7 Easy Steps to Shipping Your Plants Safely
The thought of moving into a new house or apartment is known to cause a lot of stress onto the average person. Added onto that stress is the thought of your plants and flowers, of which you’ve spent precious hours and effort to grow, either dying during the move or needing to be thrown out. We’ve listed 7 easy steps for you to keep your green thumb alive as you move and transport your plants from one location to another!
Step 1:
Get some shipping boxes from your local grocery store, Wal-Mart, or post office. Aim to ship your plant(s) out early in the week so that your package doesn’t get stuck in transit at the Post Office over the weekend. Priority mail takes three days, and costs around $3 for a 2 pound package. The priority-mail boxes are usually free for the taking and are available in several assorted sizes.
Step 2:
It’s a good idea to plan on digging up your plant(s) from the ground the day before you ship it and let the roots soak in water over night. You can also leave your plant in the soil right up until you are ready pack it, but make sure you soak the soil around the plant for a day at least. Make sure you soak the roots as best as you can to ensure the life of your plant after shipping.
Step 3:
Softly rinse off the soil from the roots of your plant. Moisten paper towels and wrap them around the roots to keep the moisture locked in.
Step 4:
Place the roots wrapped in your damp paper towels into a plastic bag, while wrapping the bag up towards the stems. Get a rubber band and wrap it around the plastic bag to make sure your damp roots stay together within the bag. This will also ensure that your plant doesn’t dry out during the shipping process.
Step 5:
Next, lay the plant diagonally on a section of old newspaper, and roll the paper around the whole plant gently so the foliage is protected by the cone-shape of the newspaper. Label the plant with a waterproof marker. Make sure you keep the whole plant in a cool location and out of the sun until you put it in the mail.
Step 6:
Once you’re ready to mail your plant, put it in the priority box you’ve gotten. Place crumpled up newspaper or cloth in the box to act as a buffer or padding for your plant so it doesn’t move around. Tape up the box, put the mailing address on it and ship it.
Step 7:
If you’re mailing it to a friend, make sure to let them know once you mail the plant so they’re ready to receive it and re-plant or re-pot it asap!
About the Author: This guest post is brought to you by the team of Transit Systems, Inc., one of the nation’s top residential and commercial moving and by freight companies. TSI specializes in both large and small moves, and can also assist you with furniture shipping. For more information about TSI, visit their website or follow TSI on Twitter @TransitSystems.
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