Transporting house plants in hot car

[tenplay]

We will be moving from Olympia in Western Washington to Sacramento in Northern California during the last week of September. We have a variety of house plants that we are very fond of and would like to take with us. It takes about 12 hours by car. We have a couple of Subaru Foresters (mini SUVs) that we will be driving. The temperatures on the way will be in the 80's and 90's. What steps should we take to ensure that the plants survive the drive? Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

- Air conditioning when you're moving. Maybe a layer of cheesecloth or other very light fabric over the plants.

- Group the plants tightly so they shade each other as much as possible. Mist lightly so air moving through the car helps cool the leaves.

- For short stops, like lunch, there are two good things to do. If you need to ask what they are, nothing anyone tells you can be of help to you.

- Hotels: They have luggage carts. Bring the plants inside, unless you're

100% sure the sun won't hit the car before you're up in the morning.

No matter what you do, expect some leaves to yellow or drop as the plants go through this ordeal, and then adjust to their new surroundings. Don't freak out. Back off on the watering for plants that have lost lots of leaf area.

[David E. Ross]

Be aware of limits on transporting live and fresh plant materials across the California border. See .

[Kay Lancaster]

[David E. Ross]

plants" that are actually plants that can grow outside in mild-winter climates. In cold-winter climates, such plants are kept inside in the winter and set outside in the summer.

Also, prohibited would be plants growing in my do-it-yourself potting mix even though the mix was developed by the University of California.

Agriculture is a very, very important business in California. The state is trying to protect that industry from plant pests and diseases.

[Janet Baraclough]

The day before, stand them in water for an hour or two, then drain. How about driving overnight? It may still be hot but they won't get direct sun making them wilt.

Janet

[Jim Kingdon]

With some success. For example, they've kept out the Colorado Potato Beetle (at least from parts of the state, according to

), despite the fact that it is ubiquitous in most of the rest of the US.

Between the natural barrier of the Sierra Nevada (which helps make the effort potentially non-futile), and the large number of California-only native species (which I suppose isn't the motive as much as the agriculture), I can see every reason for California to worry about it.

[Cliff & Sue Drake]

Wise advice from Mr. Ross! Be prepared to verify that the plants have NOT lived outdoors, if you can. In my experience, it also helps to have e-mail correspondence with someone from the CDFA about your plants ahead of time -- and be able to produce it at the border. It doesn't appear from reading the info on the link David provided that your houseplants will pose a threat, but you never know...

We moved several houseplants with us in the car from WI to about 90 miles north of Sacto (in early Sept.) seven years ago. The drive took us several days, and the plants did fine -- we kept them in the backseat and were able to keep them from roasting during the day. Brought them in with us at night, watered them in the morning -- all made it and most are currently living happily on the front porch. Best of luck to you!

[Charles]

On a practical note, I drive between Oregon and California a few times a year. Automobiles are given a pass at the inspection station, routed on the highway rather through where they used to be inspected. When we were inspected and I had plants, I'd keep the plants on the seat beside me and show the inspector what I had, haven't had a problem for years. Long ago it was different, almost everything was confiscated.

[FragileWarrior]

tenplay wrote in news:3 _udncBE6Yqye1jbnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

I just moved a 35 year old, bushel-basket sized, mixed planter of Xmas cactus and hoya in the trunk of my Neon. It was a fifteen hour trip. I watered it well, opened the trunk when we stopped for rest stops to give it some air and got it out immediately upon arrival. It did fine. So did the container of chocolate mint that I had tossed into the trunk beside it. A few hours won't hurt most plants. It's being forgotten in the trunk/car for a few days that usually does them in.

I wish I had had room to move my beloved herbs, too. I miss my herb garden. :(