I recently read the start of an article that read “Skip the clearance section It can be tempting to browse the sale rack, but that’s a mistake for most plant owners. Rescue or sale plants are typically sick, who adds that any pests on these sale plants might cause you to infect the rest of your collection as well.”

My first thought was “What!?” I often check the clearance section for plants and have gotten some of my best plants there. Many big box stores have a generous policy that allows you to return expired greenery for up to a full year if you save the receipt. To be more specific, the policy states “Flower bushes, succulents, and houseplants qualify for a return within 90 days of delivery date or date of purchase in-store. As for perennials, trees, tropical plants, and shrubs, the return period lasts up to a year.”

This results in individuals returning plants when they are “dead”, as if it’s the plant’s fault the customer did not follow the plant tag and kept the plant in the plastic pot they came in. My rule with clearance plants is prune all the dead stuff and cut it properly and check the roots because sometimes they will be doing poorly due to root lock and outgrowing the current container. In the latter case, repot them in the appropriate container.  Add fresh soil and fertilizer, give them a good soak. Leave them in the tub or kitchen sink for 24-72 hours. If there are pests, they will be revealed during the repotting and soaking process.