Plant Packing Tips...See Pictures 1-8

Hmmmmm...Sorry to hear that. But I don't have those kind of Postal Problems. I pretty much can count on my postal workers do or die.

That must be such a wonderful thing - we are really at the mercy of our Postal Powers That Be. I realized I was threatening this poor eBay guy with bad feedback, and while he could have done a better job, it was the Postal Carrier who broke the camel's back! LOL.

Try to figure this one out...I mailed 2 packages, one going to Texas and one going to Sacramento, CA. I live a days drive from Sacramento...the box I mailed to Texas got there on Monday...I mailed Satruday...the box to Sacramento took 3 days...go figure.

I hate it when people tape plants to the box. I always tear them up trying to get them unstuck.

Who in the world would tape a plant to the box?

~* Robin

ME :-D

Not "tape a plant to a box," tape the baggie/root ball to the box! So it doesn't rattle around! Just use a knife and cut it loose. I usually pack several plants to a box, wrapping the foliage florist-style in newspaper cones, and they hold one another in place with no need to tape.

Hi Kim,

Just got your begonias....taped to the bottom of the box. Its such a wonderful idea taking the pots out. I never ship anything with pots. Its a waste of money and the plant arrive beat up and dirt all over the place. What a mess! But you box arrived nice and neat, every plant in its place. For begonias to arrive with all their leaves attached in a miracle. Here's a photo of the begonias I got from you yesterday. I need to get out an plant them now. :-)

Thanks a bunch!

Daisy

Kim, I have to admit I 'skimmed' this, so please excuse any redundancy! I just wanted to add that the polymer crystals are a wonderful way to keep the roots hydrated in shipping... and the flat rate boxes are great if you are packing several plants or bare root items... around $8 with confirmation receipt.. no matter what it weighs.

I'm amazed you sent plant material to England, declaring the contents. I thought sending live material was prohibited without special certification. I'd love to be able to trade plant materials oversees.

I hate it when they tape the root ball to the box too, lol. I've bought several plants off of ebay where they taped the rootball(wrapped of course) to the bottom of one of those tube boxes. It might have been nice when it arrived at my door, but by the time I got it out of the box, it was not in good shape. I tried to cut the box open without cutting the plant, impossible. I tried to reach down inside the box to free the plant, impossible. I tried to pull the sticky flap open, also impossible.......I finally tugged on it till it came out and got dirt everywhere.(I hope y'all can picture this, it was not a pretty site. I made a big mess in the kitchen)
I guess if it was a square box that I could open and reach down in, it wouldn't be so bad. Like the one in the picture, it's not deeper than my arm will reach!

could it depend on the plant being mailed? I notice that african violet vendors tape the plants and it works really well. IMO it's the only way they don't get all broken up in shipping. Have also seen it done w/ cacti/succulents and it worked well.

plants are potted in teenie tiny pots and the pots are then taped to box.

I think you're right Vossner. These were long vines and plants with long skinny stems. I got some elephant ears(alocasias, kind of fragile) in itty bitty pots. I know they were in perfect condition when they arrived, but I can't remember how they were packed. I think they were in little paper bags inside a box.

Maybe soaking the box in water would help to get the plants loose that were taped to the box. Wouldn't the tape lose its stickiness that way? You usually have to soak a bareroot plant anyway.

Soaking the box puts me in mind of some rhizomes I received in a flat rate box. The box was so soggy that the post office put it in a plastic bag! LOL!

Hey, I never thought of wetting the box, that would have made the sticky turn loose or made the box soft so it could be torn open! Thanks, that's a great idea!
The plants weren't bare root, they had dirt wrapped in plastic around the roots. Then that part was taped to the box.

I'm really cautious about putting the entire plants in plastic bags, but using a plastic liner in the box seems to work if I don't seal the top of the bag.

I just unpacked my box from Hazzards, and it was packed exactly like this (which is how they describe it on their web site:

Plants are usually removed from the containers they are growing in and most of the soil is removed in order to reduce the weight. A small amount of moist soil is left around the roots and the plant is then placed in a plastic bag and tied off at the roots with a twistie tie. The top of the bag is stuffed with shredded paper to protect the plants during shipment. Plants are then carefully laid in a box which is layered with more shredded paper. This method has worked well.

It worked well for me because everything arrived in good shape, save a few squished leaves here and there.

xxxxxx, Carrie

When I was just starting out and didn't know any better I ordered some bareroot shrubs from one of those cheap mailorder places, The plants arrived in nothing but a plastic bag, no padding or anything. lol
And I am not kidding, one of the bags had black tire marks on it. It was a disaster. I took them out of the bags and soaked them overnight. They must have been extremely hardy because they did survive. It took several years for them to recuperate. It is the new gardeners like myself who kept people like them in business. lol

Tire tracks! LOL!

