Sir_BlackhOle

Whats the best method to ship plants? Ive got some stuff I'll probably give away but I have never shipped any plants before. Any suggestions?

Phil Edwards

I usually ship my plants with their roots wrapped in moist newspaper with the whole thing in a bag. Putting balled up newspaper around the plant in the box for padding is a good idea too.

Best,
Phil

ekim

I usually wrap the plants in a few layers of damp newspaper or paper towel and seal in a plastic zip-lock bag. Shipping costs are based on box size as well as weight, so the smaller the box, the better. Add just enough packing material to keep the plants from shifting around in the box. If you are sending multiple plant species, you may want to label them for the recipient.

Good luck

HeyPK

One concern with small boxes is that they can be put in mailboxes, which can be ovens in the summer. I have had plants absolutely cooked in my mailbox, which can get hot enough to bake bread in the Mississippi summer! At around the time of the spring equinox to about a month after the fall equinox, it is best to put plants in a box too big for the mailbox, so that it will be left on the front porch.

mm12463

I've learned a few lessons on the few plants I have shipped.

1. If you use zip lock style bags tape them shut too. That way if the big accidentally opens the water you have inside won't leak out and ruin the box and/or leave the plants to dry out. I had some plants sent to me this way and the box was soaked. It made it and the moss survived but I bet it could have been worse.

2. Don't ship the plants with too much water. You just need enough to keep them moist not soaking wet. I had some clippings I sent with too much water and they pretty much rotted because I put way to much water in the bag. I had them wrapped in paper towels but I also added some water to the bag.

Oh well that's what I have learned.

mm12463

I've learned a few lessons on the few plants I have shipped.

1. If you use zip lock style bags tape them shut too. That way if the big accidentally opens the water you have inside won't leak out and ruin the box and/or leave the plants to dry out. I had some plants sent to me this way and the box was soaked. It made it and the moss survived but I bet it could have been worse.

2. Don't ship the plants with too much water. You just need enough to keep them moist not soaking wet. I had some clippings I sent with too much water and they pretty much rotted because I put way to much water in the bag. I had them wrapped in paper towels but I also added some water to the bag.

Oh well that's what I have learned.

Hanzo

Here in norway there no way around a solid plastic box

Been shipping to around fifty guys the last two months, and in about 30% of the cases I get a feedback that the letter arrived all torn and shredded. It's just happened twice that the plants have been damaged luckely. But, with this feedback I don't trust the stem plants to just a zip-lock bag. The only thing I back in this is riccia and moss

Sir_BlackhOle

Great! Thanks for all the info everyone!

Sue

If you write live plants somewhere easy to spot on the box many (not all) postal workers will take a little care.

I regularly ship and recieve regular garden plants and my mailperson knows to leave it in the shade someplace if I'm not home or hand it to me in person. The postmaster also takes his time if he knows they are live plants or seeds and hand cancels things. Maybe it's just a small town perk but it can't hurt.

Corigan

Has Anybody shipped plants from US to Canda? Been trying to figure out exportation/import laws from both the US and Canada and not coming up with much luck when coming to live aquatic plants.

Matt