gitagal said:I always ask my customers--that are so eager to "fix" a newly purchased plant..re-pot it..fertilize it, etc...
I say--"If you were in a hospital and laying in bed--really sick would you like me to bring you a
nice, fat steak to eat? You probably would puke. Gets the point across...... G.
Not really an accurate analogy unless you are always buying sickly, puny, nearly dead plants. Most plants people are buying are healthy growing plants. A closer analogy would be if you've been traveling a month for work and finally get to go back home, would you want to wear those same work clothes once you got home or something more comfortable?
I always repot my plants after bringing them home. Not something I think is critical, but may be more dependent on what type of plant you are buying, current health, what type of soil it is in, and what size of pot it is in, and should be considered on a case by case scenario. Most plants sold as "houseplants" are pretty tough and a repot may be more beneficial. *How* you repot would be the more critical factor.
I would only lightly fertilize until the plant has acclimated to its new location and shows signs of growth - although, depending on the size and type, a regular low dose of fertilizer may be better than a periodic regular dose of fertilizer, which might be more appropriate for outdoor plants.
Bottom line is that there isn't just one way to garden and advice can depend on so many different factors (type of plant, time of year, current health of plant to name just a few, not to mention the varying degrees even within those categories) and using a "blanket" or "umbrella" approach to giving advice can be just as detrimental to a plant as out right giving wrong advice.
