Securing Safe Transit: Guidance on Shipping Succulents

In an age where even plants can be bought online, shipping and delivery become an important part of the entire process. Is it possible for succulents to be shipped from one place to another? If so, how do you do it and what should you take care of?

Let’s find out!

Can Succulents Be Shipped?

how to ship succulents

Succulents can, in fact, be shipped from one place to another in a safe and secure way. These are some of the easiest plants to ship because they can survive without water for a prolonged period of time.

There are, however, several guidelines that you must follow and precautions that you must take when it comes to packing and shipping succulents. These can depend on a range of things such as the kind of succulent, whether it is potted or not and how long the distance is.

How to Ship Succulents

So, now that we have established that you can ship succulents, how do you go about doing that? For this, you need to understand what kind of succulent you are shipping as well as if you want to ship it in a pot or not. Make sure you try to ship them all early on in the week to prevent them from getting stuck on weekends.

For each type, the shipping process will slightly differ. Let’s take a look.

How Do You Ship Bare-Root Succulents?

how do you ship bare root succulents

Bare-root succulents mean that you can leave the succulent and its roots bare without necessarily putting them in a pot or container. In fact, this is one of the most convenient ways of shipping as it not only reduces your postage cost but also prevents soil from spilling over. This is also a good way to prevent rotting.

To ship it in this way, pull the succulent out of its pot or soil and gently shake off the soil from the roots. Make sure the plants and roots are dry before you ship them; if not, you can leave them to dry for a couple of days.

Then, cover these bare-root succulents in soft wrapping paper such as tissue paper and add more layers of paper if required. Label them and put them in cardboard boxes.

How Do You Ship Potted Succulents?

how do you ship potted succulents

Shipping potter succulents involves a similar process. Wrap up the dry plants in soft paper such as tissue paper.

Since there is a pot, it is possible that the soil in the pot may spill over. To prevent this, you can cover the surface of the soil with plastic wrap to minimize spillage. If you do this, however, make sure that the soil is dry enough as the plastic wrap will also try to keep the moisture in.

Put these wrapped-up potted succulents in cardboard boxes and label them properly. Indicate the upward direction clearly so that the box can be kept upright.

How Do You Ship Succulent Cuttings?

how do you ship succulent cuttings

In the case of succulent cuttings, make sure you water the plant beforehand and then remove the cuttings after a couple of days so that they are healthy but also dry enough.

Wrap these cuttings in soft tissue paper or newspaper. You can also use egg cartons and cover them with soft paper before closing them. Place these in cardboard boxes. Label them properly.

The process of shipping succulent cuttings is the same as shipping bare-root succulents. Make sure they are sufficiently dry and then wrap them in soft paper before putting them in a cardboard box.

How Long Can Succulents Survive Shipping?

how long can succulents survive shipping

Since succulents are sturdy plants, they can survive shipping for a week or two provided that you have wrapped them properly. However, it would be ideal if you can try to ensure that your succulent gets delivered within a week to prevent any damage.

To do this, try to ship the succulent on a Monday or Tuesday so that it can get delivered in time without getting caught up in transit on weekends.

It is entirely possible that your succulent might even survive for longer if it is well-wrapped and if the weather conditions are suitable. However, this is not something that you can be sure of.

How to Recover Succulents from a Long Shipping Time

In case your succulents had to go through a long shipping time that was out of your control, don’t lose hope! It might still be possible to recover a succulent if it got slightly damaged on the journey.

If you find that its leaves or stem have fallen off, you can simply leave them out, water them lightly and replant them in a soil mix.

In the case of a dried-out potted plant, you can easily recover it by watering it immediately and placing it in a good spot in your house. If the plant is a bit moist, you can remove it from the soil and dry it out for a few days.

how to recover succulents from a long shipping time

How Do You Care for Succulents after Shipping?

After shipping, unbox the package carefully, unpack the plant and water it if potted. If it is bare-root, place it in a pot with a good soil mix and water it well.

Since your succulent has been away from the sun during the shipping period, do not immediately introduce it to direct sunlight, as this might cause it to burn. Instead, slowly increase the sunlight exposure as the days go on so that it has time to get used to it again.

how do you care for succulents after shipping

Shipping Succulents in Winter

If it is frigid in winter, try to postpone shipping.

However, if you absolutely need to ship succulents in winter, make sure you pack them well and add a heat pack while packing. These heat packs will be able to keep the succulent warm for several hours and ensure that they don’t die in unsuitably low temperatures. This will also depend on the hardiness of your succulent.

Try to ship it early in the week so that it gets delivered quickly.

The Final Word

You now know everything about shipping succulents safely and securely. Remember to leave them sufficiently dry and to label and wrap them up properly.

Make sure you care for them well after they have been shipped.

You can now go ahead and ship the succulents. All you need to do is be careful and confident.