Alas, I received a big box of cuttings that someone had sent me, with the numerous baggies taped to the box - somehow they'd worked themselves loose and an incredible amount of the foliage was stuck to the tape - to the box - to each other. Quite a mess! Now I'm a nervous wreck about taping, so I just try to pad well. Thank heavens for paper shredders. (They all think I'm nuts at work - no, that's ok, I'll empty it for you!)

Kim and Molly - you both have the knack. Could be "packed with love and nurturing" does it best!

Sequee, Thanks so much for the compliment. This means a lot to me.

:^))))
Molly

There is a gentleman from England that sends me seeds that are encased in some sort of translucent surgical tape. I really have no idea how I could extricate those tiny seeds, unless I planted them surgical tape and all!

Your babies are happy and doing well! I LOVE THEM!!!

This is the longest thread I've ever read !! Something missing here . . . SPHAGNUM MOSS Dampened Spahgnum makes a cussion for plants in bags and it is "anti fungal" (prevents fungus or rot for plants in box over long periods of travel) Also . . . .

There is a large box about 8 x 8 x 14 at your post office for free with big notes on it "FLAT RATE BOX" ( different from regular priority mail box) For 8.00 it will go anywhere U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico !!
Last box I sent from Puerto Rico to Oregon got there in THREE DAYS!!
Logos Formont Calamus / plantcollectors.net

Yeah, Robin - I had a real chuckle over that myself!

Great thread! But how do you get all that shredded newspaper?

Paper shredder..LOL

Consider using Press N Seal to wrap the rootball, instead of putting it a plastic bag. I use it to seal a damp paper towel wrapped around the rootball. It works extremely well; every plant I've shipped, so far, has arrived in excellent condition.

Also, I never tape the plant to anything. With enough newspaper, the plant(s) are packed firmly enough so that they don't move, and are well protected.

Steve

I found a reference to this tread in the AV Forum - excellent! Thanks so much for taking the time to explain the packing procedure. I am planning on doing some trades in the spring and this is exactly what I needed.

I have a question for shipping out of the country - Canada..What is everyone's experience with that?

Anita

Thanks, everyone.

Kim, Did you moisten the paper towel that is wrapped around the root? I am going to send out some plants and want to make sure I do it correctly.

Yes I do moisten :-D

Thanks I needed to know that. I am off to get paper towels. LOL

If you don't have the press and seal and need to use a zip lock bag, just flip over the side that tends to cut, twist gently that protion beneath the leaves and then one loop around that area w/just reg. scotch tape does the trick...some folks have good luck with the rubber bands but I believe only on the less fragile plants.
As for the moist paper towels - just remember moist not soaked and I was told my those more knowledgable then I - never with Cactus and Succulents (although younger sedums seem to do better WITH the moist paper towel) unless they're going to be in transit for 2 weeks. LOL

Hey, Kim. Happy Birthday!

I'm glad this message got bumped up as I had not seen it before. The tips were very useful. Thanks! I'll put them into practice now that I find myself getting completely swept up in obsessive plant trading (I ran out of money and the credit cards are maxed out from buying plants and I already have one of everything available in the local nurseries, so I have to go panhandling to you other addicts to get my plant fix for new and exotic varieties).

I will ditto the comments on the Glad "Press-N-Seal" wrap. I just recently got plants wrapped in it and I was so impressed that I immediately went out and bought some for pending plant swaps. The stuff really wraps tighter and holds moisture better than any plastic bag could do, I think.

I wonder if you wish I had read your post prior to sending you the recent A. laxa, T. ohioensis, and C. bungi? LOL I had put off trading until after the major fund raiser was over a few weeks ago and then found I had 15 pending trades to catch up on. Did them all in 2 days, so there was lots of wrapping and packing going on in a flurry of flying plants. I hope I don't get that far behind in trades in the future.

Jeremy

I am cracking up laughing! And I got your plants. Thanks so much! I have all kind of plants so never fail to ask what I have :-D

Well, I sent them all out yesterday and only time will tell if the shipment was packaged ok. It didn't shift in the box that I could see.
I'll just have to wait and see how it goes.
With Priority how long is the box usually in the mail system before it arrives? My confirmation number isn't telling me much of anything except that it was accepted. Sigh.
Those begonias are really nice looking for having traveled. I don't envy plant traders one bit. It is so worrisome.

Kim, you should ask for a sticky for this post. I wouldn't have found it had I not remembered it from the past and searched for it. It is very helpful.
It is one thing to read information, but you have it all sorted out and planned out step by step right here with pictures to further clarify what you are saying.

Truly, see if you can get a sticky for it.
So far the people who have received my plants that I wanted to use this information for said they arrived in great shape and loved the packaging.
Windy

Or maybe the basics could be incorporated into the trading primer. I read the primer when I first started trading, so I assume other new traders would too and it's easier to find than a specific thread.

JMO
Molly
:^)))