Transporting lots of plants LONG distance

I have 40 some odd foliage & flowering-type plants I'm moving from WA state to Arkansas the middle of next month.

I got boxes with dividers in them for all the different sizes of plants.

They'll probably be trasported in the bed of DH's truck.

I need to know if I should put bags (white kitchen type to deflect the sun of course) around the boxes of all the plants?

Or, should I just concentrate on putting bags around the boxes containing the little ones that dry out really really quick?

I also have around 5 to 10 cacti & succulents, but I don't think I have to do anything special for them except put them in boxes, correct?

Thanks!

just a thought,

you say on the bed of the truck, that gets real hot... how about putting a sheet 4x8 of styrofoam in before you put the boxes.

Your houseplants will need protection from any direct sun. They will also need protection from heat buildup on sunny days. Placing them in bags will protect them from sun, but it may cause intense heat buildup in the bags. In warm weather your plants will need good air circulation to keep them cool.

Depending on how long the trip takes, watering may or may not be an issue.

Cacti root systems are fine and quite fragile. Thus, they are more vulnerable to damage if they jostled around during the trip. Pack them so they have a lot of support to keep them from bouncing around or tipping.

I hope you have a safe and successful trip!

Ahhhh, so, the boxes with built-in dividers (& lids) are good, but I still need something between the pots & the dividers if they're not snug. I probably also need something under the pots too to soften the ride even more!

It's a good thing I kept all those packing peanuts/styrofoam bits from many Christmases past!

I recently was told popcorn works well too, & I realize I can feed such to the birds, squirrels, & chipmunks after the trip!

Thanks Will!

Sand is heavier than popcorn or styrofoam, but I think you might need some to work into that heavy clay soil in Arkansas. Just a thought. For providing moisture to some of the plants, use some of those water crystals that absorb so much water. If you are a believer in vitamin B1 to help plants thru stress, you could make a solution of B1 water to soak the crystals in and perhaps ease the shock for the plants.

this sounds stupid, but how about the inside of diapers? and then wrap everything in newspaper.

I think the inside of diapers are water crystals! I wasted one on purpose like the commercials do/did, when our son was a wee one, just to find out what in the heck was sucking up the fluid. It sure was a clear jelly mess after I poured water on it.

I already mixed water crystals in the soil, but gave some plants too much because there's a kind of erupting as if there were moles! I vow to repot mixing them throughout the soil before we move. I wish I would've had the brains to think about soaking them in some sort of de-stressor solution!

The plants go dry pretty quick, especially the little 2" & 3" pots, so I think all of them needed this treatment anyway, not just because of the move.

I have a bunch of newspapers, which I could ball up & place between the pots & the box dividers. I thought about this after saying something about the styrofoam & popcorn.

I was even thinking it might be a good idea to put the pots into bags & tape them closed at the soil line.

This message was edited Monday, May 27th 9:44 PM

If you haven't moved yet, I have an idea for you. I am one of those silly people who go on vacation and always bring back lots of plants from where ever I visited. I successfully have brought back many plants in the back of a pick up. Longest trip was 5 days, always in Aug., and always in the southern states-Texas, Fl,LA, NM. I bought 2 of those great big totes (Like $14 each) and pack the pots straight into them. The tote keeps them from sitting on the bed of the truck and the lid keeps the wind from getting them. They are easy to carry into hotels so the lid can be opened at night to get some air. Newspaper crinkled up between the pots keep them stable for the ride. Some plants wilt a little, but I have yet to lose one!
Hope this helps.
Toadlily