Artificial Versus Live Interior Planting On A Five Year View
The comparison that matters to a facilities budget is not purchase price. It is what the planting costs over the life of the scheme.
Light Is The Deciding Factor
Most interior positions specified for trees have light levels well below what the species needs. Lobbies, corridors, basements and windowless offices are the usual cases.
A live tree in those positions does not die quickly. It thins, drops leaves and looks progressively worse, which is harder to manage than outright failure.
The Recurring Costs
Live interior planting carries irrigation, feeding, pest control, pruning and periodic replacement, usually under a maintenance contract.
Artificial planting carries dusting only, which is normally absorbed into an existing cleaning schedule.
Consistency Across Sites
A rollout across many sites needs matching trees. Live specimens vary plant to plant and cannot be matched reliably at scale.
Artificial trees are produced against a fixed leaf count and colour reference, so later deliveries match the first.
Where Live Planting Still Wins
In daylit atriums with proper irrigation and a maintenance budget already in place, live planting is still the better answer. We say so when asked.
Models Referenced In This Guide
Other Guides
How To Choose Artificial Tree Height For An Interior Scheme
Finished height is the single specification that decides whether a tree looks right in a room. This guide sets out how to pick it.
Material GuideArtificial Tree Materials Explained For Specifiers
What the leaves, the trunk and the pot are actually made of, and what each material choice means once the tree is installed.
Process GuideKnock Down Trees And How They Change Container Loading
Knock down construction is a freight decision before it is a product decision. Here is how the numbers work out.
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Still Deciding On A Specification
Send the project details and we will recommend specific item codes rather than a category.