Sending succulents through the mail is secure. However, if you’re sending plants from one nation to another, you need get in touch with the Plant Protection Division of the Department of Agriculture in that nation to learn the rules on the kinds of plants you can send and where. This article’s sole goal is to instruct you on how to mail them.
Cacti and other succulents, including those that are succulents, can be successfully mailed from one person to another, which may not be known to those who have grown non-succulent plants. When moving your home, everything of your possessions, including a collection, can be packed and transported.
Succulents stand out because they can endure dry conditions for a respectable amount of time. They are therefore perfectly suitable for mailing or transportation, roots and all.
Here’s what to do next:
Shake off the soil completely, being cautious to break as few roots as you can. If a few roots are broken, it won’t matter. The plant won’t perish as a result. If the soil is completely dried out, it is considerably simpler to remove. After watering the plants, do not attempt to remove the dirt!
2. It is safer to let any plants that are fully grown and appear to be excessively juicy or turgid dry out for a few days without water. This will harden the growth, making the plants less prone to bruise or rot.
3. If you want to, you can clip back extra roots without harming the plant.
4. Verify that the roots and plant are dry. If the roots are dry, succulents will travel more securely. Most importantly, there won’t be as much mail to pay for!
5. Create a label with the name of each plant for each plant.
6. Place a label with the name of the plant on it and wrap each plant in soft paper. If the plant is sensitive, cover it with a soft kitchen towel. You can use a newspaper if the plant is stronger. Use two or three layers of newspaper if the plant has a lot of spines.
7. Some species, like Christmas or orchid cacti, require a somewhat different technique. If they have roots, prolonged drying affects how well they do. Wrap the roots in a tiny plastic bag with a small amount of damp peat moss inside, then fasten it with a rubber band. Sending dry cuttings of these is preferable to sending cuttings with roots. If there are no roots, you can just cover them with a dry cloth without worrying about dampness.
8. A sturdy, lightweight box is a crucial protection measure for succulents shipped through the mail. Boxes constructed of corrugated cardboard are the best kind. Try your local hardware store, garage, pharmacy, or grocery store; these are frequently found there and are typically free. It is simple to convert a larger corrugated box into a smaller one if the original one is too large. Simply use the back of a knife or ruler to creasing the folds, trimming extra if necessary.
Don’t pack your shipment or plants in cereal boxes, shoe boxes, or other similar containers if you want them to arrive undamaged. Keep in mind that your box may be sent hurtling down long chutes and along conveyor belts before landing in enormous mounds with heavier packages on top of yours. As they go through the post office, packages must survive a lot of abuse. It will break apart if you don’t wrap it properly. If you are packaging a lot of plants, you may put those flimsy boxes within the box you are mailing to contain and separate certain plants from others. They come in handy for plants with particularly sharp spines that insist on piercing paper of all kinds but are well-protected inside a box inside a box.
9. To prevent the individually wrapped plants in your box from shaking, add enough more paper (shredded paper or crumpled newspaper works well). When all the plants are in the box, fill in any remaining gaps. The plants or cuttings must remain stationary in the box at all times to prevent damage to one another.
10. Use appropriate tape designed for wrapping packages to properly seal the box. Regular Scotch tape won’t stay in place. Do not use rope, twine, or string. The post office does not permit them. It is not necessary to rewrap the box in paper. If there are addresses or other notations on the box that indicate it has previously been in the mail, aggressively strike these out using a marking pen.
Create three labels, 11. One to go inside and two for the box’s top, bottom, and exterior, just in case anything were to seriously damage the box’s exterior. Your address should be in the upper left-hand corner of the label, and the address of the recipient should be farther down in the centre, either using your printer or by handwriting it. Make sure both addresses’ postal codes are visible.
