Useful Tools

Moving Plants

How to Move your Plants

With a bit of well timed planning you can safely transport your plant to your new home. Before we go any farther please consider the following issues:

1. What is your new home’s climate like? Changing location between near by Cities can some times cause significant climate changes – moving to San Francisco from San Jose can be quite a change for example. Some states are very different from others. It might be a good idea to check whether the plants you are moving fit the climate zone you are moving to - moving plants climate zones
2. How is your new home located with relation to the sun? Facing north or south? – the southern side will obviously be warmer and sunnier
3. If you're moving out of state, be aware that some states prohibit moving plants across state lines; check with your local florist or nursery or with the Department of Agriculture about any restrictions for your state. If you'll be traveling through California or Arizona , where plant movement is restricted regardless of whether you intend to stay, call their state departments of agriculture as well: (916) 445-8314 in Sacramento , (602) 255-4373 in Phoenix
4. Please notify your One Move specialist about any plants you want to move - plants are regarded as perishable articles and require special consideration

General plant moving tips

1. Tie you plants up – make sure plants are properly tied – not too tight – but in a way that will make lifting them and carrying around as easy as possible
2. Water the potted plants about a day or two before the move depending on the climate at your current location. You would want to have the plants containers moist but not soggy. Water can be heavy and messy! If you have soggy pots form automatic irrigation system for example consider rapping the whole pot in a plastic bag
3. If you are moving during warm weather cover the pots with plastic bag - reducing water evaporation this way
4. For plant with large foliage, consider trimming about two weeks before the move. Plants loose water through their leaves. Trimming plants back would reduce the chance of accidental tear, reduce water evaporation and will slow the plant metabolism for a short while
5. Load the plants at the back of the truck, so they will be the first to be taken off
6. If you are moving the plants yourself in an open trailer, or in the back of a pickup truck - take care to cover the plant up. The wind blowing around your vehicle is enough sometimes to tear a plant apart
7. Do not let the plants stay in the van overnight.
8. Pack garden chemicals very carefully. If you decide not to take them with you, contact your local cooperative extension agent for proper methods of disposal, or give them to a neighbor who gardens.

Moving Outdoor plants

Moving your outdoors plants can be a challenging task but can also be very rewarding when it comes to slow-growing long-living plants that have been with you for a long time. Here are a couple of tips:

1. Trimming two weeks before the move – larger plants that you intend on moving might benefit from some trimming about two weeks prior to the move. Trimming serves, as I mentioned before, as a way of reducing the plant's water loss, slowing the plant metabolism and when it comes to large outdoor plant, reducing the overall weight
2. Take rooted plants out of the ground – Water the rooted plants ahead of the move, so the soil is damp but not soggy. Wet soil can be very difficult to dig in! Tie the plant foliage, dig a hole around the plant trying to move as little soil as possible but retaining enough of root system for the plant to establish itself in the new location. There is no real right size when it comes to unearthing the plant’s roots. The larger the plant the larger the root system should be. Some plant families can withstand relocation with relative small root system kept intact like the palm tree family. For more information about the plant you are moving, go to the plants database . Place a damp paper around the root system and tie a plastic bag around it. This way the root system will stay intact and the plant will not cause too much of a mess. Place the plants in the shade
3. Make sure your outdoor plants are disconnected from any irrigation system if you have any installed and tie loose branches up. Much of the handling damage is cause by the moving team moving, brushing next to plants or tagging plant’s branches
4. Move as many plants as you can to pots - two three months prior to the move. Moving plants with their root system exposed is always hard for the plant. By placing the plant in a container the most important part – the root system – is best preserved
5. For larger plants, consider using the help of a professional gardener
6. Well before moving day, make sure wooden containers are sturdy and that the bottoms have not rotted away. Plants growing in weak or cracked containers should be replanted in pressed fiber or plastic pots--they are light and relatively inexpensive

Moving House plants - Moving indoor plants

• Water all of the indoor plants that are to be moved a day or two prior to packing.
• Dampen newspaper or paper towels and pack them onto the surface of the soil; pack them tightly enough to prevent the soil from shaking out of the pot during transport
• Wrap the pots in a layer of newspaper or plastic bags leaving the top open
• Tie any loose branches on you indoor plant, creating a tight pack from the foliage without breaking the branches
• House plants are usually shade loving plants - be sure not to leave them too long in the sun. Some plants can be damaged after a couple minutes in a sunny spot
• Water the plants right after unpacking and remember to move them to the right location – be sure to find the right spot for each plant - please remember that if your new home is located in a different climate zone or in a different location to the sun, the plant’s condition might be rather different.”