Going out of town and looking for someone to take care of your house plants? Well, if you’ve asked yourself, “How much should I pay someone to take care of my plants?” this article is meant just for you!
How Much Do People Pay For Plant Sitting?
Trying to figure out plant sitter rates can be tricky. Some plant sitters charge by the hour. Some plant sitters charge by the day. It all depends on the type of plant sitter you find and what their going rate is. But there are a few ways to figure out what a typical plant sitter charges.
We are going to dive into all the situations that can possibly determine what a plant sitter charges to take care of your plants. First things first – location is always a key indicator of what a plant sitter is going to charge. For instance, if you live in Austin, Texas, an Austin plant sitter might charge anywhere from $15.00 an hour to $16.83 an hour, which is the US national average according to Zip Recruiter. If you are a plant sitter in Los Angeles, the hourly rate can go up to $25 an hour. This price takes into consideration the house plant sitter’s expenses which can include travel, their supplies (fertilizer, pesticides, etc) and the most important cost of all, their time.
What Does A Plant Sitter Do?
A plant sitter is someone who takes care of plants while owners are away, similar to a pet sitter but for plants. Their responsibilities may include watering, pruning, fertilizing, and ensuring the plants receive adequate sunlight. They might also watch for signs of pests or diseases and take appropriate action to maintain the plants’ health. Ultimately, plant sitters provide peace of mind to plant owners who may be traveling or unable to care for their plants temporarily.
But that’s not the only thing they can do. A plant sitter can do many things for you while you’re away, or simply busy at work. They can check your mail, keep tabs on your house, and of course, take care of your plants by watering them! Ultimately what a plant sitter decides to do is up to you and them, based on the arrangements you both agree upon.
Most plant sitters will choose to simply drop in to water your plants or they may take your plants back to their home to watch over them because the basic responsibility of a plant sitter is simply just that, to plant sit. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course you can always have different arrangements with your plant sitter, depending on how much responsibility you and them are willing to take on.
What Should I Charge For Plant Sitting?
There’s a lot of things to consider when you’re trying to decide what to pay your plant sitter. Experience is a good indicator for a starting base in terms of salary. You want to make sure you’re getting a plant sitter who is going to know what they’re doing when it comes to taking care of your plants because many plants can be very picky. The fiddle leaf fig for instance, is a finnicky plant and someone who isn’t familiar with the plant’s needs can potentially kill your plant.
Another thing to keep in mind when pricing a plant sitter is their availability. Are they able to make it to your place during unreasonable times? Are they willing to go beyond and above with their plant sitting responsibilities? Some of these examples are mentioned above, like checking your mail and duties that are outside of a basic plant sitter’s basic job description.
Ultimately, you should charge a reasonable and fair price because you have to consider their time, their expenses for traveling to you or boarding your plants, their valuable time, and their expertise when choosing the right plant sitter and determining what you should pay them. More times than often, what the plant sitter is asking for their rate is usually the fair market price for all of this.