How to Pack Plants for Shipping?

Hello. I moved to Delhi last year. We had a huge lawn in our previous house with several plants. To secure them during the house shifting, I looked up how to package plants for shipping. I used thin bag sheets and two layers of cardboard boxes to safeguard the plants. Let me share the detailed steps with you below.

How to Package Live Plants for Shipping?

Here is how you can pack and move your live plants:

1. I use eco-friendly 100 percent compostable bags. These are thin bag sheets. Place the plant gently inside the bag.

2. Tie the bag using a string.  Ensure a snug fit around the plant’s stem, meaning that it is a loose fit. This helps the soil to stay put and retain moisture to prevent the plant from dying during shipping. The texture of the bag is silky smooth, so if you can find it, do use these only.

3. Then comes the inner box. The box I use supports the plant on all four sides. The special thing is that it has a long vertical support on one side, which helps the plant to stay upright. 

4. You can attach a vertical block of cardboard to one side of the box to create the box I'm talking about.

5. You can then place the inner box into the outer box. This is a long vertical box according to the plant’s size and height. Place the box inside the outside box carefully. 

6. There should be no empty space in the box. So, fill up the empty areas with packing peanuts, newspaper balls or bubble wrap.

7. Tape the box well. Label it as fragile on the top side and write live plant.

This is the complete process of moving house with plants. I hope this helps.

When moving to my new house, I was quite worried about the process of moving my plants. I was so worried that I started researching how to pack live plants for shipping. From my research, I learned that the first step is to water the plants properly. The plants should be watered in such a way that their roots stay hydrated, not waterlogged. This watering activity needs to be done a day or two before the move. 

How to Pack and Ship Plants?

Watering the plants just before shipping should be avoided at all costs, as this can lead to mould or root rot during the move. After the above-mentioned step, you can follow the ones mentioned below. 

• Prune any dead or damaged part of the plant. This is done to promote healthy growth of the plant and reduce the risk of damage during shipping.

• Inspect the plant properly for any sort of infestation or disease. Separate these plants from the rest. 

• At the time of moving the plants, be sure to choose a pot or container that won’t compress the roots of the plants. This is because plant roots need room to expand. 

This is what I had learned and these are the steps I had followed to pack plants for shipping. Hope you find this helpful. 

Last month, I had the same question, how to pack live plants for shipping. As I had to shift to the next locality, so I decided to do it on my own. I researched about it online and found that the live plants can be packed properly using a pot or bubble wrap or tissue paper or newspaper. I have mentioned the detailed steps that I followed for wrapping my plants.

How to Wrap a Plant for Transport?

To guarantee that plants reach their destination undamaged, special care must be used when packing them for shipping. The procedures I followed to pack plants for shipping are as follows:

• I watered my plants two to three days in advance to ensure that they wouldn't be overly dry or soggy during transit.

• Then, to make the long plants easier to carry, I trimmed any dead or broken leaves.

• I next checked them for pests to be sure my shipment wouldn't be ruined.

• Subsequently, I utilised a plastic pot that prevents root compression in the plant.

• I then wrapped them in bubble wrap and kept them in a sturdy cardboard box.

• After that, I used strong packaging tape to close the box.

• Finally, I put labels like "Live Plants," "Perishable," and "Fragile" on the outside of the box.

For shifting my plants, I took the city tempo service from NoBroker. They shifted my plants safely to my new home. I hope this helps you get an idea of how to pack big plants for shipping.

I was immensely engrossed in planting since the COVID 19 lockdown. Now, I have started an online business where I deliver potted plants to customers. So, I can share the steps that I follow on the plant packaging for shipping to several customers.

How to Pack Plants for Moving?

• Remove the plant from soil:

1. It is often preferable to ship plants without their pots, with just their bare roots. Five to six hours before you begin pulling the plant out of the ground, give it a good dose of fresh water. Ideal soil for shipping plants is semi-dry.

2. To avoid damaging the roots, excavate a few inches away from the plant's main stem when digging. Wear gardening gloves and carefully extract the roots of the plant from the pot.

3. Next, shake off any extra soil after gently loosening the soil surrounding the plant's roots. Till the time comes to package the plant for shipping, keep its exposed roots in a shady spot.

• Cover the roots with wet paper:

The ideal way to wrap a plant is to use paper that has been soaked in water; this way, the moisture will be released gradually while the plant moves to its destination.

• Place the plant in sturdy box:

A box that is robust enough to keep your plant safe from being dropped, kicked, and hurled during transportation is needed. When shipping plants, corrugated crates are the best option. They save money on shipping, are robust, easy to pack, and environmentally friendly.

