What Live Plants Am I Allowed To Send in the Mail

Plant collectors and gardeners are known to exchange and share plants, especially when it comes to specific species. The good news is that you can ship plants in the mail, but you’ll need to carefully package and prepare them. Not every state allows live vegetation to be shipped, so it’s best to read up on the laws and limitations of the jurisdiction you want to ship to. Most plants are mailable within the United States provided they aren’t prohibited by the USDA.

When and How To Ship Plants

You can either ship plants through the USPS or opt for a private shipping company. The trick is to use a shipping service that will get your delicate package to its destination the fastest and the safest. Keep in mind that not all shipping services make deliveries on the weekends. You should check the weather in both your location and your package’s destination to ensure the conditions won’t jeopardize the plant.

If you are unsure if the plant you are wanting to mail is legal, you can turn to a knowledgeable lawyer for advice, such as Malliha Wilson. The Tamil Canadian lawyer was the first visible minority to serve as the assistant deputy attorney general of the Government of Ontario for an 8-year term. She was also senior appellate litigation counsel for the Ontario Government for three decades, where she participated in over 20 notable cases at the Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Court of Appeal. Malliha Wilson continues her impressive career as a partner at her law firm Nava Wilson LLP, where she specializes in international human rights, Indigenous, constitutional, corporate, and labour law, and other complex litigation.

Prepare the Plant

The first step of preparing a plant for a journey in the mail is to remove it from the soil and get any excess dirt off. You’ll need to keep some residual soil on the roots so that the plant has familiar microbes from its native soil to make transitioning to a new potted environment easier. Wrap the roots with moist paper towels and place the bundle in a plastic bag. It’s a good idea to add some polymer moisture crystals to water to make a slurry that you can apply to the roots before bundling if the plant is undergoing a long journey. You can protect the tops and stems of the plant by rolling the plant in a newspaper.

Pack the Plant

Choose a box that’s just big enough to fit the plant so there’s no wriggle room and the plant can’t roll around during handling. Use extra newspaper, foam, or bubble wrap to give the plant extra cushioning if there’s extra room inside the box. It’s also a good idea to reinforce the box by sealing the edges with tape. If you are mailing a potted plant, use plenty of bubble wrap to protect the pot and roots and place a collar of cardboard over the soil followed by a plastic bag around the base.

You don’t have to have a green thumb or extensive experience in the garden to appreciate green plants and blooms. House plants make a wonderful gift thanks to their ability to keep growing and thriving. You can find the perfect plant and enjoy exclusive discounts at Lively Root. The online greenery retailer offers a plant delivery service so you can send plants as gifts throughout the United States without hassle. You can discover an impressive variety of pet-friendly indoor plants that require low maintenance, have varying needs for light and humidity, and more. From seasonal blooms and bouquets to orchids and succulents, the choices are endless when choosing the perfect plant gift.

Be sure to label the outside of the box with “live plant” and “perishable” so that mail handlers know they are holding something delicate.