# Shipping plants in winter



## loveflying (May 18, 2011)

Hi guys, I am looking at maybe trying to order plants online to supplement the quantity I found in the swap and shop. My question is how plants will fair being shipped up state new york this time of year. Currently, temps in my area range from 20-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Many sites recommend, some demand, that i ship using UPS second day air at minimum. Is this shipping method really necessary? I mean paying $30 for shipping for $10-$15 in plants seems somewhat steep, and I have seen many people in the sns shipping with just priority flat rate boxes. Do you think I could get away with priority mail if I asked for heat pack in with the plants? The plant in question is eleocharis acicularis. thanks guys


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

I got some plants from a seller further up north not too long ago. Shipped priority in bags with a bit of moisture in them to preserve humidity and a separately wrapped heat pack to keep the box warm. Temps were pretty cold in the travel states but plants arrived in perfect condition. You should be good to go.


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## wastedtime (Oct 27, 2011)

Shipping priority is fine with plants as long as they are packaged well and shipped with a heat pack, Ideally you dont want the plants to be sitting in the cold outside your house. 

I generally have the shipper ship the package as "Hold for Pickup" that way USPS does not attempt delivery, instead just holds it at the post office for you to pick up, so the package spends less time in the truck and outside my house. 

But most importantly it will all come down to how healthy the plant is when it is being shipped.


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## BBradbury (Nov 8, 2010)

*Shipping Plants in Winter*



loveflying said:


> Hi guys, I am looking at maybe trying to order plants online to supplement the quantity I found in the swap and shop. My question is how plants will fair being shipped up state new york this time of year. Currently, temps in my area range from 20-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Many sites recommend, some demand, that i ship using UPS second day air at minimum. Is this shipping method really necessary? I mean paying $30 for shipping for $10-$15 in plants seems somewhat steep, and I have seen many people in the sns shipping with just priority flat rate boxes. Do you think I could get away with priority mail if I asked for heat pack in with the plants? The plant in question is eleocharis acicularis. thanks guys


Hello love...

I got an order in last week from Alpha Pro Breeders and the plants were sent ground. I got them in good shape. Actually, the plants ship better in the cooler weather than they do in the middle of summer.

I have my plants sent to my work place, that way someone is there to receive them and they don't sit out in the elements too long.

B


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## zergling (May 16, 2007)

It depends on the plants. 

I had a pack of Ludwigia Red / Hybrid that went from Cali to Seattle and back to Cali (I blundered on the shipping address). I opened the box expecting mush in a ziplock bag, but the plants are still good. I ended up just re-planting them in my tank :biggrin:
These were 6 stems of ludwigia sp red / hybrid with a wet piece of paper towel, in a single ziplock bag, in a small flat rate priority usps box. No heat packs or other extra packaging.

Some other plants are much more delicate, though. One that comes to mind would be Ludwigia sp "Pantanal".


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## CrazyMidwesterner (Oct 19, 2006)

I have been shipping all winter from Northern Illinois without heat packs and have not had a complaint yet. Post offices and most of the trucks are heated so its no a big deal as long as the temps aren't ridiculously cold. I also have wrapped the nicer plants in tons of salvinia minima which insulates them. Its also been a very mild winter up until the last couple weeks.


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