When moving from one home to another, it’s possible that you decide to take your most favorite potted plants with you. And if that’s the case, then you’ll need to know how to pack and move plant pots – not only the plant-less ceramic or terracotta pots you had to empty prior to packing, but also the plastic ones in which you transferred your charming leafy friends.
Interestingly enough, packing and moving flower pots is both easy and hard at the same time – even though the entire packing task sounds like a no-brainer, there are a number of tricky moments you should be aware of.
Follow these 10 steps for packing flower pots for moving.
Step 1: DECIDE if moving your potted flowers is worth it
It’s important to note that moving plants to a new home is somewhat risky and your leafy companions may not survive the house move. Professional moving companies are not allowed to move plants either so you’re going to have to do it in your own car.
Before you start packing your flower pots for moving, here are a few questions that will help you decide whether the risk of moving with plants is worth it.
- HOW strongly are you attached to your pretty houseplants? Will you take some of them regardless of the risks?
- WILL your plants thrive under the climatic conditions of the destination area? Or will they find the weather too unfavorable in the new place?
- WHEN is the best time to move plants? Early spring and late fall are the two seasons when most plants will adapt much more quickly to the new surroundings.
Step 2: PREPARE the flower pots packing supplies
- PURCHASE plastic plant pots so that you can re-pot your houseplants prior to move out.
- GET HOLD of strong cardboard boxes for easier and safer transportation of your potted plants.
- PREPARE large sheets of packing paper to create protective sleeves for your larger and taller plants.
- HAVE a roll of packing tape ready.
STEP 3: GROUP the plant pots by sizes
- GROUP plant pots by size – a good tactic that will enable you to save time when packing flower pots for a move.
- STREAMLINE the packing process simply because the plants of different sizes will require a bit different packing methods and packing supplies.
- START packing flower pots from the smaller ones and finishing with the larger ones. Or DO it the other way round – the important thing is not to mix them up and thus lose time in the process.
Step 4: TAKE the plants out of their clay pots
- REMOVE each plant from its clay pot. Why? Ceramic or terracotta pots are rather fragile and can easily get broken during transport.
- PLACE one of your hands around the base of the plant at the top, then turn slowly the pot upside down until the soil gets loose and gets unstuck from its container thanks to the gravitation.
- TAP gently, if necessary, the sides of the pot to free the soil around the edges.
- DO NOT YANK the plant from its pot – instead, be gentle yet firm and never rush things.
Good to know: How to move with plants to another home
Step 5: TRIM any loose roots
- TRIM any loose roots to keep your lovely household plants healthy on the road and after the move.
- BEAR in mind thatpruning the roots of your leafy companions will also make it easier and safer to plant them into new pots.
- REMOVE any dead leaves and excess foliagefor safer transportation as well.
- TREAT your houseplants against pest infestations, if needed.
- LOOK UP on the Internet how to prune your specific types of plants if you’ve never done it before or if you don’t remember the exact pruning technique.
Step 6: RE-POT the plants into plastic moving pots
- REPOT all household plants that are currently in clay pots into sturdy plastic pots of roughly the same size.
- PLACE the plant into the very center of the new plastic pot and fill the gaps around the side with fresh sterilized potting soil.
- USE sterilized potting soil that’s readily available at any home improvement store or gardening center.
- CHECK whether the plant fits well and that the new pot looks secure around the edges.
- COMPLETE this repotting procedure approximately 3-2 weeks prior to Moving day because most plants are too sensitive and will need some time to adjust to their new pots.
Step 7: PROTECT the plastic flower pots for the road
- WATER your plants for the last time until the new home 2-3 days prior to moving day when moving in winter and in the morning of the Big day when moving in summer.
- WRAP each flower pot in in a couple of layers of soft packing paper.
- PROTECT taller houseplants by creating protective funnel-shaped sleeves from a few sheets of paper with heights that match the heights of the plants themselves. Those plant sleeves for moving will provide a good protection for your bigger houseplants during the haul.
- USE support stakes or pieces of string to tie up the foliage of really tall potted plants for extra protection.
Step 8: PACK the flower pots into moving boxes
- LINE the bottoms of the cardboard boxes with a couple of sheets of packing paper to cushion any possible shocks along the road.
- CREATE numerous coin-sized oxygen holes along the lids and sides of each cardboard box so that there’s enough air circulation inside the moving containers.
- TRANSFER the wrapped up flower pots into the cardboard boxes and ARRANGE them carefully one next to the other.
- INSERT plenty of crushed paper in the gaps around the pots to avoid undesirable shifts and contact during transit.
- CLOSE the lids of the containers, if possible. If not, then faster them loosely with pieces of string.
Step 9: PACK the empty ceramic or terracotta pots
- INSPECT the empty clay flower pots for any signs of damage. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t bother packing and moving flower pots that 1) you don’t particularly like, 2) are too heavy, and 3) are damaged in any way.
- FILL the empty pots with pieces of packing paper or bubble wrap to keep their interior protected.
- PLACE a flower pot in the middle of a stack of packing paper.
- START from one edge of the stack and tuck a couple of sheets into the pot. Then, DO the same with the other three paper edges until the clay container gets completely wrapped in soft wrapping paper.
- TAPE the newly-formed paper bundle to secure it in place.
- REPEAT the above steps for all flower pots you’re taking with you.
- ARRANGE snugly the paper-filled flower pots inside a medium-sized box, then FILL IN any gaps with crushed paper to eliminate any movement altogether.
- CLOSE the box, TAPE it shut, and LABEL it as FRAGILE.
Read also: How to pack fragile items for moving
Step 10: LOAD the protected flower pots into your car
- SCHEDULE the flower pots packing task shortly before driving away to minimize the time your fragile flowers spend on the road.
- LOAD the box or boxes with the empty clay flower pots in the moving vehicle – either the rental van or your moving company’s truck.
- LOAD the boxes with the plastic pots (the live flowers) last, just before you start the relocation trip.
- TRANSPORT all your flowers in your own car, either in the car trunk (the smaller potted flowers) or inside the passengers’ footwells or even on the passenger seats, if space allows it.
