posting plants

handymanni

Hi guys

Need a bit of advice on this.

Next spring I am going to need to post out some plants.

They are not going to be small plugs more larger ones so to speak.

They will be in 6cm compostable pots, jiffy I think they are called and about 8-10 cm high plants.

Now I think I have fashioned something out of cardboard to put them in and also to stop them moving but what I was wondering was if anyone knew the best way of keeping the soil from falling out and keeping it moist without it wetting the outside of the cardboard.

If anyone has any suggestions on packaging that would be good too.

Thanks guys

purple45

My Dad had a Chrysanthemum nursery and small rooted plants were packed in polythene bags (like food bags). They weren't sealed or anything, just folded round the plant. The plants were then packed in cardboard boxes with a bit of squishy packaging around them. All the packages were sent first class and I suppose accepting that one or two out of hundreds would not arrive in time and would have to be replaced.

Sally_A

How about 330/500ml drinks bottles. Cut the bottle nearly all the way round, but leave a hinge to insert the plant?

peter_the_piper

I wrapped the roots of bigger cuttings in cling film when I sent plants in the post. Use a cardboard box for safety. If you are going to send many check out Rajapack for postal boxes.

angelavdavis

I have previously purchased black plastic bag style pots when I have sold stuff at the bootsales in the past. They will be cheaper than compostable pots (unless you make pots out of newspaper).

The benefit of using the plastic bag pots is that you can fold the top of the bag over and sellotape to hold the soil in. You can also staple the plant label on (I used to print labels just on paper with my printer).

I have also cut up old module planters into individual small pots - using ones where one or two of the modules had started splitting so they were heading for the bin anyway.

I have previously sent plants through the post as Sally A suggests, cutting the bottom off a small water/drink bottle (remove lid) and sitting the bottle over the top of the whole thing. I then have packed them into a box (or folded one piece of cardboard into four to form a box around the bottle which I have then wrapped in paper). You can always place a little kitchen roll folded up under the plant root end to stop it soaking through.