It is difficult to be a plant-lover on vacation. Every plant nursery or botanical garden gift shop offers an opportunity to grab a plant that may be unique to an area or more affordable than what you can find at home. It is possible to safely travel with plants - let this be the sign you were looking for to bring that plant home!

A Clusia, Snake Plant, and Ficus packed in tight with old towels, tissue paper, and other packing materials.

Tips for Traveling with Plants

Do your research!

Certain states have more strict guidelines for bringing plants across their borders. Similarly, if you are vacationing out of the country, you may run into some roadblocks when packing up your new plant baby.

Supplies

You may be able to find materials to transport your plants within your home or at the store - boxes, crates, reusable grocery bags, and towels and sheets can work just fine for a short trip! However, if you are looking at a week or more of travel with your plants, you may want to look into how the professionals package up plants.

Plant Prep

Just like when you are packing up to move or preparing for a trip, your plants will also need a bit of preparation. First, you will want to make sure the plants are clean - remove dead leaves or branches, clean any weeds out of pots, and inspect plants for pests. If plants will be boxed up or contained for a few days, you will want to remove any places for moisture, pest, or disease to reside.

Next, you may need to repot some plants. Heavy ceramic pots can make your travel a bit difficult. By repotting your plants into plastic nursery pots, you can reduce the weight and overall effort needed to move some cumbersome plants. This also gives you the option to pack your favorite ceramic pots more securely!

Last, you will want to make sure your plants have enough water to survive, but not so much water that they are too heavy or that they will drown. For most plants, you will want to aim for medium wetness - just enough water to tide them over, but not so much that they will drown! If your journey is several days long, you may want to keep your watering can handy so that you can top off your soil, preventing plants from drying out completely.

Roadtripping with plants

Whether you are moving to a new state or if you found a great new plant baby while on a road trip, there are a few things to keep in mind when taking a car ride with your plants!

Packing

Even on the smoothest of roads, plants can get jostled around a bit. When packing plants into a car, you will want to place your plants in such a way where they will not tip over and bang into each other. Larger plants can stay on their sides for a couple days, but you will want to buffer branches to limit how much weight is on them. You can also wrap pots in bags, tarps, or towels to prevent their soil from spilling out into your car. Your houseplants should always travel in the passenger part of the car if possible - trunks can get too cold or hot, and truck beds are dangerous with all that wind and temperature fluctuations. If you must travel with plants in a truck bed, be sure to lay your plants on their side and protect them from direct sunlight. Strong wind can easily break delicate leaves and branches.

Temperature

One of the biggest threats to traveling with plants in temperature extremes. It is easy, and quick, for plants to be damaged by extreme heat or cold. The ideal temperature range for most indoor plants is somewhere around 60-80°F. Outside of this, you risk damaging your plants. For this reason, you will want to avoid leaving plants in a car without air conditioning or heat for more than a few minutes at a time. If you are making a multi-day trip, you may want to plan on bringing your plants indoors with you. For mild temperature swings, you can wrap your plants in sheets, blankets, bubble wrap, or other insulating materials.

Light

Plants that burn easily in direct sunlight need to be protected in cars as the sun moves through different windows. You can pack plants into boxes with lids or cover them with breathable materials to limit direct sun exposure.

Mile High Plant Club

It might be surprising, but you can actually take plants on a plane*! You will want to check with your airline for their policy as it can vary, but for the most part, TSA will allow you to bring a plant on a plant, both in a carry-on and checked bag. When packing a bag with a plant inside, keep in mind that you may have to have to remove it in order for the plant to be inspected by a TSA agent. To prevent soil from spilling all over your belongings, you can first wrap your plant in a plastic bag. Then, wrap the plant in towels or other soft packing materials. You will want to take care that there isn’t too much pressure placed on the branches and stems of the plant, so you may need to get creative! Extra packing around the plant will also help to protect it from the cold - it can get down to 45°F in an airplane’s cargo hold!

*An important note: while it is relatively easy to travel with plants state-to-state, there are many more restrictions on transporting plants internationally. These restrictions are in place to prevent the spread of invasive plants and pests, as well as to limit the spread of diseases. You may need to contact your port of entry to learn more about permits and fees and declare the plant on your US Customs forms.

After a journey, it is normal for your plants to experience some stress. When you get them to their new home, check on watering, look for pests, and clean up any damage that may have happened. It may take some time for your plants to adjust to their new environment. Attempting to mimic the lighting, temperature, and humidity of their previous home may reduce the time it will take for them to recover.

What steps have you taken to bring your plants home safely? Let us know at @wild_interiors on Instagram or plantcare@wildinteriors.com.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Plants