Strategic Plant Maintenance: Tips for Servicing Inaccessible Office Areas

In the interiorscape business, one of the most frustrating issues is the inability to access areas where plants need servicing. Conference rooms and executive offices are the most common spaces where my team is denied entry. Should you spend valuable time making a return trip? Do you trust someone else to water the plants when the room is open, even though there’s the risk of overwatering, plant shock, or pest infestations? It’s a tricky situation, but here are a few strategies I use to handle inaccessible office areas.

Timing Access Efficiently

I service one particular building where the challenge of plant maintenance is significant—the conference room is always occupied, and the CEO is either meeting with someone or on a conference call in his office. But I realized that both rooms are consistently open for servicing during lunch. This discovery has cut down on both time and frustration, as well as prevented costly plant replacements due to inconsistent care. If servicing during lunch isn’t feasible for me or my team, I take a proactive approach and reach out to the office manager before the next service day to schedule a specific time slot when the rooms will be accessible. If you encounter plant access issues, pay attention to when rooms are open during your service days to identify the best times for maintenance. This ensures that your work can be conducted without interruption and prevents a lot of hassle.

Leveraging Self-Watering Planters

Self-watering containers are lifesavers in hard-to-access spaces. Ecopots planters, for instance, have proven effective not only in inaccessible office areas but also for high-maintenance flowering plants like poinsettias that require frequent watering. Self-watering planters are especially beneficial in high-heat outdoor spaces, but there’s one big note of caution—if the plant’s roots have not yet grown long enough to reach the sub-irrigation space, you will need to continue regular watering until they grow longer. This way, the plants receive the moisture they need for healthy growth.

Maintaining Soil Moisture

If self-watering containers aren’t an option, there are other means to help maintain soil moisture effectively. Water crystals mixed into the soil work well in high-heat conditions or when regular servicing is not possible. The trick with water crystals is to place them deep within the pot—close to the bulk of the roots—so the plant can access the moisture. In addition, capillary wicks or mats made of highly absorbent wool felt are helpful. You can wrap mats around the root ball or thread wicks through the grow pot, with the bottom resting in the water reservoir. If your container doesn’t have a built-in reservoir, you can create one by adding risers to the bottom of the pot, which allows space for water to collect.

Opting for Drought-Tolerant Foliage

I service an executive office that I can only access once or twice a month, if I’m lucky. In this space, there are self-watering planters with jade bonsai and crown of thorns, which do well with once-a-month care. Using drought-tolerant foliage like succulents is a helpful strategy when frequent servicing isn’t feasible. For areas with poor lighting, plants in the dracaena family are a good alternative. However, the downside of infrequent dracaena care is once the foliage drops, it doesn’t recover, leading to a less-than-ideal appearance if the plant goes into shock.

Ensuring Communication and Documentation

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, when building access was completely restricted, I’ve included a contract clause that voids the foliage guarantee if technicians can’t access a space on regular service days. Although this clause removes the financial responsibility of plant replacement, dealing with the replacement process and the acclimation period is still a hassle. When I encounter inaccessible office areas, I always inform my client contact of the situation by email so there’s a record of my efforts to resolve the problem. Without communication, clients might wrongly assume that any plant deterioration is due to neglect on my part.

By implementing the above strategies, you can effectively navigate the challenges of restricted plant access. Embrace these approaches as opportunities to refine your operations, stand out in the interiorscape industry, and build a reputation for reliability and exceptional service.