Don't Give Your Houseplants Away! You Can Move Them With A Little Work!
Dec 21 '02
The Bottom Line Pack your plants according to my instructions, take some in your car, and hope for the best. They can withstand freezing temperatures.
It is cold, winter, and some of you are still going to be moving. I have moved many times, and although I have given away some of my beloved houseplants, consider moving them with you. There are a few tricks that I have found to help get them to their destination. Actually I wish I would not have given the ones away that I did. Let me share some of my thoughts and be sure and try them as plants are our "friends" and it is a shame to have to part with them.
Some of the plants in our home should get frequent flier miles, because of the distances they have traveled. I hate to give away my green "friends", so they move with us. Some have been in our home for over 20 years. There are a few secrets that I have found over the years that increase the survival rate, and they might help someone else that is going a long distance, and perhaps using a moving company.
First of all, most movers will accept your plants with the understanding that they will not guarantee their survival. Well, that is a reasonable statement, but to increase the chance of them getting there, try this.
First of all decide what plants you can take in your car, and which ones are just too big. We had an umbrella plant that is over 10 feet high, which obviously could not go in my Honda. However, I decided to take all my African Violets, String of Pearls, and several other small and delicate ones in the car. I had three Rubbermaid containers that are about 6" high and 30" long. The "boxes" also have lids. I stacked these in the back seat, took them in the motels at night, and put them back in the car in the morning. Also, the Pencil and Jade plants went in smaller packing boxes in the front seat, and one on the floor.
The rest that I did not give away went on the moving van. The day before the movers come, pack each plant in an appropriate sized moving box. However, first of all give them a good drink of water, put them in a black trash bag sealed tight, then in the box. Be sure and seal the box. Write "LIVE PLANT" on the outside with arrows pointing upright. If you have a good mover, they will load these last. The larger greenery needs to go in a dishpack, and you probably will not be able to close the box, but still follow the steps, and make some type of plastic cover over these. What happens is they create their own mini environment, and can survive up to a week in these boxes.
Yes, when it is cold, if you take the right steps you have a decent chance of all of them arriving in decent shape.
Here is how it all turned out.
1. The plants that I took in the car did fine. It was important to have them well covered due to the cold weather, and was an inconvenience to have to haul them in the motel every night. So all the African Violets made it, plus the pencil plant. I had to give the jade plant away, because I had run out of room.
2. The ficus went on the moving van. After 10 freezing cold days, it was unboxed, and looked beautiful. Then about another week later it lost all its leaves and was really looking dead. I cut it way back, watered it, and did a lot of talking to it. It has come back now, and is about four feet tall. Of couse that is a far cry from the original eight feet, but it is still with me and growing.
3. The umbrella plant which was also on the van had lost all of its leaves, and basically was dead. It looked like a very tall pole in a pot. However, I removed all the dead leaves, and within a couple of months noticed some tiny green starting to appear where the leaves had been. At this point it is better looking than originally, and it very full and about eight feet tall
4. The Norfolk Pine....this was amazing. It got off the van looking better than it did when it got on. Still to this day, it is in perfect health, and as green as ever.
Try these ideas the next time you move. It worked for us last time!
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