Move Your Plants Easy - removalszone.co.uk

Moving your plants to your new home is no easy task, especially when you are doing this for the first time. It can cause a great deal of stress on your plants for which you have spent a lot of time to take care of. As for most people, this task comes as one of the most challenging parts of their house removal project. We all know that the plants don’t travel well and can struggle with the physical impact of the relocation as they find it very hard to adjust to a new environment. It can cause a great deal of stress to your plants so it is best to start preparing them early so they can arrive at your new home safely.
To give your houseplants or garden ones the best chance for survival, follow these steps from Removals Zone. They are prepared thanks to previous services that we have been providing our clients with.
Factors to consider before making preparations:

1. Which season are you moving your plants in?
If you are moving plants you should consider the time of year the move takes place. In general, it’s best to move your leafy friends during their dormant season – the season during which the plants are not growing. For the majority of plants are the cold winter months. If you’re not moving in the winter, then we would recommend moving the plants at the beginning of spring or in fall when the temperatures are average. Moving in summer is not the best option for your plants, because the weather is dry and they get quickly stressed when removed from the soil.
Regarding how to water them – if you decide to move during wintertime make sure to water them 2-3 days before the big day in consequence of the plants to have fairly dry soil during transportation. If you decide to move during the summer period – water them before the move. If you have an early start of the service – on the previous day. Regardless of the season, the soil should be moist, but not too wet.

2. What type of soil and climate are there at the destination?
An import factor to consider is the type of soil and the regional climate at the destination. You should check if your plants will be able to grow there. The local climate is as equally important as the soil. Make sure to check in advance if your plants will be able to survive in the climate you are moving to.

3. Would your landlord be alright for you to move your plants in and will your moving company agree to move your plants?
Make sure that your new landlord will be alright with you taking your mini-garden with you. It would be a complete disaster to go through the entire process of planning, preparing and moving your plants just to find out that your new landlord would not allow it.
Yes, it may sound strange, but the majority of removal companies refuse to move plants because of their fragile nature. Check if the moving company you have chosen moves plants and discuss the situation with them before your move. We, at Removals Zone, handle with great care relocating your beloved plants, just follow the next steps in order to be rest assured that they will arrive at their best condition in your new home.
Now that you’ve factored in the above there are a few things we would advise doing before moving your plants:

Protect them from the elements:
Plants like all forms of life are sensitive to the elements, especially if they are travelling a long distance. You need to keep them in a temperature-controlled space and out of direct sunlight. If you are transporting them by yourself, do not put them in the trunk of the car. Instead, place them in the backseat of your car and crack the window open in order to allow the fresh air to get in the car. Keep in mind that some types of plants are more sensitive to sunlight than others and they will not take well any sudden drastic change from light to complete darkness in the box and vice versa. Therefore, expose your indoor plants to less and less direct sunlight in order to prepare them for packing.

Wrap and pack them properly:
We suggest you to never wrap your plants with plastic as it is better for them to be wrapped with any type of paper or newspaper. It is important as well to keep them tight during the relocation in order to not be injured afterwards. Removals Zone offer affordable packing materials for plants and you can also ask our sale representatives and they will explain what you will need. Here’s an idea of which packing materials you will need to have:

*A sturdy moving box for each pot
*Plastic pots
*Packing paper or old newspapers
*Bubble wrap
*Plastic bags and ties
*Flea collars
*Paper towels

Steps on how to wrap them:
Wrap: Wrap large plants with an old bed sheet or tissue paper to prevent them from braking.
Position: Place each pot in a box, so it fits snugly at the bottom. If the box is too large, put a towel between the pots in order to be stable during transportation.

Pack: If it is necessary, pack the bottom of the box with paper for the boxes to hold tight and prevent them from becoming soggy and weak, as well as use tape to reinforce their bottoms on the outside. Punch air holes in the sides of the box and loosely fasten the lid so plants can breathe. Use the appropriate size of boxes – there should be enough space between the tallest plant and the lid of the box. You can also wrap the plant with hard paper as you position the paper over the plant and taping it to the pot. You can also consider placing a support stakes for your taller plants and tying their branches with pieces of twine to minimize any type of shifting. Give the plants a quick spray spritz and close the lids.

Check for any diseases or pests and if required apply proper treatment. If the treatment doesn’t help until the day of your move – it’s best to leave the plant behind in order to avoid infesting any other plants.

Label: Set the boxes upright and clearly mark the top and lids to prevent the boxes to be turned upside-down during the loading and unloading. Simply with a black marker write the following words: ‘’ PLANTS’’, ‘’FRAGILE’’, ‘’THIS SIDE UP’’.

3 weeks before the move:
If you are moving garden plants – water the plant and dig up a circle around it so that you can remove the entire root ball intact. Use a shovel and dig a circle around the plants as you will pulling out both the thick and thinner roots. Place all the roots in a plastic bag without removing the soil and make sure that it is well enough moist to last the journey of your removals service. You can also add water and wrap the bag with bubble wrap if you are moving during the winter period. Or you can put the plants in wide pots to allow for some space and also note that the soil needs to be amply moist. Transplanting should be done in the mornings. Prune back your plants. After repotting them, it’s best to also remove any excess foliage, dead leaves, twigs, and branches. This will allow for easier packing and transporting your plants.

3 days before the move
Pack smaller/ hanging plants into boxes before the move for easier handling and better protection. Designate a special area to keep your plants before the move. This area should be visible and should ensure that you or the removals team on the day don’t forget to take your plants when loading. Also, make sure that they don’t obstruct the pathway that the removals team will be using to move your other belongings on the day.

On the day of the move:
That’s it, your moving day is finally here. Now that you’ve made all preparations and are ready to move your plants, here are a few more tips to help you get through the day:
- A trolley will make the process of moving your plants into the van faster and easier. All professional removal companies have equipped each of their teams with one of these, but having a spare one is always a long-distance choice.
- If you are moving long-distance and handling a warm day, it will be good to check the moisture level of the plants when you stop for a rest along the way.
- Make sure the Removal team will put your potted plants at the end of the moving vehicle in order to avoid any damage.

Unpack: Remove plants through the bottom of the box to avoid breaking the leaves and branches.

Stabilize: Do not move the plants from the place where you have put them first after unpacking. Leave them there for a couple of days in order to become more acclimated. Place them in strategic places that are similar to the ones in the old place. Do not place any of them in direct sunlight yet. The repotting from the plastic containers (if you have moved any plants) into their usual pots should be done in about a week after the move, in order not to stress them any further.

Heal: If your plants still suffer the relocation service, give them a few days to recover. If they are still unhealthy one week after, follow our tips – ‘’ Common household plants and how to care for them’’.

We, at Removals Zone, hope that these tips and tricks will be helpful for the relocation of your leafy friends. We have many years’ experience of transporting all kinds of indoor flowers to your favourite garden pieces. So you can rest assured that you and your plants will be settling in and putting down roots in no time.
If you have any questions about transporting plants or want other packing tips and advice, contact the Removals Zone here.