When it is time to move, you need to figure out how to get your stuff from here to there. In the case of plants, you have to be careful so they survive the trip.

Relocating Your Plants to a New Home

When moving, it is important to be organized so things do not get excessively stressful. If you own plants, you might be aware that they also can suffer stress from a move. If sufficiently stressed out, they will die. Moving a plant only to watch it die can, in turn, result in massive stress for you. This is particularly true if it is a large, heavy plant!

If you have relatively small plants, moving them should not be excessively difficult. Small, potted plants can simply be moved in your vehicle when you take other items to your new location. This being said, it is important to understand that plants are very temperature sensitive. If you put plants in your car and leave them with the windows rolled up, it could be disastrous. As you know, the sun will heat up a car very quickly and temperatures over 100 degrees can quickly kill plants or at least cause massive damage. When moving small plants, try to keep the windows down to let heat escape and minimize the time they are sitting in the car.

Moving large plants can be a challenge. Most moving companies, in fact, will refuse to insure them as part of the move. The reason is larger plants tend to get damaged easily. To overcome this problem, it is wise to wrap the plants if at all possible. Most nurseries will provide you with a paper wrap you can put around the plant. When wrapping the plant, start from the bottom up. As you move up, push the leaves and branches upwards so that you end up with a cone structure with the tapered end at the bottom. Taking this approach will keep branches from snapping off or being bent in half.

The final step to help plants survive a move is preparation. In the weeks before the move, make sure to prune and fertilize the plants. Much like a human body, a health plant has a much better chance of surviving the trauma of a move than one that is sickly.

Once you are in your new home, make sure to place your plants immediately. Dragging plants all over the home is not good for your back or the plant. Get them situated, water if necessary and let them get acclimated to their new home.

Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - a directory of moving companies with helpful advice on moving issues.