12. Print PERISHABLE in huge letters at the bottom of all three labels.
13. One more advice. You will discover that the post office moves extremely quickly if you send your plant packages via standard parcel post, which is the least expensive parcel option, and spend an additional 50 cents or a dollar to insure the package with the post office. Priority is given to getting insured mail there since they do not want it to get lost. First-class mail is currently incredibly expensive, so there is no use in paying for it if you can send it for free with insurance and save a lot of money. Additionally, keep in mind that packages sent through parcel services can take much longer to arrive than packages sent through the post office, especially if they are heading abroad.
Can a succulent endure shipping?
Since they can survive for extended periods of time without water and are typically extremely hardy, succulents and cacti are excellent mail-order plants. Professional nurseries routinely and without many issues export their plants across the nation and beyond the world.
Sending succulents and cacti over the mail is a secure and simple way to move your plants from one place to another, whether you’re moving and need to deliver your collection to your new home or you want to share your love of succulents with a distant friend.
Succulent shipping is it authorized?
To begin with, you must ascertain whether you can actually send your plant. You cannot send a plant that is listed as endangered or protected! The Baja rose, the Santa Inez goldenbanner, and the Yreka phlox are a few instances of endangered plants.
By looking up your plant in this database maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture, you can learn whether it is endangered or protected.
The Parcel Needs to Identify that Live Plants and Vegetation Are Inside
One of the most crucial things you must do after determining whether your plant can be transported is to indicate that the package contains a plant. The Terminal Inspection Act of 1916 mandates that all packages containing plants be properly labelled, according to USPS. Fortunately, you don’t always have to purchase specialized stickers, as is the case when transporting ORM-D goods. Simply mark your box with a marker to indicate that it includes plants. Easy enough!
Properly Preparing Your Plants for Shipment
In order to ensure that live plants and other vegetation travel safely, adequate packaging is essential. To keep moisture in the plant’s roots, USPS always needs waterproof material, like waxed Kraft paper. Additionally, this will prevent transit-related leaks in your package. Every plant, however, has a unique requirement, therefore you must wrap each one individually. For instance, you must use puncture-proof paper to cover spiky plants like cacti.
Here are some easy measures to take as a basic checklist while exporting plants:
- a few sheets of packing paper or newspaper should be mildly dampened.
- Place the plant with the roots and stem in the center after folding the papers in half (if your plant has foliage, make sure you place the foliage outside the edge of the paper)
- Gently wrap the roots with the paper.
- To keep moisture from getting into the roots, wrap the bottom of the plants in waterproof waxed Kraft paper. Don’t seal the paper, though, as your plants require oxygen to survive.
- To safeguard the plant and stop moisture damage to your box, wrap the entire plant in at least two substantial plastic supermarket bags.
- Put the plant into a fresh corrugated cardboard box, being careful to select one that not only fits it best but also doesn’t overly restrict it.
- We advise sending a letter inside the package describing the plant’s species and how to take care of it (paper will become wet from the moisture of the plant, so laminating the note is always a good idea).
- Indicate that there are plants within the packaging.
- Send it off as soon as you can!
Which USPS Mail Class Should I Use?
The USPS postal class you select will be based on the weight of your plant and how quickly you need it to arrive. In general, First Class Package will be the preferred method of shipping plants because many of them weigh less than 16 ounces. The plant will arrive with this service in an anticipated 1-3 business days and will be the least expensive choice. Priority Mail will typically be your best option if your shipment weighs more than 16 ounces (sometimes this is the case if you end up including soil).
While some plants, like succulents and desert vegetation, don’t require a lot of water to grow, other plants don’t function in the same way. As a result, there are times when you’ll want your plant to arrive at its location as soon as feasible. The ideal service in this situation will be Priority Mail Express. Although Priority Mail Express will set you back quite a little more money, the Postal Service promises same-day delivery (2 days if the parcel is going to a rural area).
Pro Tip: The least expensive shipping option will be chosen for you when you utilize shipping software to purchase postage online! Just be careful to input the total weight and dimensions of your package accurately to avoid being charged extra postage by the USPS Automated Package Verification system.
