Each plant should be wrapped in several layers of soft paper, such as tissue paper. Use several layers of a stiffer paper, like newspaper, for cacti to help prevent the spines from poking through.
Am I able to mail a succulent?
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 succulents withstand shipping?
Succulents are hardy plants, so if you properly package them, they can withstand shipment for a week or two. To avoid any damage, it would be good if you could attempt to make sure that the succulent is delivered within a week.
In order to accomplish this, try shipping the succulent on a Monday or a Tuesday so that it can arrive on time without getting stuck in transit over the weekend.
If your succulent is properly covered and the weather is right, it is completely feasible that it could even last longer. However, there is no way to be certain about this.
A succulent can survive in a box for how long?
All plants studied could survive for two weeks without showing any significant signs of stress, albeit by day 10, I could notice a loss of color. Since most succulents will still look the same after seven days, we attempt to provide plants to our customers as quickly as possible.
Succulents would continue to develop after 14 days, but they would probably start to sag. The plant would start to stretch outward from the center in search of light, the leaves would get bigger and farther apart, and overall it would become more delicate.
Many succulents would begin to die after approximately a month with no light at all. The same is true for sun-loving succulents grown inside without enough sun (5+ hours), such as Echeveria or Graptopetalum species.
How should I handle succulents I receive in the mail?
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.
Remove the Plant From the Soil
It is preferable to export most plants as bare roots as opposed to in their pots. Put on a pair of gardening gloves and carefully remove the roots of your plant from the pot, shaking off any extra soil. It’s not necessary to totally rinse the roots because part of the soil residue will keep the plant happy and healthy during transportation and potential repotting.
Wrap Roots With a Moist Paper Towel
Wrap the plant’s roots with a paper towel that has been lightly moistened with clean, room-temperature water. You can wrap your plant in numerous layers of paper towels if you’re transporting it a long way. The plant will receive water along the journey as a result of the paper’s gradual moisture release.
Wrap With Plastic Wrap
Wrap the paper towels and roots in a sheet of plastic wrap to keep everything in place. You might also put the plant in a plastic bag as an alternative. This will keep the moisture within and act as insulation for the roots’ delicate tissues.
Secure the Plant
By using rubber bands or wrapping the entire bundle in newspaper, secure the plant’s top. Both strategies will control wayward growth and guard against plant damage.
Place Plant Inside Box
Your plant should be packed in a robust corrugated cardboard box that can withstand any damage from vigorous handling. Find a box that is beautiful and sturdy to ensure that your plant gets to its destination intact.
Fill Extra Space
Finding a box that properly fits your goods can be challenging. After you’ve inserted your plant inside the sturdy corrugated box, fill any remaining space with newspaper or packing paper to provide additional padding. Your plant won’t have any room to move during handling if you do it this way. Useless paper, packing peanuts, or bubble wrap are more options.
Tape the Box Closed
Tape all box edges tightly with sturdy packing tape before sealing the lid. Add a lot of tape to the box’s edges to reinforce them if you’re concerned about how the product will be handled.
Tip
Punch a few ventilation holes in the box if your area is warm or if you’re moving the plant to a warm location. Make a few small holes in the box’s sides using your fingertips. Avoid doing this in cold weather because the cold may harm your plant.
Label the Box
Label the box “Live Plants,” “Fragile,” or “Perishable” using permanent ink so that shipment handlers can easily read it. This won’t ensure that the individuals handling your box will handle it delicately, but it might persuade some of them.
If you’re recycling a box, write the return address and mailing address on the outside and take off or black out any previous shipping labels.
Ship Your Plant
It’s time to transport your plant now that it has been beautifully prepared and boxed for travel. If your plant satisfies the USPS’s shipping regulations, you can always drop it off at the post office for delivery. Select priority mail. Because the plant is in such a vulnerable position while being transported, you should try to cut the shipping time as much as you can.
Another option is to use a private delivery firm, FedEx, UPS, or both. Although some will cost more than others, all will offer rapid shipping alternatives. Finding a service that can ship your plant swiftly and within your budget is the key.