Updated on July 20, 2023
If you have a home full of plants and are planning on making a move soon, you might be asking yourself, “how am I going move all my plants?” You put a lot of love and care into tending to your beautiful, green plants—the last thing you want is for any of them to get damaged. Thankfully, moving your houseplants does not have to be a daunting task. All it takes is some planning, preparation, and tips from a moving company that aims to make moving simple for you. Take a look at some of the best ways you can ensure a smooth transition for your houseplants.
Before Making Your Move
Preparing your plants before the move will ensure they survive the relocation. This step is crucial, especially if you are making a long-distance move. If you take the extra time and effort to protect your pots and plants, you will get your leafy friends to your new home with no problems.
Use Practical Pots
That vining pothos looks fantastic in your modern ceramic pot, but ceramic is fragile and needs to be packed differently than the plant. If you can move your plants to plastic pots for the move, you can wrap your ceramic and other breakable pots in paper and bubble wrap so they don’t get chipped, cracked, or shattered during the move. If you leave all your plants in nursery liners inside decorative pots, you get to skip the repotting step!
Inspect Your Plants for Illness and Bugs
You should thoroughly inspect your plants for any pests or signs of illness before they get packed up. Dust mites, thrips, mealy worms, scale, aphids, and other creepy crawlers can spread throughout your plant collection in a blink of an eye—especially when they are stored in close quarters. This would be the ideal time to go ahead and clean the leaves (don’t forget the undersides) of each of your plants. This will help prevent any pest outbreaks during your move.
Be especially careful and inspect your plants for any insects such as the spotted lanternfly or spongy moth and dispose of them immediately; these insects are invasive and destructive to plants and native fauna. Some states, like California, even require you to provide a written inspection form stating these insects are not present on anything you own when moving into the state.
Prune Your Plants
When checking for pests and cleaning the leaves, evaluate if any of your plants can benefit from pruning. If you have any struggling vines or foliage, go ahead and chop those off. For larger plants or trees, trim back branches so they are manageable and won’t get tangled up in anything during the move.
Be Mindful of Watering
You don’t want to water the day of your move, so plan to water 2-3 days before transporting your plants. If the soil is too wet in cold weather, the roots can freeze; overly moist soil can promote fungal infections in hot weather. Wet soil can also make a mess when moving your plants, so shoot for evenly moist but not newly watered soil.
During The Move
Your plants should be one of the last things you pack for your move. The longer they can be in a spot with adequate airflow and sunlight, the better. However, you will need to get them to your new home eventually. Since you prepared your plants in the days leading up to your move, getting them packed up should go smoothly.
Wrap Your Plants
Use packing paper to wrap your entire plant. Go around the foliage and the pot to protect the whole plant and keep the soil from tumbling out when you move it. This will also give your plants much-needed stability and protection from cold temperatures.
Pack Your Plants in Boxes
You can place your wrapped plants carefully in an appropriately sized boxed and use old newspapers or foam to keep them situated. You want to choose a box that is not too much larger than the plant so there is no room for it to shift around once you move it.
Maintain Air Flow
Leave the tops of the boxes open if you are able. Poke air holes throughout the box so the plant can get good airflow while it is contained. Remember, a plant is a living thing that needs air to get through a move intact. If it doesn’t get enough airflow, you may find some of the foliage wilted or some mildew growth on the soil.
After The Move
You made it! Now that you are in your new home, it’s time to settle your plants.
Unpack Your Plants
Once you get to your new home, there are a million things to do, but make unpacking your plants a priority. You want to unpack them as soon as possible so they can get sunlight and adjust to their new home.
Remove the Box From the Bottom
If you pull the tape off the bottom of the box, you can lift it up and over the plant. This is a handy trick because if your plant fits snugly in the box, getting your hands to the bottom of the package to grab the pot can be challenging. Don’t make the mistake of pulling on the plant itself to remove it from the box. Doing this can cause unnecessary damage in the homestretch of your move.
Place Your Plant in a Suitable Location
Place your plant in an appropriate area of the home according to its sun requirements. Some plants are highly susceptible to shock when moved, so try to put them where they will live permanently. Don’t be alarmed if some of your plants look a little worse for wear when you unpack them or start to lose some leaves (we are looking at you, ficus tree). They may need some time to recover. Take this time to check each plant for any issues like pests and determine watering needs. It is not recommended to fertilize now because it will add stress to the plant. Fertilizing encourages growth, but this is a good time for the plant to rest and recover instead.
Call 1-800-PACK-RAT: A Moving and Storage Company You Can Trust
We hope these tips help as you prepare your houseplants for your local or long-distance move!
If you need assistance with an upcoming move or require storage, give 1-800-PACK-RAT a call! Our portable moving and storage containers are perfect for your needs and allow you to pack and store your stuff on your schedule and pace. We drop off the container at your home, and you take as long as you need to pack. Then, when you are ready, we will pick it up and deliver it to your new home or store it in one of our 65+ locations across the country.
Let us help make your moving and storage needs simple today!