Moving House With Plants: Tips On How To Move Plants With Care
Moving house with your plants and making sure that they survive the relocation is a challenging feat. This is especially true if you like collecting all kinds of indoor and outdoor plants. Fortunately, this doesn’t always have to be the case. By following the tips below, you can make sure that your plants are safely and securely moved into your new home!
Things To Remember When You’re Packing Plants For A Move
Just like people, plants are prone to stress when they are thrust into new surroundings. Thus, it is vital for you to prepare them for the stress of being packed into boxes or being uprooted.
Get Your Plants Ready For The Move
You can start preparations a week before your move by pruning dead leaves and stems. You may also get rid of weeds or pests during this time. One week before the move is also more than enough to work on any plants you will want to re-pot. This guide will help you in repotting your plants for a move.
If you are planning on uprooting or transplanting any plants, make sure to water them a day before taking them out of the soil. This will ensure that the plant’s roots are moist and that digging them out will not be a problem.
Meanwhile, if you are planning on splitting or cutting plant pieces for propagation, you will have to do this as close to the move as possible. After all, leaving them exposed for too long may damage or kill your plants completely.
Properly Pack Your Plants To Keep Them Safe and Protected
Make sure to have a box where you can store small potted plants together. Use bubble wrap or newspaper to cushion the spaces around each plant. This will make sure that they do not move and stay upright in the box during transport. Aside from boxes, you can also place individual plants in tote bags. They will keep your plants safe and protected without crushing them in the process.
If you are uprooting plants or cutting pieces of a mature plant for propagation, you will need to protect your plants from elements like direct sunlight, wind, and fluctuating temperature. Wrap them in kraft paper or newspaper. By doing so, you are increasing your plant’s chances of surviving the move.
Reminders For Plant Parents During A Move
The task of ensuring your plants’ safety does not end with packing and preparing them for transit. Here are some things to keep in mind for moving day:
Control The Temperature Or Conditions In Your Vehicle
Plants are not allowed in a removal van because the temperature in such vehicles may be harmful to them. Instead, you will have to transport your plants in your own vehicle.
You may read the full list of items a removals company cannot move here.
With that being said, some plants averse to extreme temperatures. Thus, moving them in a vehicle that has air conditioning might be beneficial to you. It will also be helpful to keep them healthy by making sure they retain some moisture during the trip.
Place Them On The Floor
Place your well-packed and fully-protected plants on the floor of your vehicle. This will lessen the chances of them tipping over and getting damaged. Alternatively, if you are only moving nearby, you may also put your plants in the bed of a pick-up truck.
Tend To Your Plants From Time To Time
This is especially important if you are travelling to a faraway place. Do not forget to check on your plants periodically. If possible, make stops or roll down your windows from time to time to let in some fresh air for your plants. They need to breathe too, after all.
Tending To Your Plants After A Move
Even when you’re all settled in, your plants will need time to adjust to a new environment. Here are ways to help the process along:
Unpack Your Plants As Soon As Possible
Unpack your loose plants as soon as possible to prevent any damages. You will also want to take out your potted plants out of the box to make sure nothing has been broken during the trip.
Give Them Time To Acclimate
If you are moving potted plants, all you will have to do is put them in their designated area within your property. However, if you have plants that you will need to replant or re-pot, giving them time to acclimate would be best.
You may do this by leaving them in their temporary pot for a bit before replanting or repotting them again. As for plant pieces for propagation, putting them in a cutting compost until they have enough root to be re-planted should do the trick.
Give them some sunlight
Give your plants the perfect environment to grow by placing them in rooms with plenty of natural light. You can purchase cheap blinds that allow just enough sun through without getting too hot, making it easy for you! Of course, do this only if your plants require sunlight, many don’t.
Refer to a garden expert
Taking the proper steps to care for your plant is crucial in ensuring that they make it through the house move without much issue. If you are not quite confident with your ability to keep them safe and healthy, you can always refer to a garden consultant to help you out.
Aside from helping you make sure your garden plants thrive, you can also count on them to provide you with solutions that can help you make your garden look its best. No matter what type of help you need, you will find that a garden consultant is someone you can count on.
Careful Attention Is All That Your Plants Need
Being a plant parent is a fulfilling hobby. The time, effort, and attention to detail it entails are all worth it when you see your plant thriving and alive. Make sure that it doesn’t go to waste when you’re relocating by following the steps above.
To make sure that your plants have more than enough room in your vehicle, consider hiring a man and van or a removals company for your other belongings. They may not be able to help you with your plants, but they can help improve the overall moving experience. That means you can focus on your plants while they work on getting you all moved in! Meanwhile, here are some tips on how to move a garden shed.