Attention, Plant Lovers: This Is the One Section You Should Be Shopping at IKEA (2024)

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When you’re thinking about the immensely popular Swedish furniture store IKEA, its plant selection probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind—if you even know it exists at all. But if you’re an indoor plant enthusiast who loves a bargain, you need to add IKEA to your plant store roster.

The home furnishings chain has a lot to offer in its underestimated nursery section. Not only are the prices low (often running an average of $10 cheaper than other major nursery chains), but the plants are incredibly healthy, rivaling the beauty of more expensive gardening stores. They're even sourced locally, hence why they're so affordable.

To navigate this section like a seasoned plant pro, check out our top tips.

Check the Stock Online Before You Go

You can browse the full selection of available IKEA plants online. The website typically features a variety of the most popular plants that are available across the widest variety of stores, such as gorgeous ficus plants to an Arabic coffee plant in a coffee mug.

Although IKEA won’t ship their plants, you can easily see which plants are being sold at stores near you by setting your preferred store in the app or online, giving you the fastest way to browse their nurseries from the comfort of your own home and find out what's actually available. Where else are you going to find a healthy 10-inch monstera deliciosa for just $23?

Look for the Weekly Restock

IKEA stores restock plants every week (and sometimes even biweekly), but there’s no single restocking day across all stores. Each store in your area may have a different day they get new plants in from their local suppliers. If you’ve got a particular plant you’re looking out for, checking the availability online is the best way to keep your eye on it. Otherwise, just give your store of choice a call to find out what days their plant options will refresh.

Shop the Quarterly Restock

As for the seasonal selections, IKEA gives their plant inventory a complete restyling four times a year with the changing of the seasons. Around the months of February, April, August, and October, the retailer will offer up its seasonal greenery; the first few days of this restock are by far the best times year-round to find the most unique indoor plants available.

Just like the weekly restocks, the specific dates for these quarterly selections will vary by store; call in to figure out the big day ahead of time.

Keep an Eye on the App for Restocks

The website and IKEA app will also note the plant product changes every day. Restocked plants always sell out quickly, so make sure you're staying on top of the restocking days if you want the best deals, or you can choose to be alerted when it comes back in stock.

Check for Pests Before You Buy

An unhealthy plant is one thing, but just one bug-infested plant could infect your other ones. IKEA inspects their plants for pests, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

To check for bugs, look at your plant with a flashlight (the one on your phone will do if you’re trying to be inconspicuous). You should be looking for small webs around the base of your plant (indicating spider mites), insects underneath leaves or along the stems of the plant, and any critters that are hiding in the first layer of dirt. Most pests will gather underneath plant leaves, so be sure to inspect each leaf carefully.

Look for Plants With New Growth

Generally, you’ll want to make sure that your plant has healthy leaves, several supporting stems, and new growth. New growth near the base or from the stems of a plant is a great sign—it means the plant is healthy enough to be pushing out new stems, leaves, or blooms.

Try Out Planters and Watering Cans

Treat the planter section like a fitting room and test out different pots on your plant (same goes for a watering can to see what spout length and size would be best). If you want to leave the plant in its plastic container, check out the pots without drainage holes and see if you like one. If you want to replant, look to the ones with drainage holes in the bottom.

If the roots are poking out the bottom of the pot or the top of the soil, it's a sign you need to repot. In that case, choose a planter that is an inch or so bigger in diameter than the current pot.

Grab a Grow Light

IKEA also features a number of lightbulbs specifically designed to help your plants grow (aka, growlights). If your home isn’t getting enough light and your current plants are suffering, just grab an IKEA LED cultivating bulb to install in a floor or table lamp.

Test Plant Stand Weight Capacity

Grab your plant (or a plant, if you aren't planning on buying one) and set it on the plant shelf you're thinking of buying to make sure it can hold the weight of however many plants you’re planning to put on its shelves (and their pots, too).

A good plant shelf will be asymmetrically stacked or even slanted so that all of the plants on its shelves receive equal amounts of light. Some will even come with handy trellises or handles for vines to grow onto.

Only Buy If You're Sure

Examine your plant of choice from IKEA carefully before purchasing, as the retailer doesn’t accept returns on plants once you’ve bought them.