How to Move Plants to a New Home: Practical Guide

By David Green

Updated: Mar 5, 2020

5 min read

Fact-checked by Martin Panayotov

Reviewer & editor

moving house garden plants — Beauty is in the eye of the flower gazer.

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

The moment your residential move becomes inevitable, your mind will, willingly or unwillingly, probably switch into overdrive in order to be able to process the overloading number of things to think about, consider, reconsider, arrange, rearrange, schedule, re-schedule and take care of before the move.

Two distinctive thoughts that surely won’t go unnoticed will be how to move your pets safely to your new home and how to move your plants across country. Having already resolved the first conundrum here, now it’s time to talk about the best ways to move plants to a new home.

It’s important to know what to do with house plants when you move so that you can transport your leafy friends with the least possible shock for them. You should know upfront that the extraordinary fragility of flowers, shrubs and saplings makes their successful relocation quite a challenge. Take advantage of our moving with plants advice below to keep the beauty and joy alive for as long as you possibly can.

What To Consider When Moving House With Plants

There are a number of important things to know before moving house with plants – essential information to help you safely transport your potted plants, garden plants, small shrubs and even young trees to your new home.

To move or not to move your plants?

The question of whether you should go through the trouble to move specific plants comes first, even before figuring out how exactly you will go about moving your house plants within the UK. Base your final decision on a few essential factors, such as:

Sentimental value. How strongly you are attached to some of your plants will surely influence your decision whether to take them with you or not. After years of loving cares, sometimes leaving priceless plant species behind is just not an option – you don’t care what it takes to transport them safely, you just can’t imagine your new home without their fragrant presence, radiant charm and inspiring beauty.
Climatic conditions. The regional climate and the type of soil of the area where you are about to move with your plants is also a major factor to consider before you make up your mind. Think about whether subjecting your dear plants to rather unfavourable conditions with a lower chance of survival will be justifiable, especially if they feel great exactly where they are right now.
Season. When is the best time to move plants? This is another important thing to consider when moving house plants across country. The best time for moving plants is early spring or late autumn when most plants are dormant and tend to adapt much more quickly to new surroundings. Moreover, these are the times of the year when the climatic conditions are ideal for moving plants to a new home – the weather is usually mild and the temperatures – fairly moderate.
Fragility. You shouldn’t forget that indoor plants fall into the category of the most difficult things to move due to their exceptional fragility and unrivaled delicateness. If you do decide to take some of your plants to your new residence, be ready to devote plenty of time and care to prepare your plants for moving in the best possible way.

Mode of transportation

How to move plants when moving house? Exactly how you will transport your plants when moving house is the next logical question which you will have to answer when getting ready to move out of your current home. In reality, there are 3 modes of transport available:

The clear winner as the best mode of transportation for your house plants.

Removal company. Do removal companies move house plants? Regardless of how reputable and experienced a removal company is, usually it won’t agree to do it unless you’re moving only a short distance and you have prepared your plants very well for the trip – in which case they may be willing to make an exception. You should know that the back of a moving van is definitely not the right place for your leafy friends – most trailers are not temperature-controlled and the degrees inside the enclosed storage space can reach life-threatening values in very short periods – extreme heat in the summer and extreme cold in the winter. To make things worse, there is no sunlight or air circulation inside moving van trailers either. In plain English, your plants would most certainly not survive the relocation trip this way, so searching for removal companies that move plants is a bad idea to begin with.
Airline company. Some airline companies accept plants as air freight but they will not go through the trouble to provide any additional cares for your cherished plants other than their actual transportation. Similarly to the previous mode of plant transportation, your floral companions may suffer from lack of water and/or air, and be subjected to temperature extremes and restricted space. Careful preparations could increase their chance of survival in the air but more often than not, the elevated risk of losing your dear plants is simply not worth it.
Your own vehicle. By far the best way to move plants is to transport them with your own vehicle. When you move your floral friends in your car, you will be able to regulate the ambient temperature (more or less), water them if the need to do so arises and reduce the overall transportation time by loading them in the vehicle as late as you can and later taking them out the minute you reach your new home. Nevertheless, you still want to make sure your plants feel as comfortably on the road as possible. So, read on to learn how to prepare your house plants for moving to your and their new home.

How To Prevent Shock When Moving Plants

Does moving plants stress them? Unfortunately, the answer is positive. Most plant species are prone to severe shock when moved from one home to another. Still, it’s up to you as a skillful gardener to minimize their shock thanks to the creation of a favorable microenvironment where they will feel fairly protected during transit.

Temperature. Extreme temperatures can prove to be fatal for your beautiful plants. Depending on the precise season in which you are trying to relocate them, you should do your best to insulate them from the possibly too high or too low ambient temperature. As you probably suspect, it’s much easier to protect your plants from freezing in the wintertime than from overheating during the hot summer days. If you’re transporting them in your car, as you should, have them in the passenger area instead of shoving them into the vehicle boot. However, if that’s just not possible, arrange your well-packed plants in the storage space of your car and then place a blanket over them for additional insulation. If you intent to spend the night on the road, don’t leave your plants in the vehicle but take them with you inside the shelter.
Water. As far as water is concerned, there are two specific combinations that are proven to be rather detrimental for plants – hot and dry (summer) and cold and wet (winter). If you are moving house in the summer, water the plants you are taking with you on the morning of moving day and wait for the excess water to evaporate or drain away before you load them into your vehicle. If you are forced to do a winter residential move, then don’t water your plants in the last 2 or 3 days before the big day so that they, including their soil, are relatively dry before you hit the road.
“Earth laughs in flowers.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Light. The sudden transition from natural sunlight to artificial darkness (the moving container they may have been placed into) can really hurt your leafy beauties. Consider exposing your indoor potted plants to less sunlight (for example, pull the curtain over the windows) a week before moving day so that they don’t experience any abrupt illumination shock.
Bugs. If you notice that a plant you really want to take with you is infested with some sort if parasites, take immediate action and treat it appropriately (get good advice from your local florist or a qualified horticulturist). If the infestation problem persists all the way until moving day, then the risk of relocating the plant in question becomes too great and you must leave the unfortunate plant behind no matter how painful it is for you.

