Packing house plants is not as simple as packing a regular box for self-storage or a house move, they need special care and attention. Here are a few tips to help you.
When you have spent years cultivating healthy houseplants to bring warmth and greenery to your home, you don’t want to see them damaged or worse – dead – after a house move. Packing house plants is not as simple as packing a regular box for a house move or for self-storage in London or any other major city; they need special care and attention. Often they can be low on packing priorities, which is understandable when there’s so much to do. It is important you consider your houseplants when you’re moving if you want to keep them healthy and alive.
Here are some useful tips to help you keep your precious house plants alive during a move:
Give Them Away
If they won’t survive a long move, give them away. Think about how long you’re going to be travelling for and how hardy your plants are. If they simply won’t handle the climate change or rough transit, then you may have to give them to friends and family. It’s a tough sacrifice to make, but you will be able to replace them with new ones in your new home.
Check If They Are Covered By Insurance
It is likely that your moving company will not pay you any money if your houseplants get damaged in transit. This may not be a big issue if your plants are not precious to you, but if they are or if the plant is worth a lot of money you may want to think about taking the plants in the car with you.
Check You Can Take Them With You
If you think they will survive the long journey, check they are actually allowed to come with you. If you’re moving countries, there may be rules and regulations stopping you taking certain plants across the border, so read up on the rules before you move.
Take Cuttings
If you can’t take your plants with you, but love them – take some cuttings so you can cultivate baby plants from the original plants. There are products available at garden centres that will enable you to do this efficiently.
Check For Infestations
It is important you do not take plants into your new home if they have insect infestations or plant diseases that can be passed on to other plants. You can make an effort to remove the disease or insects before you move home, just make sure you leave enough time to do so.
Pack Your Plants Last
Make sure you pack your plants last but allow adequate time to do so – don’t just chuck them in the back of the car last minute. They need to be securely packed into sturdy boxes that cannot fall over, and that aren’t having other boxes on top of them. If you’re moving some items to self storage units and some to your new home, make sure the plants don’t accidentally get taken to the wrong place – they will not survive in a dark self-storage unit.
Keep Plants Moist
If you are travelling for a long period of time, plants will need to be extra moist so that they survive. Don’t water them during the move, simply install a drip feeder into the plant pot or give the soil a good soaking before you set off.
Plan Where Your Plants Will Go
As your plants will have thrived in their current environment, it is important you give them a similar environment in your new home. Make a note of the conditions your current plants live in IE; on the windowsill or in a cool, shaded corner, and find similar places in your new home to house them.