Moving house is a stressful period with too many critical decisions waiting to be made. Not surprisingly, the success of the residential move will hinge on the good decision-making skills of whoever’s getting to move out.
When you’re the one who’s organizing a house move, then one such important decision is whether to move your plants to the new home. There are pros and cons in each case, of course, and the biggest benefit of choosing to take your lovely houseplants with you is that you’ll keep enjoying those beauties long after the move is over.
Sadly, the strongest argument against moving long distance with plants is the high risk of those houseplants not surviving the cross-country move.
When moving house with plants, the good news for you is that as long as you prepare correctly your plants for transport and load them properly in the vehicle, you should be able to transport plants in your car in a way that will ensure their survival.
Here are the 5 steps that will show you how to transport plants in a car in the safest way possible.
Step 1. PREPARE the plants for transport
Once you’ve made up your mind to move your plants in a car, the very first step is to make sure your leafy companions are ready to make the relocation trip. Good preparation is critical as it will condition your plants and prepare them for the big changes that are about to happen to their environment.
- RE-POT your plants from the heavy clay pots into durable yet lightweight plastic pots of roughly the same size. Do this re-potting procedure 2-3 weeks before Moving day. For best results, use sterilized potting soil available at most home improvement stores.
- PRUNE the larger plants to remove any dead leaves and branches roughly a week before moving day.
- EXPOSE your indoor houseplants to less and less direct sunlight as the move-out day approaches. This is more important than you think because some plants tend to be more sensitive to sunlight than others and will not take well the sudden change from light to dark.
- WATER the plants you’re about to transport in your car in the evening prior to the move-out date (when moving in the summer) or 2 days prior to Moving day during a winter move.
- CHECK your plants for possible insects or parasites a few days before you need to pack them up for transport. Follow the label directions closely if you have to apply insecticides.
Step 2. PACK and LOAD the plants in the car
Moving plants in a car is only a good option when you know how to pack the plant properly and then load them correctly in that car, thus giving them a better chance of surviving the house moving car trip.
- USE tape to reinforce the bottoms of all cardboard boxes that you plan to use for moving plants in your car.
- POKE oxygen holes on the sides of each moving box so that your plants can breathe during transit.
- WRAP the base of each plastic pot in packing paper.
- DIG UP the entire root systems of garden plants, shrubs or even saplings, then place those root balls into plastic bags (together with the soil), add some water in necessary (a root system should have enough moisture to last the relocation), then add a final layer of bubble wrap on the top and secure with tape or twine.
- ARRANGE small potted indoor plants inside strong cardboard boxes and use crushed paper isolate the pots from one another.
- MAKE protective sleeves from hard packing paper that match the height of the house plants. Then, position those protectors over the tall plants that you’re moving, and then tape the paper sleeves to the pots. Add support stakes, if necessary.
- MAKE SURE there’s enough room between the top of the packed plants and the lids of the cardboard boxes.
- LOAD your household plants in the car last, just before you drive away. Use your common sense to arrange the plants in your car in the best possible way. As a rule of thumb, keep smaller plants in the trunk and have you larger and taller beauties safely on passenger seats or inside passenger’s foot wells.
Read also: How to pack a car when moving
Step 3. KEEP an eye on your plants during the car trip
Transporting large plants in a car can be a real challenge. That’s why, you should be 100% sure that you want to move those plants with you to the new residence, no matter what. It’s important to understand that underestimating the situation can have fatal consequences for your leafy companions so ultimately, you must do what’s best for them.
Control the temperature inside the car throughout the relocation trip. Most houseplants are rather susceptible to temperature changes so extreme temperature fluctuations must be avoided at all costs. The good news is that thanks to the A/C in your vehicle, the inside of your car happens to be a climate-controlled environment.
Keep a moderate (comfortable) temperature inside your car and your plants should be fine. If you need to spend the night at a hotel or a motel, then don’t leave your poor plants in the vehicle – rather, you should bring them in with you.
Monitor your plants closely during the car trip and act accordingly. If you’ve packed them well, they should be fine for about 24-48 hours depending on the precise transportation conditions and the types of plants you’re moving in your car.
Good to know: Should you drive your car across country or ship it?
Step 4. UNPACK the plants as soon as you arrive
There are a few important things you have to as soon as you arrive in your new home.
- UNLOAD the houseplants first of all and get them inside the new place.
- LEAVE them in their moving containers for several hours to minimize the shock. Then, place them in their designated places.
- WATER the plants cautiously but don’t rush to place them in direct sunshine, at least not yet.
- RE-PLANT any shrubs, saplings or cuttings in the garden of the new house, if applicable.
- BE patient as your beautiful floral species recover from the shock of being moved to a different location, often to a different climate as well. Some of your indoor plants could temporarily lose their leaves as a result of the relocation shock.
See also: What to unpack first when you move into a new home
Step 5. Do what’s best for your plants
Again, transporting plants in a car is only a good option for local moves that won’t take more than 1 full day (and night) to complete. For long-distance moves across multiple states, you’ll be better off NOT moving any plants at all simply because their survival chance gets too low.
So, when moving across the country, give most or all of your house plants to friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Also, donating plants to local schools, hospitals or nursing homes is always a good and noble thing to do.
Keep in mind that if you do choose to move plants in a car across multiple states, you must check whether you’re allowed to take certain species to your destination state. Some U.S. states such as California, Oregon, Arizona, and Florida have strict regulations on the types of plants that can be brought within state lines. So, contact the destination state office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get more information.
Moving house with plants can be tricky because most moving companies will not move house plants regardless of whether they are local movers or nationwide moving companies. Some professional movers may agree to move your plants provided that the move distance remains under 150 miles and the trip lasts shorter than 8 hours.
