Packing and Shipping - Bulbs, Tubers, Root Plants

You may pack and ship hundreds of different kinds of plants but the procedures you use will fall into methods of packing dry material such as dormant bulbs, tubers, and rhizomes; bare root plants; cuttings; leaves such as those of African violets; small and large plants, and seeds. The suggestions that follow are generally for mail orders, but many of the packing methods also will be helpful when you have to transport plant material in your car (or pack it in a customer’s car).

Bulbs and Tubers

Bulbs and tubers can be shipped in labeled paper sacks with or without the protection of shredded paper or vermiculite. Most commercial houses ship gloxinia tubers and mature bulbs in small paper sacks without extra shipping material. I like the way a Florida grower ships small rhizomes like those of achimenes. They come in paper sacks filled with vermiculite. The name and number of bulbs is penciled on the outside of the sack.

Bare Root Plants

When shipping perennials, such as iris or daylilies, wash all the dirt from the roots, clip away all but 4 inches of the foliage. You can label iris by using a marking pencil and penciling the variety name on one of the leaves. Some growers use heavy foil and write the name on this, then wire the foil tag to the plant. Wooden labels, plastic, gummed or plain labels are also good. You can make simple paper labels by cutting strong paper into 1- by 2-inch slips. Make a slit in one end with a scissors. Write the variety name on the slip, place it on a leaf or plant stalk, pull the solid end through the slit, and you have an inexpensive label.

After labeling, place the bare-root plant in a ventilated plastic bag, like the kind you get vegetables in, or wrap the plant in newspaper. Pack these bags in a ventilated box.

When They Are Fragile

If you are shipping fragile plants or cuttings, purchase some of the bright colored stickers which proclaim the contents of the package to be “Fragile-Handle with Care.” It’s always wise, too, to have on hand stickers printed with some such text as this: “Live Plants-Keep From Heat or Cold.” Although there are extra postal charges for special handling and special delivery, many customers prefer having material shipped this way. They, of course, pay these charges.

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