Houseplants bring a feeling of the outdoors to apartment living. But these valued household members can suffer shocks and breakage if they are not handled carefully. Use this moving checklist to prepare your leafy friends for relocation.
A couple of weeks before your move:
- Repot. First on your moving checklist, check what kinds of pots your plants are in. Repot those in breakable pots in same-size plastic pots, which are lighter and won’t break.
- Prune as needed. Another item on your moving checklist should be to pinch back large or bushy plants. This will help prevent breakage during your move and will also encourage thicker growth. Do not prune succulents like jade plants and cacti.
- Banish pests. Next on your moving checklist, inspect your plants for insects. If you find any, check online or with a local greenhouse to learn the best way to treat them.
A day or two before your move:
- Prepare boxes. For this step of a moving checklist, find boxes that will hold your plants. You may be able to fit a few smaller plants into the same box, but large plants will probably need individual boxes.
- Water your plants. Don’t forget this step of your moving checklist. However, don’t get carried away. Water normally. In cold weather, overwatering could result in freezing. In hot weather, it could lead to fungus growth.
On moving day:
- Put plants in their boxes. Do this after you have finished other items on your moving checklist to minimize the time plants are boxed. To keep plants from shifting, place wadded newspaper around the pots. Punch holes in the sides of the boxes for air flow. Cover protruding branches or leaves loosely with a sheet or plastic garbage bag.
- Load your plants. This should be the last item on your moving checklist. Put plants inside your car. They could get too hot or too cold in the trunk or the back of a truck. When you arrive at your new place, unload your plants first.
If you follow the steps on our moving checklist, your plants will arrive at their new home ready to flourish. And to make the rest of your move as painless as possible, use our printable moving checklist. With good planning and organization, both you and your plants will bloom where you’re planted.
