How to Ship Plants: A Practical Guide

Whether you have a business selling live plants or are a plant lover sending green gifts to friends or family, mastering the process of prepping and packaging plants for shipping ensures they arrive safely by mail to any destination, whether across the country or abroad.

The horticulture industry is huge, with annual revenues amounting to $20 billion in the US alone. That’s why there is an existing, easy-to-navigate ecosystem for shipping plants, seeds or seedlings, cut flowers, and house plants across the country.

In this article, we will show you how to ship plants, discuss the regulations applicable when shipping plants across state boundaries, and explain how to select the right shipping courier for your needs.

Essential materials for shipping plants

To ship plants effectively, you will need most or all of the following tools and materials:

• Gardening gloves
• Lightweight plastic pots
• Sterilized potting soil
• Wrapping paper or newspaper
• Plastic or eco-friendly bag
• Ties or rubber bands
• Bubble wrap
• Paper towels

Prepping and packing plants safely for shipping

1. Prep and remove the plant from the soil

Plants are generally best shipped with bare roots instead of in their pots. Start by removing your plant from the garden or its potting soil.

Apply fresh water to the plant five to six hours before you start digging it out of the soil. Semi-dry soil is perfect for shipping plants.

When digging, dig a few inches away from the plant's main stem to avoid damaging the roots. Put on your gardening gloves and gently remove the plant’s roots from the pot.

Next, gently loosen the soil around the plant’s roots, then shake off the excess. Keep the exposed roots in a shaded area until you are ready to pack the plant for shipping.

2. Wrap the roots in moist paper

We recommend wrapping the plant in dampened paper towels or newspaper, so that the water slowly releases moisture into the plant en route to its destination without oversaturating it.

Soak four or five sheets of crumpled newspaper in a bowl of water until the papers are wet but not sopping. If you expect the trip to be lengthy, soak two teaspoons of polymer moisture crystals in water to make a slurry, then add it to the plant's roots.

Fold the newspapers in half and place the dug-up plant sideways on it with the roots and stem in the center of the paper. Adjust the foliage so it is outside the edge of the newspaper. If you don’t do this, the plant will rot during shipment.

Roll the paper gently around the roots and stem while keeping the foliage sticking out of the rolled newspaper. Use a compostable sticker or a custom hangtag made from recycled cardstock to label the plant sustainably.

Fold the newspaper bottom into a roll to serve as a moist base for the roots and stem inside. Then place the rolled-up newspaper with the bottom folded upright inside a sustainable bag.

If the plant is of decent thickness and not too delicate, you can add extra protection by wrapping a few layers of bags loosely around the plant while still keeping the foliage outside the bag. You shouldn’t close the top of the bag because air and moisture must get to the roots to keep them alive.

3. Place the plant in a sturdy box

You need a box that is sturdy enough to protect your plant and can withstand being kicked, thrown, or dropped during transit. Corrugated boxes are the best choice for mailing live plants. They’re eco-friendly, easy to pack and sturdy.

If you sell live plants, you can get custom shipping boxes from noissue designed specifically for the types of beautiful foliage you ship regularly, from orchids to succulents and spider plants.

If you’re shipping multiple plants at once, use partitioned corrugated boxes to keep all the items neatly separated but still in a single box.

Recycled Kraft Box by @jennavandenbrink

Gently squeeze excess air out of the bag, then place the plant wrapped in wet paper towels inside a similarly sized cardboard box for a snug fit. The box should be only slightly larger than the plant, as limiting extra space prevents the plant from moving around too much.

Movement can cause plant stems and leaves to break. Use twist ties, cable ties, or bands to secure the floral arrangements or foliage to the box to prevent movement during shipment. If there is extra room in the box, use shredded tissue or packing paper, newspaper, bubble wrap, or packing peanuts to fill any pockets.

4. Seal the box with strong packing tape

Close the lid of the corrugated cardboard box and tape all the seams and edges with strong packing tape. It’s better to use the H tape method to ensure adequate protection for the package and its contents.

💡 Pro tip: The H tape method means applying tape to seal the box's opened seams. This will make an H-like shape across the top and bottom of your box.

Custom noissue tape by @zellieskoipond

If you are concerned that the box may be handled roughly, reinforce its edges with strapping tape to protect your live plants.

5. Add proper shipping and handling labels

When it’s time to ship plants, make sure your package is labeled properly. You should consider using custom compostable stickers for your boxes that say “live plant”, “indoor plant”, and “perishable”, as this lets the postal service know the package must be handled with care and treated as priority mail.

