Business owners will know all about the end of the year being a bit of a stressful time. Having to navigate the last few weeks of the year, continuing to encourage the team and planning ahead for the next twelve months can take it out on anyone. The last thing you want is to come back from a much earned Festive Season break, only to find that all the office plants have died in the meantime. Starting the year with as few hassles as possible requires making a plan to ensure that they make it through Christmas and New Year, and here’s how to go about it.
Pruning Makes a Big Difference
As a general rule, organise for any indoor and outdoor plants to be pruned on the day that everyone goes on leave, getting rid of any dead, dying or unhealthy looking foliage. This not only makes room for new buds to grow, but will ensure that these aren’t sapping an excessive amount of water over the course of the holiday. Make a list of the plants that need the most water, and ensure that they are well watered on the last day before the office closes. The same applies to any outdoor plants, including those that are rooted in the ground. If there are a lot of plants to work with, you may want to hire someone (and pay them overtime) to come in once or twice over the holiday period to tend to these.
Consider Light and Temperature
The more sunlight a plant gets, the quicker the water supply will be depleted. Helping your indoor plants to survive during the break requires storing the thirstiest plants away from direct sunlight as much as possible. Some of these plants may be dependent on direct sunlight, so be sure not to store them in a dark cupboard. The same goes for considering temperature changes. Are the rooms in the office that tend to get very hot and stuffy? The boardroom might be one of those. Move plants away from there temporarily and find a more fitting spot somewhere else in the building. Never leave air conditioning on while you are away, as this is not only bad practice in terms of sustainability, but may affect how specific plants grow.
Keeping Them Hydrated
If you’re closing the office for a single week, you should be alright getting away with only watering them before you lock up for the break. Don’t forget to drain excess water before you leave. If the holiday is a little longer, you can add wood chips or lava rocks to the top of the soil to help retain some of the moisture. If the break is up to three weeks, hire someone to come in and water the plants once or twice.
Planning Ahead for the Holidays
If you have a relatively small team and office space, with a couple of employees that have a green thumb, you might be able to ask everyone to take home one or two plants for the break. This is the easiest way to make sure they are taken care of and will be returned back in the new year without any problems. Incentivise them if you need to. Getting it right requires a bit of planning on your side, rather than just dropping it into the laps of people on the last day of the year. Need to make another plan? The Bidvest ExecuFlora team can offer even more advice to help keep your office plants going, so reach out to us if you have any questions about the process.