Buying and caring for houseplants can be a rewarding experience, but one home improvement store has taken a lot of the fun out of the process.
A Redditor shared a series of photos in the r/plant community with the caption, "Home Depot just spray paints and glues plastic to their plants??"
The first two images showed vibrant succulents in small pots, ranging in color from purple, two shades of blue, and magenta. However, closer inspection reveals patches with the natural colors peeking out, implying that someone had altered the plants' appearance with some type of paint.
The last two each pictured a close-up of a cactus with a flower that looked like it had been secured with hot glue.
As one person pointed out, covering the succulent with paint is harmful and likely spells doom for the plant.
"I don't get it though these painted plants are either dying or already dead. Can't photosynthesize, stomata are clogged with paint and that's before considering the chemicals in paint," they wrote. "I guess as succulents it deteriorate slow enough to be sold. Disgusting."
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Another user pointed out the demand for these painted succulents and glued-together cacti, which otherwise wouldn't exist unless people bought them. Perhaps part of their market comes from unsuspecting shoppers.
"Had a friend that was excited his cactus had its flower for so long…until I pointed out the hot glue," someone commented.
One Redditor who said they used to work at a Home Depot competitor said that concealing or modifying a plant's aesthetic isn't uncommon among wholesalers.
"It's not them. It's the vendor who supplies the flowers," they said. "I worked in [Lowe's] garden and would watch them being delivered. They think it looks good I guess. I think it ruins the [plant's] natural beauty."
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Other threads seem to verify that this trend has become widespread, as a customer of Lowe's posted similar photos.
While tending to plants can be difficult and time-consuming, succulents and cacti generally require minimal water and attention. For those who house other types of indoor plants that need a little more maintenance, plenty of content creators have shared eco-friendly tips to ensure your greenery stays happy and healthy.
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