How To Prepare Plants For Moving

Having already decided to move some of your specific plants, shrubs or young trees with you, it’s time to drastically increase their chance of survival by using proper plant preparation techniques. Our preparation tips for moving with plants, shrubs and trees include practical advice on what to do with your indoor and outdoor plants before you move.

3 weeks prior to moving day

If appropriate, repot all plants that are in clay pots into sturdy plastic containers of roughly the same size.
This is the right time to prune your plants. If unsure how to do it properly, consult a specialist or a reputable book. Remove any dead leaves, excess foliage or unneeded branches and twigs so that the processes of packing and transportation are not only more manageable, but much safer as well.
If necessary, treat your plants against pest infestations as described above.

3 days prior to moving day

If you’re moving in winter, water your plants for the last time until they reach the safe haven of your new home.
Prepare adequate packing boxes and line their bottoms and sides with plastic sheets for added protection. Make a number of coin-sized holes on the lid and the sides of each carton for sufficient air circulation inside the container. Take a black marker pen and write “FRAGILE PLANTS” and “THIS SIDE UP” on at least two sides of each moving box.

1 day before moving day

If you’re moving in summer, water your plants well in the morning.
It’s time to dig up the garden plants, shrubs or small trees you have decided not to part with. The greatest challenge when digging up plants is to preserve their root systems intact – water the plant right before you attempt to take it out and then dig up a wide circular area in order to pull out the entire root ball. A proven method is to use a shovel and cut out a perfect ring around the stem just below the drip line. While pulling out the plant, be careful to preserve not only the thick plant roots but also the finer ones too (especially true for larger plants). Once out, wrap the entire root ball in a plastic bag, soil and all, and make sure there is always enough moist until the pulled out plant species is replanted. If you’re moving house plants in cold weather, consider wrapping the roots in an additional layer of bubble wrap.

How To Pack Plants For Moving

moving with large plants — If you own a Mini Cooper, maybe it’s a good idea to borrow your friend’s pick-up truck.

The time to pack your plants for moving has finally come. Or in other words, it’s Moving day!

Wrap each clay pot you haven’t replaced for one reason or another in one layer of damp packing paper (newspaper can also do the trick) and then place a few more layers of dry paper above it. Plastic pots don’t really need dampness so wrap them well in dry paper only.
For each potted plant, make a protective sleeve out of hard paper that’s matching the height of the plant and its pot diameter. Place this protective paper funnel gently around the plant and tape it well.
Moving with larger plants is, of course, more challenging as some of your larger and taller leafy friends may need even better protection when moving in the form of supporting stakes or tied up foliage.
Placed wrapped up plants of similar sizes into appropriate moving boxes while leaving sufficient space between the tallest plant and the lid of the container.
Pack the plant pots as closely as possible and use plenty of crushed paper to fill in the holes around the pots in order to prevent any undesirable contact during the actual transportation.
Close the lids and tape them shut. If you can’t close any of the lids firmly, just fasten them loosely in place. Thanks to the ventilation holes you have already made along the containers, your plants won’t have to hold their breath while on the road.
If you have followed the right preparation and packing procedures, your prized plants should be able to survive up to 2 days on the road.
Make sure your already packed plants are the last thing that gets loaded into your vehicle just before you set on the relocation journey.

What To Do With Plants When You Reach Your Home

The moment you reach your new home, unload your plants without any delay and take them inside the house or apartment.
It’s a good idea to leave them be for a few hours to minimize the shock they are sure to experience.
Open the lids and unpack your plants. You may want to remove them out of their respective boxes through the bottom to avoid any heartbreaking breakage of leaves or branches.
Water your shocked plants and place them in suitable locations similar to the ones in your old home. Avoid any positions with direct sunlight at least for a week or two until your leafy pals get back on their feet.
Congratulations! Our advice on moving with plants helped you, didn’t it?

If you have moved cuttings or relocated entire shrubs or young trees, you must replant them immediately in appropriate spots in your new garden.
The leaves of some of your relocated plants might turn yellow and fall due to the extreme shock. Do not panic as this reaction is often a temporary defense mechanism and it shouldn’t be long until your stressed-out plants feel well again.
Give your plants at least a few weeks to adapt to the different conditions. Consult a specialist if their condition continues to deteriorate or if you don’t know how to fine-tune their adaptation period due to the altered altitude, air moisture, water quality and so on.

Follow the above practical tips for moving plants and soon enough your relocated plants will thrive under your constant cares and proper attention. Just looking at your happy leafy friends will chase away any post relocation depressing thoughts and will boost considerably your own acclimatization process.

How to Move Plants to a New Home: Practical Guide