Shipping Plants

vonedel2, Apr 14, 10:10am
What is the safest way to ship plants. At the mo they are in
A small black bag and Plant is approx 8-10in tall from top of Soil.
oh_hunnihunni, Apr 14, 3:27pm
Post at the beginning of the week! I mark the bag LIVE PLANTS clearly, and make sure they are well protected against crushing, and can't move around too much. And I don't post tender things. Courier might be better for those.
zak410, Apr 14, 5:26pm
Cut plastic bottles are good to protect plants in parcels.
maclad, Apr 14, 5:31pm
I have a feeling you cannot post live plants, but not 100% on that, so perhaps courier is better. Depending on what the plant is you may be able to send it bare rooted in wet newspaper or moss. If I send plants in pots I always tie a supermarket bag firmly round the top of the pot to keep soil intact then pack in cereal box or similar well protected by crushed newspaper.
summersunnz, Apr 18, 3:24am
Yes plants can be posted and couriered. you could either remove the black bag and remove some of the soil around the plant, so it's able to be sent bare-rooted, then wrap it securely and gently in damp newspaper then 2-3 layers of plastic wrap. then in newspaper, so a strong parcel has been formed before wrapping it to send.
Or use wide sellotape to go from one side of the top of the bag to the other, working around the perimeter so you form a tightly made criss-cross of tape that secures the plant well. Then use a plastic plant pot or cut a fizzy bottle to cover the plant, taping that into place. You could also use a plastic wrap inner roll to fit carefully over the plant if it's big enough.
Wrap in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap, then in newspaper before wrapping to send.
koru67, Apr 18, 7:21am
Some great ideas above. Thanks for raising the question OP.
oh_hunnihunni, Apr 18, 8:45am
I've never had any issue with using well marked "LIVE PLANTS" NZ Post Bags containing well protected live plants, but I only send plan ts that will survive the process.
piquant, Apr 18, 11:07am
I've had plants refused by NZ Post. But having just had a look through their conditions of carriage - that appears to be a load of bull.
vonedel2, Apr 18, 5:14pm
Thank you for all the posts. It can be a big help.The last time I sent Grape vines way down South I used a piece of PVC pipe and same for a 4ft Cherry tree. Wrapped the Roots in wet newspaper first. Arrived in great shape.
Now these being smaller Cherry Seedlings that would need a different approach. Advise please.
oh_hunnihunni, Nov 23, 6:19pm
I think some staff in some branches are a tad power mad myself. One branch I use has a girl who insists on knowing what is in the bag I want to post, and once made me sign a declaration when I told her to mhob. The guy I encountered next time I went in didn't ask and didn't make me sign anything. I've never encountered that crap at any other branch - and no, I wasn't posting anything naughty or illegal. I just wait till she has another customer these days. Or post closer to home!