Moving home can be one of life’s most stressful activities. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. If you plan ahead effectively, your move will be exciting rather than stressful. Part of this involves ensuring that your most cherished possessions arrive safely. For many people, that includes their plants. Here are some tips to help move your plants to their new location successfully.

Get packing in good time

Even if you have the budget for professional removers, it can be more useful to use mobile storage solutions like https://www.mobistorage.com.au/moving-house/perth/. The benefit of this is that it allows you to pack your belongings yourself at your own pace. This allows you to declutter as you go rather than leaving it to the last minute.

Taking the pain out of the main household move will give you more time and energy (and money) to organise the removal of your more precious items. As a rule of thumb, pets and any very personal items should generally travel with you. Plants may go in your car (or on public transport). You might, however, want to arrange alternative transport for them.

Moving garden plants

Before you move outdoor garden plants, make sure that you legally can. If you’ve sold a home with a garden then the garden plants may be considered to be a part of that sale unless you clearly specify otherwise. If you’re a tenant, then the plants will probably belong to your landlord unless you planted them yourself. Taking seeds or cuttings is often a better option.

You’ll also need to consider the practicalities of finding a new home for your garden plants. Even if your new garden or allotment is geographically close to your old one, the conditions may be significantly different. For example, the soil may be more acid or alkaline, there may be a different balance of openness and shelter and/or of light and shade.

If, however, you’re confident that you can take at least some of your garden plants with you and give them a happy new home, it’s generally possible to move them. Prune them back as hard as possible ahead of your moving day. Then uproot them as close as possible to your moving day. Try to dig when the soil is warm rather than cold or hot. Leave plenty of room for the roots. All these steps will minimise trauma to the plants.

Pack and load your plants for stability

Once you have all your plants gathered together, you need to pack them for stability. For example, tie branches together and add canes for support. Consider adding weights to pots. Try to pack smaller pots in trays with lips so the pots support each other. Keep the weight balanced across the tray.

When you load your plants, keep stability in mind. If you have a lot of plants, using a van can be far easier than using a car. Whatever transport you use, make sure that larger plants (and their pots) are going to stay put and not crush smaller ones.

If you’re going any more than a very short distance, give your plants a good drink before you leave. In fact, if you’re going a long distance in hot weather, you may need to rehydrate them periodically during your trip.

Making your plants feel at home

Check your plants thoroughly for transport damage and if you find any deal with it promptly. Replant garden plants as quickly as you can and water them in thoroughly.

Try to give all your plants the same conditions they had in your old home. Container plants will generally adapt easily, garden plants will often need more attention. In particular, they’ll probably need extra water and possibly food until their roots are completely back to normal.

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