You May Not Be Eligible for Insurance
One issue to keep in mind is that you might not be able to acquire shipping insurance through your carrier or your shipping software provider if you’re sending plants. All carriers and insurance firms classify plants as “perishables,” and as a result, they won’t cover them under their policies.
Pay Attention to Individual State Guidelines
Keep in mind that some states have limitations on the importation of specific plant species. For instance, you cannot send citrus plants from any other state in the union to California. Additionally, you cannot send the Mauna Loa plant or fresh jade vine blooms from Hawaii to the continental United States or Alaska. As a result, we advise conducting preliminary study. All it takes is a fast Google search for your plant and the state you’re sending to!
Most Countries Also Have Restrictions for Importing Plants
This is where things become a little trickier if you intend to ship a plant over foreign borders. Some nations place limitations on the kind of plants that can be imported. For instance, any plant entering the United Kingdom needs to have an import authorization. Therefore, before you buy any postage, you should research the specific country’s regulations that you wish to export your plant to. On the USPS website, you may get a list of the various nations and the import limitations that apply to them.
How are mail-order succulents cared for?
It’s crucial to treat plants that have been stressed during shipping. Succulents are recognized for being among the lowest-maintenance plants, yet they sometimes struggle to survive a long journey and arrive in poor condition. As a result, it’s crucial to provide them with the right care so they can recuperate from the transit shock. What then should you do after your succulents arrive?
Unboxing your succulents as soon as you can should be your first step. Allowing your succulents to breathe some fresh air is the first step in helping them recuperate as they have been kept in a small area without sunshine for a long period. Your plants should be placed in open spaces with some filtered sunlight. Avoid being in the sun.
Examining the state of your succulent plants is the next stage. Here are some various situations that may be helpful.
Scenario 1: When your succulents arrive with dry and bare root
In this situation, you are free to plant it in a porous container with well-drained soil. They’re in a really fragile state right now, so take care not to hurt their roots. After you’ve finished repotting your succulents, place them in indirect sunlight and don’t water them for around two to three days. Give them a good soak after watering until water drips from the drainage hole.  
Don’t forget to gradually adapt your succulent to the sun over the course of two to three weeks.
Scenario 2: When your succulent arrive potted in dry soil
Place your succulents in shade and wait for at least two to three days before watering them if the dirt in the pot is dry. When the soil is fully dry, deeply water the plants to ensure that the roots can absorb enough water. Once more, acclimate your succulent to the illumination in your house gradually.
Scenario 3. When your succulents arrive with wet and bare root
The succulent should be placed in an open area and left there for a minimum of two to three days to allow the roots to air-dry. Your succulents can then be re-potted in suitable containers with an excellent drainage hole.
Before watering your succulents, let the soil drain completely. Don’t forget to soak them well until water drips from the drainage hole. Introduce your succulent to your home’s lighting conditions gradually.
Scenario 4. When your succulents arrive potted with wet soil
Check the condition of the succulents’ leaves and roots after they are potted with damp soil.
Take the succulent out of the pot and carefully look for any signs of root rot if the succulents exhibit any overwatering symptoms, such as swollen and yellow bottom leaves.
 
- If the stem and roots appear healthy, they may have been somewhat overwatered. Before re-potting a succulent in a pot with adequate drainage and cactus soil, try to remove the damp soil from the succulent roots and let them air dry for a couple of days. Don’t water for at least 3 more days. Please keep in mind that before adding any additional water, make sure the soil is totally dry.
- Depending on how terrible the plant condition is, you should behead your succulents if you observe the roots and stem becoming black. Once you have eliminated all of the rotting components, allow the cutting or succulents to air dry thoroughly for at least three days. Replant them in a pot with appropriate drainage and freely draining soil once they have developed a nice callus. Before you water them once more, wait another 2-4 days.
You can leave the succulent in the nursery pot if it appears healthy and has compact, firm leaves. Only water the succulent when the soil is fully dry. Repot the succulent if you’d like in a suitable container. Introduce your succulent to your home’s lighting conditions gradually.