How to Safely Ship Plants Direct to Consumer

As wholesale growers venture into direct-to-consumer e-commerce, understanding effective shipping and packaging techniques is essential. This guide provides crucial information that will help ensure your plants arrive safely and in excellent condition.

E-commerce in horticulture has seen significant growth, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many wholesale growers adapted to the pandemic by adding e-commerce sales channels to meet the increased demand for home delivery and the convenience it offered customers. However, this transition has introduced new challenges, such as managing the unique requirements of shipping live plants on a smaller scale, dealing with extreme weather, and handling delivery delays.

Why Proper Plant Packaging is Important and How to Achieve It

Effective packaging is crucial for the safe shipping of plants. This delicate cargo’s health and appearance are easily affected by rough handling and adverse weather conditions. Read our four points below to understand the strategies you can adopt to ensure your plants arrive to customers in pristine condition:

1. Choosing the Right Container: Select a container suitable for the plant’s size and shipping conditions. Smaller plants benefit from corrugated boxes with ventilation holes. In comparison, larger plants may require sturdier, double-walled corrugated boxes with the addition of wooden lath to provide additional strength and rigidity to the box. Ensure the shipping container is strong enough to withstand rough handling and complies with international shipping regulations if applicable.
   
   
2. Preparing the Plant: Your plant should be disease-free, insect-free, and fully rooted before packing. Water plants a few days before shipping to keep the soil moist but not soggy, and trim dead or damaged leaves to prevent botrytis. Check your local Department of Agriculture regulations governing the shipment of plants across the country or world and obtain phytosanitary certification if required.
   
   
3. Packing the Plant: Now that your plant’s health is in check, you will want to assess the best way to keep the root ball together during shipping. This may be with a corrugated collar at the base of the plant, plastic wrap, or a clam shell. Then, place the plant in a lined container of your requirements (from step 1) and surround it with cushioning materials like bubble wrap or packing peanuts. Fill empty spaces to prevent shifting, and seal the box with strong tape. Clearly label the package with instructions and warnings such as “FRAGILE” and “This Side Up” with arrows.

Example of "FRAGILE" and "This Side Up" labels for safe shipping and handling

Additional Tips:

• To avoid delays and additional stress on plants, ship early in the week to avoid weekends or holidays.
• Monitor weather conditions to determine if heat packs or cold packs are necessary.
• Conduct a shake test to ensure the plant doesn’t move inside the box; if it does, repack it.
• Assess if the species of flowers are sensitive to ethylene. If so, you will need to apply ethylene block before shipping.

Following these simple practices can ensure your plants are well-protected during transit, reducing the risk of damage and delivering overall customer satisfaction.

UFP Packaging Provides Horticulture Packaging and Components

While UFP Packaging manufactures plant racks for bulk/wholesale orders, we also support the growing direct-to-consumer e-commerce plant market.

We offer corrugated and custom wooden boxes for plants of all sizes with protective packaging options such as bubble wrap and plastic wrap to safeguard soil and root balls. UFP Packaging distributes pots and containers from leading brands like Nursery Supplies, HC Companies, Pöppelmann Plastics, and Landmark Plastic. We also manufacture full-color adhesive plant labels to ensure your product communicates your brand message and the plant’s cultural requirements.

For more information, call us at (855) 680-0847 or request a consultation here.