• Label Clearly: 

Label the box as "Live Plants" and "Fragile" to ensure careful handling.

• Choose Expedited Shipping: 

Opt for expedited shipping to minimise transit time and ensure the plant arrives quickly and in good condition.

I hope this helps!

Read More:

Plants are delicate so without knowing how to pack a plant for shipping properly, you should not move ahead with movement. When we decided to sell our ancestral house, we were worried about our plants. Thanks to NoBroker, they transported everything including the plants without any damage on time. Since I was worried about my plants, I asked them to handle them with care. I hydrated them properly. Let me share the tips with a plant lover like you here.

How To Pack A Live Plant For Shipping?

Their professionals asked me to ensure that the plants were properly hydrated before moving. I therefore trimmed the dead leaves to

reduce stress during transit. If possible, cut your plant short as well. The shorter the plant, the more convenient it gets to transport it. Here is what the professionals did next:

They brought sturdy, appropriately sized boxes with room for padding. Since we had several plants, they used a plant-specific shipping box for added protection.

Next, they wrapped the pot in bubble wrap to prevent soil spillage and used tape to secure the wrapping and keep the soil in place.

I was happy to see them surround my plants with additional padding, like newspapers. For some, they even used a plastic bag around the plant to contain moisture and protect against leaks.

This is the most important stage. You must make sure that the plant packages are labelled properly so that you can know which one is the most delicate and make sure no other boxes are placed above them. 

So this is how to pack and ship plants. You can do it yourself as well by following these steps. 

How To Pack Big Plants For Shipping?

The process for shipping large plants is also the same. But to ensure more safety, make sure you bundle large leaves with soft ties to minimise damage and insert stakes to support taller plants and prevent breakage. You can also add extra padding around the plant to absorb shocks during transit.

By now, you must have a clear idea of how to pack a plant for shipping. If you are short on time,  and if not, hire an expert like NoBroker’s professionals.

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Read More:

Hey there,

It's important to make sure your item reaches its destination safely, and proper packaging and preparation are critical to this. This is true whether you're a plant parent giving plant presents to relatives, the owner of a business that sells plants or exchanging exotic plants with other enthusiasts. Getting a plant ready for shipping should be simple for anyone with a little bit of a green thumb. But if you’re new to this and want to know how to pack plants for shipping, I am here to help you out.

How to pack plants?

Before you start to pack, you must make sure you prep the plant in the following manner. Giving your plant some clean water just a few hours to a few days prior to the journey can help you get it ready for transportation because semi-dry soil is the ideal condition for plants to travel in. Don't water succulents the day of shipping if they have a tendency to retain water. To give freshly cut flowers a chance to hydrate before their lengthy journey, put them in a small container for 3 to 4 hours prior to shipping.

How to pack house plants for moving?

1. Separate the Plant from the Soil: Bare roots are preferable to potted plants when shipping most plants. Remove the roots of your plant from the pot, shaking off any extra soil. It's not necessary to totally rinse the roots because part of the soil residue will keep the plant alive and comfortable during transportation and potential repotting.

2. Wrap the Plant's Roots in a Damp Paper Towel: Lightly moisten a filter paper with clean, room-temperature water before wrapping the plant's roots in it. The plant will receive water along the journey as a result of the paper's gradual moisture release.

3. Cover with Plastic Wrap: Cover the paper towels and roots with a coat of plastic wrap to keep everything in place. You might also put the plants in a zip lock bag as an alternative. This will keep the moisture within and act as insulation for the roots' delicate tissues.

4. Plant Security: Use rubber bands or newspapers to wrap the entire bundle to secure the plant's top. Both strategies will control wayward growth and guard against plant damage.

5. Plant inside the box: Your plant should be packed in a robust recycled cardboard box that can resist any damage from vigorous handling.

6. Fill Extra Space: After placing your plant inside the sturdy carton, fill any remaining space with packaging paper or newspaper to add extra padding. Your plant won't have any room to move during handling if you do it this way.

7. Close the Box with Strong Packing Tape: Tape the box's lid shut and all of its edges firmly.

8. Write on the Box: Label the box "Live Plants," "Fragile," or "Perishable" using permanent ink so that shipment handlers can easily read it.  Along the outside of the box, write the shipping and return addresses.

9. Sending a Plant: It's time to transport your plant now that it has been beautifully prepared and boxed for travel.

I believe now you have a fair idea about how to pack plants for shipping.