How We Prepare Your Plants for Online Delivery
Some of our customers are surprised when we say we also run an online nursery, and that we can send your plant delivery from Brisbane through the post! It’s actually really common these days, and a great way of receiving plants if you’re a long way from a nursery that stocks what you want. (Or if you just don’t have the time to come to see us at our Kenmore garden centre).
Because our Brisbane nursery specialises in tropical plants, rare plants, orchids, and succulents, our online plant delivery service lets us provide our specialist and indoor plants to customers in QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC and SA.
How do the plants survive being sent through the post? And how should you look after your plants after delivery? Let’s run through the process of buying plants online.
How we package up your plant for online delivery
Plants are surprisingly resilient, which is why online plant sales are not only possible, but a booming little industry. We tend to think that plants need daily light to survive, right? Not the case! Plants can survive up to 2 weeks in a dark box, provided they are prepared right.
Here’s how we prep our plants for the journey at our online nursery.
- We gently take the soil off the roots and shake off the excess. We don’t wash the roots though, as those soil fragments provide some handy little microbes that will help your plant feel nice and familiar and get settled in its new home when you pot it.
- We then wrap the roots in damp sphagnum moss, so they’re hydrated for the journey. Sphagnum moss is incredible for hydration, for while it holds moisture fantastically well, it doesn’t go all soggy and risk root-rot.
- We choose a nice sturdy box that is just the right size to limit movement, then tape the plant down to the box to prevent any rattling about in transit. Any spare space in the box is filled with bubble-wrap and shredded paper to further constrain and cushion the plant.
- And off she goes! We use Australia Express Post for our online plant delivery service, and we mark all our boxes with stickers to alert the handlers that the box is carrying very precious plant cargo.
What happens if there’s a postal delay and your online plant delivery is delayed?
Unfortunately, we can’t take responsibility for any Australia Post delays, but we definitely prepare for them when packing our online plant delivery from Brisbane.
Because we package carefully for the ‘worst-case scenario’, our plant delivery can last up to two weeks at most in their packaging. If your plant delivery does get caught up in transit in this time frame, it will normally arrive ok, but may need a little extra love.
Which leads us neatly too…
How to unbox and take care of your online plant delivery
It’s delivery day! Open up your box and gently remove all packaging. Remove the tape that’s holding the plant in place and lift it out. (You’d be forgiven for having a little welcoming chat to your new plant too —but then, we’re plant people, so we would say that.)
Pot your plant into a nice, well-draining potting mix and give it a good watering after its long journey. We suggest waiting a little while to fertilise it, you’ll want to let it settle into its new environment first. Want to know more about fertilising? We’ve just written a whole blog on the topic, broken down into what types of fertilisers, what times of year, and what frequency for different types of plants, from indoor plants to orchids to succulents.
After being in a dark box, it’s not a good idea to put your plant out in direct sunshine straightaway. (As we specialise mostly in indoor plants, this won’t affect most of our online plant deliveries as you won’t be putting them outside anyway.)
Regardless, we suggest for all our plant deliveries, whether indoor or outdoor plants, that you pop them in a spot with bright, indirect sunlight. If your plant is going to ultimately live outdoors, move them slowly into direct sunshine over a few days.
You’re all set!
We send plants all the time through our online nursery Brisbane, and we’ve got the process down-pat. It’s a process we’ve mastered, with plenty of happy customers all over QLD and Australia.
If you have any questions at all about the process of ordering plants online, or how to take care of your specific plants once you receive them, please, don’t hesitate to ask! Give us a call, or you can ‘leaf us a message’ 😋🍃 on the website and we’ll email you back.
You can also sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know about rare-release plants, events and workshops. Our ‘plant-inum’ members will have early access to limited plant releases, so jump on our newsletter mailing list below.
That’s it! Enjoy your plant
The Tropic Gardener Team