The growing and collecting of cacti is fast becoming a popular hobby. Their varied shapes and colors together with the colored spines make them fascinating and their spectacular flowers are an added interest for the grower. These plants are also relatively easy to take care of and do not require a huge space. making them perfect for small apartments and condominiums.
Some varieties are also easy to propagate and send out to friends and other collectors. However, proper packaging must be done to ensure that the cactus arrives healthy and in perfect condition. Here are some tips on how to pack and ship a cactus.
Get a box with three inches taller and 4 inches wider than the cactus you are shipping. Line the bottom of the box with a pad of 1-inch packing foam. Lay another pad of packing foam on top of it with a hole in the center that is big enough for the cactus pot plus 1/2 an inch.
Take your potted cactus wrap plastic wrap around the bottom of the pot and up around the top of the soil. This is to keep the planting medium from spilling out of the pot during shipping.
Use a piece of butcher paper to create a protective cone around the potted cactus. Secure the paper with a piece of tape.
Get a heat pack and activate it. Wrap it around the pot and use rubber bands to keep its place on the pot.
Insert the pot into the hole in the packing foam. Cut the hole to size, making sure that the pot and the heating pack wrapped around it fit snugly in the hole. Fill the sides of the pot with additional pieces of foam.
Take some shredded paper and fill the sides of the plant with it. Also put some shredded paper in the top of the cone to cushion the crown of the plant.
Fill the remaining spaces in the box with more shredded paper, making sure that the potted plant doesn’t move around. Close the lid of the box and seal with packaging tape.
Address and label the package and bring to your local shipping company or post office.