Cactus plants travel well since their hardy stems and leaves can tolerate handling bumps and won’t readily break off. Cacti also don’t need a lot of water, therefore they can thrive in low moisture environments while being transported. Cactus plants need to be properly packaged even though they are robust to guarantee their safe arrival to the receiver. When packing the cactus for shipping, padding and support are both crucial considerations.
To protect your hands while working with the cactus, wear gloves. To protect the root ball, remove the cactus from its pot gently. Shake the cactus while holding it above the pot to get rid of extra dirt around the roots.
- Cactus plants travel well since their hardy stems and leaves can tolerate handling bumps and won’t readily break off.
- To protect the root ball, remove the cactus from its pot gently.
After stacking three or four paper towels, dampen them by dipping them in water. To keep the roots from drying out while being shipped, slightly wring them out and wrap them around the root ball. Make sure to completely cover the root ball with moist paper towels.
Newspapers are layered three to four times and then submerged in water. Over the paper towels, place the damp newspaper around the root ball. To keep the moisture inside the wet newspaper, several times wrap it in plastic wrap.
Wrap the entire cactus plant in newspaper sheets. Around the plant, add two or three layers of newspaper. Wrap the newspaper’s ends around the plant and tape them shut.
- After stacking three or four paper towels, dampen them by dipping them in water.
- Over the paper towels, place the damp newspaper around the root ball.
The cactus’s length and diameter should be measured. 2 inches longer and 4 inches wider than your measurements, cut a sheet of cardboard. To make a rectangle large enough for the cactus to fit within, fold the cardboard. To ensure that the cardboard square retains its shape, tape the edges of the square together.
The cardboard square should be slid over the cactus. To fill up any spaces between the cardboard square’s sides and the cactus, add styrofoam peanuts to the top of the square.
Styrofoam peanuts should be placed halfway up a cardboard box. Insert the wrapped cactus so that it is on top of the peanuts and lying sideways in the box. Styrofoam peanuts should be placed in the empty space in the box. Put packing tape on the box’s lid to secure it.
- The cactus’s length and diameter should be measured.
- To ensure that the cardboard square retains its shape, tape the edges of the square together.
Use a permanent marker to clearly write the recipient’s name and address on the top center of the box. The top left corner of the box should have your name and mailing address written on it. On the top of the box, jot down the words “living plants.”
To guarantee that the cactus will reach on time and with access to moisture, send the box through overnight or express mail. To be sure they will get the item and open it right away, let the recipient know when you anticipate it will arrive.
A cactus can be sent through the mail.
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.
How do you mail a cactus to someone?
Southern California’s Planet Desert is a family-run wholesale and retail specialty cacti nursery. They maintain one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of cactus.
Along with serving more seasoned collectors searching for the rarest and most exotic cactus plants available, they also source a variety of uncommon cacti from top growers across the globe.
Cacti Range:
At any given time, Planet Desert carries well over 400 different types of cacti. Along with bigger more mature specimens, which range in price from $50 to $200, there is a nice assortment of small baby cacti starting at $5.
If you’re prepared to grow your own tiny cactus field on your window sill, they also sell reasonably priced packs of cacti plants starting at $49. These are also fantastic choices for gifts, such as those given for birthdays, thank-you notes, and more.
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. Simple 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 best 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.
Why shouldn’t we give cacti as gifts?
Cactus is a typical indoor plant and a member of the Cactaceae family of plants. This succulent is well recognized for being thorny and for having the ability to store water, both of which enable it to thrive in harsh environments that are both dry and hot.
You may have heard that cacti don’t require maintenance, that they don’t require watering, or that they don’t flower. All of them are untrue! Cactus plants have several excellent features, but these are obscured by the stories surrounding them.
Cactus Plants Do Not Need To Be Watered
Although cactus or cati plants can go for weeks without water, this does not mean that they should never be irrigated. A cactus plant will survive without water because it stores water, although it might not grow. Wait until the earth is completely dry before watering your cacti. Additionally, because each cactus is unique, they all require a varied amount of irrigation.
All Cactus Grows Only In Places With Hot Climate With No Winter
The winter season is a given in all climate zones. Because of this, it is incorrect to claim that cacti can only be found in hot climates. For instance, in Northeast Brazil, the coldest month’s average daily temperature is substantially higher than 0 degrees. But there are numerous cactus species in this area. The majority of cactus plants require full sunlight while they are growing. Some cactus plants, however, require indirect sunlight in order to keep their leaves from burning. Cactus plants must be kept in a location with light throughout the winter, where the temperature must not go below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cactus Plants Are Indestructible
Despite the fact that they can withstand the warmest conditions, they are nonetheless fragile and require attention. The best way to care for cactus plants is to pot them in the correct, grittier potting soil, to avoid overwatering them, and to protect them from cold. Your cactus plant will die too soon if you overwater it. Cactus plants can live up to 10 years, and occasionally much longer, with proper care.
Cactus Plants Have A Slow Growth & Do Not Bloom
One of the most prevalent myths involving cactus plants is this one. Some cactus plant species can grow 15 cm or more every year. Typically, these cacti are ideal for hanging pots. On the other side, certain cactus plant species bloom with lovely blooms. If you take good care of your cactus plant in the spring and summer, it will bloom with magnificent white, red, orange, pink, or blue blooms.
Cactus Plants Should Not Be Gifted
Since cactus plants are prickly, it is generally believed that giving them as gifts is bad. Giving cactus as a present is said to indicate negative intentions. One of the most prevalent myths is this one. The symbolic meaning of cacti is not bad at all, just as the symbolic meaning of flowers and other flora. Cactus plants stand for tenacity, perseverance, and toughness. Giving a cactus plant as a gift conveys the message that the recipient is a strong, persistent fighter who never gives up. According to Native American culture, giving someone a cactus as a gift is a meaningful way to show them how much you care because the plant stands for warmth, safety, and maternal love. Giving succulents as a present is said to shield you from any bad karma and calamities. So, giving someone a cactus can actually be a really smart idea if you want to keep them in your life forever.
Who would have thought cacti could be so fascinating? Never judge a book by its cover, as they say.