium for recovery rather than reusing the sphagnum that traveled with the shipment.

How long will acclimation take?

There is no single timeline. Some plants settle quickly, while others need more time to rebuild roots or produce new foliage. Species, root condition, travel time, season, and your home environment all make a difference.

My plant lost all its leaves. Can it still recover?

Sometimes, yes. For many plants, viable roots, nodes, rhizomes, corms, or growing points can produce new growth even after significant leaf loss. The condition of those structures matters more than leaf count alone.

A Calm Recovery Is Usually Better Than Doing Everything at Once

When a long-awaited plant finally arrives looking tired, the natural reaction is to want to fix everything immediately: soak it, cut it, repot it, fertilize it, treat it, move it, and check it every hour.

Most plants do better with fewer sudden changes.

Inspect carefully. Fix what actually needs fixing. Then give the plant a clean, stable place to recover.

And if you are unsure, send us a photo. We would much rather help you think through the plant's condition than have you worry alone.

This guide provides general after-arrival guidance for imported tropical plants. Different plant species can have different care needs, so adjust the recovery setup to the plant you received.