What You Need to Know About Moving Houseplants

Ross Sapir

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Moving houseplants is a unique challenge. They are living things, and a move involves a lot of opportunities to harm or even kill them. Packing houseplants should be done as carefully as packing dishes and other breakable items. Fortunately, there are a few methods for packing plants and transporting them with care that will allow them to make it through the move in good condition.

Watch the Weather

Plants are very vulnerable to changes in the local weather conditions. If they are being carried in an open truck, kept outside during the packing process, or otherwise exposed to the elements, they need to be treated with care. Try not to move them during heavy rain, periods of extreme cold, or under any other conditions where plants struggle to survive. If you must do so, move them as quickly as possible and try to keep them as sheltered as possible.

Choose Pots Carefully

Broken pots are among the most common problems when moving houseplants. Most people keep their plants in clay pots, but those are fairly fragile. Some plants can survive a broken pot, but many of them cannot, so it’s best to transplant them into plastic pots before the move.

Try to move them into plastic pots that are roughly the same size as their original pots. If that isn’t possible, move them into larger pots rather than smaller ones. While some species will respond poorly to any change in pot size, most of them will have more problems with a pot that is too small than one that is too large. That makes bigger pots the safer bet if the original size is unavailable. Once they are a sufficient pot, let professional movers do the heavy lifting.

Prune Before Moving

Big plants are significantly harder to ship than small ones. If a plant has any dead or unhealthy sections, prune them off before packing the plant. Removing healthy growth can also be helpful in some cases, but this should be done with care in order to avoid harming the plant. Some species, such as cacti, should never be pruned. Always research the needs of the individual species to determine what sort of pruning can be done without harming the plant, and follow the guidelines carefully.

Packing Plants with Care

Packing plants is not hard, but it does take some care. Wrap the plants with newspaper to avoid damage from collisions in the truck. Smaller plants only need to be wrapped around the pot, but bigger ones also need protection for their branches. If they are going in a box, punch a few holes in it to give them access to air and light. Be sure to keep the plants upright when they go into the truck, and try not to put them near any heavy objects that could fall and crush them.

Unpack Quickly

It is best to get the plants back to normal conditions as soon as possible. If they are going to get kept outdoors, unpacking them and moving the plants to their final homes should be the first priority. If they are going indoors, they should be unpacked as soon as the area around their final destination is prepared. Putting them into the room first invites accidents during the rest of the unpacking process, so it’s best to wait a little while. That having been said, their area should be prioritized so they can spend as little time waiting as possible.

Contact Roadway Moving Company today to learn how we can help move your delicate and important items!