How To Safely Move Plants During The Removal Process
Apr 14, 2023
Often during a long-distance or interstate move, leaving behind plants is a practical step. It saves you the hassle of packing and moving plants to prevent them from wilting due to lack of care, oxygen, sunlight or water. However, leaving behind beloved plants is not easy for plant parents.
If you are among them, you need to plan and prepare to move the green and leafy items to ensure they don’t suffocate during transit or incur irreversible damage. Hiring
professional removalists in Sunshine Coast is a safe and economical option. Just ask them whether they move plants before booking.
However, if you are moving locally and plan to move the plants in a personal vehicle, you must know how safely rehome plants during the removal process.
Thus, to get you started, here is your complete guide.
Prep the Plants for Packing
As a plant parent, you must take the following measures to ensure your plants remain healthy during handling and transportation.
- Trim the plants to remove dead or rotting leaves and branches. Also, do it to make the plants manageable.
- Check the plants for diseases and pests. If you have diseased plants, it’s best to treat them or dispose of them responsibly because they can ruin other plants.
- Repot plants in ceramic pots to plastic ones as they are durable & easier to handle.
- Also, tie the branches together with threads to make them easier to wrap and put in boxes. You can cut the threads after unpacking and placing the plants in your new home.
Secure The Plants for Moving
Wrapping and boxing the plants for travel is challenging, and if you are not up for it, delegate the task to professional removalists on Sunshine Coast. But, when doing it yourself, here’s how you must secure the plants for transport.
- Clean the ceramic pots you took the plants out of and wrap them with a newspaper and plastic shrink wrap. Place these pots in moving boxes. Keep the bigger ones at the bottom and stack them according to size.
- Put a plastic sheet on the floor and place the pot on it. Wrap it to cover the pot completely and tie it at the base of the plant shoot. Poke little holes in the plastic over the soil to allow the plant’s soil to breathe.
- Reinforce protection by wrapping the pots with bubble wrap.
- Place the plants inside rectangular moving boxes ensuring the tops have holes. Secure the boxes with tape at the top and bottom to prevent the plants from falling out during handling. It is also necessary to prevent moving day injuries.
- Don’t overcrowd boxes with plants; fill the blank spaces with newspaper.
- Just wrap bigger plants with plastic and bubble wrap and place them directly in the trunk of your car.
- Make sure the boxes with plants are labelled correctly. It is also necessary to ensure these boxes are loaded on the vehicle last and unloaded first if professional removalists in Sunshine Coast are moving them.
Things To Keep In Mind When Planning To Move Plants
Moving plants is stressful; if you don’t manage the task well, your plants can die, and all the effort you put in can go to waste. Thus, to ensure your plants remain in a good state when you plan to move, here’s some advice for
a smooth move.
- Learn about plant adaptability and only move plants you know will survive in the weather of the area you are going to live in.
- Give away plants that are too big or challenging to move to neighbours, loved ones or someone who you know will take care of them.
- Always read the state’s laws regarding plant biosecurity if you are moving interstate. Contact a biosecurity inspector to talk about moving plants in Queensland. Learn about moving conditions and restrictions for potted plants, soil and related items.
- Make sure the plants or boxes with plants are upright at all times. They should remain upright during transit, and to ensure this, secure them to the vehicle with stretchable straps with clasps.
- Pack plants a day or two before you plan to move. Packing them any time earlier is not a good idea, and it will cause them to wilt even before you have moved.
- Load the plants on the vehicle last and unload them first. It’s a technique professional removalists in the Sunshine Coast use to reduce the risk of damage to fragile items, especially when moving out of state.
Wrapping Up
Moving plants is not everyone’s cup of tea, and if you can, you must leave them in the care of someone nearby. If you are a loving plant parent who cannot rehome them and wants to take them to the new home, use this guide to manage the task like a professional.