Shipping guidelines also require that you add a standard shipping label with basic information, including the shipping name and address, the courier code, and your return address. Avoid using a paper shipping label, as it might absorb moisture in the package and get damaged.

It’s important that dug-out plants are packaged and shipped as soon as possible. Mail your plant at the beginning of the week to ensure it won’t be left at the shipping center over the weekend. Note that national holidays or peak mailing periods, such as Mother’s Day, may result in slower shipping.

Pay attention to the local weather in the area you are shipping to. If the recipient’s location is experiencing extreme weather, wait before you mail the plant. You could lose the plant if it’s stuck in a big truck with extremely hot weather or if it freezes up when left at the recipient’s doorstep during final delivery.

Shipping potted plants

You may also prefer to ship a potted plant instead of uprooting it. While this helps ensure the plant is well-protected, be mindful that it also increases shipping costs.

To ship a potted plant, get a plastic flower pot from a nursery or home improvement store that won’t break during transit, like a clay pot might. Transfer your garden or house plant to the flower pot and water it thoroughly the day before it is shipped, keeping the soil moist.

Wrap the pot in a newspaper and wrap burlap around the plant’s foliage. Place the wrapped pot in a plastic bag and tie the handles of the bag around the plant’s stem. If the plant has more than one stem, place paper over the soil and secure it to the pot. To cushion the pot inside the box, use bubble wrap or packing peanuts to fill any remaining space.

Place the plant inside the box and use a corrugated divider to separate the flower pot from the flowers (with the pot at the bottom). Place the plant upright if possible and mark “this end up” outside the box. If the recipients’ local temperatures are low, you can wrap the package in bubble wrap to help it withstand exposure to cold.

Seal the box with packing tape and add the appropriate labels. You should never ship potted plants with water since it may leak during transit and damage other products.

Regulations for shipping live plants across the country and globally

Although shipping plants across the country doesn’t require any special equipment, there are laws and limitations you need to keep in mind. These regulations apply when you are shipping plants across state lines or internationally.

Shipping plants domestically

Most plants can be shipped to most states within the US, provided mailing them is not prohibited by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Check the National Plant Board’s state law regulation summaries for importing plants in each state.

These guidelines will differ from state to state. Each state’s department of agriculture considers the impact of imported plants on the local vegetation and how such plants could bring harmful diseases, insects, or pest infestation to the state.

Rules apply to soil type, plant type, and pest-free certifications. Most states require that imported plants must have been grown indoors in sterilized potting soils. There are also states with stricter rules in place that may require certain plants to be quarantined.

States like California, Hawaii, and Florida are particularly known for rigid regulations around the shipping of plants. For example, California bans the import of citrus plants due to the threat of pest infestations, such as the gypsy moth.

Shipping plants internationally

The first thing you need to obtain before you can ship plants internationally from the United States is a phytosanitary certificate. Healthy plants certificates are issued by the department of agriculture or horticulture of the new location country, and they certify that your shipment has been treated to be free of harmful pests and plant diseases.

You will need the appropriate customs forms and declarations, and you must also follow all the other applicable regulations and restrictions of the destination country.

Countries have these regulations in place to prevent the introduction of harmful pests, diseases, and environmentally damaging invasive species. Check with the relevant government agency or authority in the destination country about any applicable rules and restrictions to avoid having your potted plants denied entry.

If you’re shipping plants into the United States from abroad, view the USDA’s plant import hub to find relevant information for your shipment, including the required permits.

Best courier options for shipping plants

You will need fast shipping when mailing perishable items, such as potted plants, flowers, or plant cuttings. The longer your plant is cooped up in transit without light and water, the less likely it is to survive the trip.

You can ship plants using any of the major carriers, including USPS, FedEx, and UPS, as well as other plant shipping service companies.

Exact costs and timeframes depend on the size, urgency and new location of your plant. Where possible, opt for overnight shipping and priority mail services.

Wrapping it up

Shipping perishable items, such as garden or house plants, requires careful planning and a firm grasp of the relevant regulations (both local and international). But with the right packing and preparation, your plants can be shipped safely to their new location in full compliance with all applicable laws and restrictions. Good luck!

Need custom, sustainable materials for wrapping, packaging, and shipping your plants? Check out noissue’s collection of small business-friendly shipping products.

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