Need your help.... suggestions.... ideas, etc. I am packing everything for a soon-to-come move back to Florida. The only problems I anticipate are going to be with my plants. The Hoya are good sized and at least 3/4 of them are in hanging baskets. Two of them are on 3'x3' trellises and one is crawling all over a 4' trellis.
I don't think it would be good for them to be in the back of the U-haul truck for the 10 hour drive down, unless I left made the trip down after dark.
Have any of you done this? I really need some input here.
Thanks,
Barb
Moving Hoya plants
They'll be fine in the back of the truck for your move down. Think about all of the plants we as individuals and retail outfits ship back and forth across the country in the middle of the summer, winter, etc... All those plants spend countless hours in planes, trucks, and shipping facilities. Heck, a parcel could spend 5-6 hours in the back of a mail truck before the Mailman ever rings your doorbell.
If you were making the trip in July/August, I might recommend you mist the plants or try to vent the cargo area of your vehicle.
Ah.. the voice of reason. Thanks MM. It's good to see you posting again.
Now, does anyone have any suggestions about some type of hanger I could fabricate for the moving truck? (Not too complicated, please. I am doing all this by my-60-yr-old-self.) I plan to rent one of the 14' U-Haul trucks. Also thought about using a clothes hanger in the back seat of the car, but that would only accommodate half a dozen or so.
Thanks!
Barb
Wow ... I admire you making that long move by yourself! I am the same age and I can't imagine doing something like that. I agree with MM that your plants should be fine for 10-12 hours in the back of an enclosed U-Haul Truck since the move isn't late summer when it's so hot and humid. I wonder if there's any way you could hang a wooden pole/poles somehow in the back of the truck? I'm sure they wouldn't want you drilling holes in the thing to put up brackets but that sure would be the easiest way to transport hanging baskets. I had my husband hang some plant brackets in front of a window in our guest room this winter, then hung an old wooden closet pole across it for a bunch of hanging baskets. Let us know what you come up with for the plant transport, I will be curious to hear how it goes.
I moved from Chicago to Georgia (a 14 hour drive) and put all my plants in a utility trailer back in late October last year.. We planned the move for a long time and thought fall or early spring would be the easiest on my plants (and my horses). For the large hanging plants, I put them in plastic "Milk Crates". They were stackable, so I had layers of plants. For the plants that would fit, I bought the tallest plastic storage containers I could find and put as many plants in as would fit and then put the lid on. Again, they were stackable, so I could fit in a lot more plants. And then, for the very LARGE and tall plant (my Australis) that I knew I couldn't fit in the trailer, I offered it to someone here on the list and they came to my rescue. I took several cuttings before it left my house and now I have a new one started, so I didn't lose out. I think I moved about 50 plants in the trailer and I had room for other stuff, too. I only lost 2 plants, one to overwatering before we left, and one because it got too much sun once we arrived.
Sue M
Barb,
How about an adjustable shower curtain rod? The kind that you can twist to make it longer? It wouldn't mess up the truck and you could take it out when you got there. Or, do they come that long? Hmmm?
Not sure if you could find one to fit. But, it's worth looking into.
These are all good ideas and I appreciate them! I thought of something else and wanted to bounce it off you guys to see if you might see something I don't. Remember dmichael's idea of using plastic bags to repot big hanging plants? If I could get some of the bigger bags I might be able to slip the plant into it, gently gather up the hanging portion inside the bag and use it to help contain all those long stems. Then they should fit more easily into the plastic bins Sue talked about. (Now if I could use this method with the big hanging cactus I have, it would probably save me a couple of spine-removal sessions!!)
Sue, I remember you offering that huge australis. I drooled all over my monitor wishing I had one like it! Didn't Karen get that one?
Barb
My niece moved her plants here with her from Arizona by using a large clothes hanging thing she got a Lowes. It was like a portable closet that had plastic all around a rod & it zipped up the front. She got quite a few long plants in it & it rode in between boxes in the U-Haul.
Marcy
Marcy, are you describing one of those laundry room hanging jobbies? Hmmm.. I have one of those! With boxes on either side to brace it, that would cover the biggest ones. Thanks!!!
By the way, my son called last night and he and his sweetheart are flying up to help me pack the truck and are driving it down for me. Whew! Thank Heaven for family!!!
Barb
Yep, Karen got the big australis....I still miss it, but the cuttings are growing pretty fast.
How about using dry cleaner bags around the hanging baskets? I know the plastic is pretty thin, but it might just work. I just put the hanging plant pot in the plastic crates and then piled the hanging branches on top. It took a while to "sort" them out once we arrived, but it worked.
Sue M
Barb...when I ship large!!!! plants I put a smaller box that will fit the pot of the plant into a large box that will take the plant. I tape the dickins out of the small box to the large one...slip the pot into it and then the hanging vines 'fold' into the space around it in the bigger box. Shredded paper or rolled up paper keeps anything from crushing it. Amazing how it works...you simply lift the pot and and the vines follow!!!
Carol
Carol, I think I will try that with my very first and oldest Hoya, a carnosa Krimson Princess. It measures right at 6' not including the bald vines that haven't leafed out yet. Even though it is a common one, I sure would hate to lose this one to a moving accident.
That's an excellent idea. Thanks!!
Barb
Yes, Karen got that beautiful australis, and she LOVES it!!! It's in my sunroom - it did bloom earlier in the fall - gorgeous!! Thanks again, Sue!!
Karen