The Ultimate Guide to Safely Moving Your Indoor Plants

Moving house is never without stress. There are countless questions to be asked and decisions to be made right up until the moving van arrives. As a plant parent, it's important not to let yourself get too bogged down with responsibility that you accidentally neglect your green friends––be prepared to move everything safely and securely by having a solid plan in place. 

Luckily, we’ve put together the ultimate guide for safely transporting your indoor plants. 

MOVING OUT

Getting plants ready for a successful relocation

As exciting as the prospect of moving can be, you'll want to wait until the day (preferably the hour before) your moving van arrives. This ensures that your plants aren't subjected to too much trauma. Make sure that you have completed every other packing task before turning your attention to the plants––try not to water them or re-plant with fertilizer before a big move as this can create extra mess. 

You may even be inclined to talk to your plants––if so, reassure them with a calming voice that they’ll only be uncomfortable for a little while. 

When it comes to preparing plants for a move, if they are in valuable or breakable pots or vases, you’ll want to remove the plants, if possible (if the plants have been potted directly in the pots with soil, disregard this step and just take extra care when wrapping). Then, try placing a shopping bag or small garbage bag over each plant, covering them completely and tying the handles of the bag around the base securely to minimize spilling.

Packing Your Indoor Plants (the right way)

Once covered, wrap each plant with a protective material of your choice––the best options are bubble wrap, butcher paper, linen, burlap, or a heavy blanket. It’s natural to want to apply extra safety-proofing to your plant babies but be sure to use reason: Don’t put too much heavy fabric on top of delicate plants––you want to protect them, not smother them. 

If you have a lot of small plants, and you plan on transferring them via cardboard boxes, you’ll want to be sure that the boxes are sturdy and lined with a heavy blanket at the bottom to help facilitate easy transport. Poke holes in the top of the cardboard box once closed to allow for aeration––treat it like you’re moving a living, breathing thing (because you are). And don’t crowd the box, as this can lead to broken stems and spilled soil. When in doubt, grab another box. 

Medium to large-sized plants, however, should each get their own box, which should be protected inside with bubble wrap, butcher paper, or any of the other above-mentioned wrapping materials. 

MID-JOURNEY

Tips for Transporting

If you’ve wrapped and packed your plants carefully, they should be just fine during transit. However, always try to transport your plants yourself during a move. If you can, reserve the back seat of your car for as many of your plants as possible to help minimize jostling along the journey. Place them on the floor so they don’t fall off the seat on sharp turns. 

Professional moving companies also have staff who are trained to handle your belongings delicately and with tact––if your own car isn’t an option, try to go with movers who are equipped to move plants. 

MOVING IN

Unpacking Your Indoor Plants

Upon arrival in your new place, be sure to immediately get your plants into a safe corner of the house (either an empty room, a terrace or patio, or the backyard) to avoid them getting trampled. Keep them there until the movers have left. 

Then, open each box very carefully and lift each of the plants from the base to avoid spilling soil, and carry them to areas where you plan to keep them––the key is to doing all of this to get them into a more natural environment as quickly as possible. There is no need to specifically water any plants just because they are in a new house––especially if you've already watered them recently. 

Once you've unpacked your planting materials (spades, trowels, vases, and pots), be sure to quickly transplant your plants into their familiar pots and add fresh, nutrient-rich soil. If you know the type of atmosphere your plants crave, place them in their new forever spots accordingly (if you don't know, be sure to research your plant varieties. For example: low-light plants should be positioned near north-facing windows or in generally low-to-moderate indirect light). 

Monitoring your plants in their new space

Now that you’re all settled in, it’s important to regularly check on the wellbeing of your indoor plants. This is one of the most important steps because flora, like humans, can be very sensitive to their surroundings––especially new surroundings, so acclimating your babies to the new digs is essential. 

Always monitor the indoor temperature of your new space and be sure to keep succulents, spider plants, and palms in warmer parts of the house; and keep irises, tulips, daylilies, lilacs, and rhododendrons in cooler environments. Again, always know which atmosphere your plants need––you might even consider bringing your indoor plants outdoors for the summer months in your new home.    

Keep watch of your plant babies over the coming days and weeks as they adjust to their new habitat, and rest assured that they need a little bit of time to flourish again. Chances are, as you, the plant parent, ease into your new domestic bliss, they will too! 

CONCLUSION 

When moving plants to a new location, it is important to handle them with care to ensure their overall health and vitality. Safely transporting plants can prevent damage to leaves, stems, or roots that may hinder their ability to thrive––especially in their new environment.

By taking the time to safeguard plants during transportation, you are investing in the longevity of your greenery and ensuring they have the best chance of flourishing in their new forever home.

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