How to ship plants: mail rules, quarantines and packing

Can you ship plants in the mail?

Yes, in most cases. USPS Publication 52 says plants and plant products are mailable within the United States, its territories, and possessions. The same rule adds that they are subject to certain prohibitions and restrictions imposed by federal agricultural and conservation statutes. A plant becomes nonmailable when one of those rules makes shipping it unlawful.

How you ship plants comes down to four checks: whether the plant may leave your area, whether the buyer's state accepts it, whether the box is marked the way the law asks, and whether the packing keeps the roots moist without soaking the box. USPS puts the duty on you: each mailer has the responsibility to ensure that his or her mailing activity does not violate any law.

The rest of this page takes each check in turn, using the rules USPS, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and state plant regulators publish. It is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state and change when new pests are found.

Rules for shipping live plants at a glance

The table lists the federal mail rules that apply to every live plant you send inside the US. State rules come on top of these and are covered in the next sections.

Federal plant quarantines

USPS applies USDA plant quarantines to the mail: a plant, plant product or other article capable of carrying a dangerous plant disease or insect infestation is nonmailable from a quarantined area, if shipping such an item is prohibited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA quarantines are codified in 7 CFR § 301 and 318.

There are domestic quarantines that apply to the continental United States; other quarantines that apply to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A quarantined plant can leave the quarantine area only after being inspected under conditions prescribed in the quarantine notice, and after a permit or certificate is issued. Knowingly mailing a nonmailable plant carries criminal penalties of fine and imprisonment.

Good packing does not fix a banned shipment. USPS says compliance with these packaging requirements in no way alters, lessens, or removes the illegality of mailing plants that the law declares nonmailable. If you are unsure about a plant, USPS points to the local county agriculture agent or USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

State rules and terminal inspection

Each state also controls which plants may come in. The National Plant Board, a non-profit organization of the plant pest regulatory agencies of each of the states, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Guam, explains that USDA APHIS and the plant regulatory agencies within the state, commonwealth, or territory regulate the shipment of nursery and greenhouse stock. Its website keeps a summary of each state's rules, periodically updated by individual members.

Some states inspect plants that arrive by mail. Under the Terminal Inspection Act, a state can submit lists of plants and plant products that they wish to subject to terminal inspection. A package sent to such a state must carry a statement that fully and conspicuously identifies the contents on the outside.

If the inspector finds pests, or finds the plants were moved against a quarantine, the plants will be destroyed by the State or Territorial authorities unless the sender makes arrangements to reclaim the items. Before you list plants for sale nationwide, read the summary for your own state and for the states you ship to most, and ask your state plant regulator whether your plants need a nursery certificate or tag.

How to pack a plant for shipping

Steps 2 to 6 follow the USPS packing rules for plants. Steps 1 and 7 are practical habits. They work for a potted houseplant, a bare-root plant or a cutting.

1. Water a day ahead

   Water the plant the day before you pack it, so the soil is damp but not wet. Wet soil adds weight and can soak through the box.

2. Wrap the roots or pot

   USPS requires that wettable packing materials and roots or butts of plants must be wrapped or boxed in a waterproof material. The wrap should be a tar-centered paper or waxed kraft paper or equivalent liners or plastic wrap. For a potted plant, wrap the pot and the soil surface in plastic and tape it around the stem.

3. Keep the roots moist

   The wrapping must retain sufficient moisture for the plant's roots without weakening the structural integrity of the box. For bare roots, put damp paper towel or moss around the roots inside the waterproof wrap.

4. Cover the top

   The tops of plants need a protective covering made of paper, straw, or similar material. A paper sleeve rolled around the leaves works for most houseplants. For cacti, roses and other spiny plants, the wrapper must be puncture-proof.

5. Line and fill the box

   Use a firm corrugated box a little taller than the plant. USPS says the mailing box must have a similar lining to prevent leakage or loss of contents, so line the box with plastic or waxed paper as well as wrapping the roots. Fill the gaps with paper so the pot cannot shift.

6. Mark the outside

   Write the exact nature of the contents, along with the names and addresses of the mailer and the addressee on the outside, using a material or method that is not water-soluble and that cannot be easily rubbed off or smeared. If the buyer's state keeps terminal inspection, the outside must also carry a statement that fully and conspicuously identifies the contents, so name the plants rather than writing only "live plants".

7. Ship early in the week

   Send the box Monday to Wednesday so it does not sit in a depot over the weekend, and send the buyer the tracking number.

Potted, bare-root or cuttings: which to send

Sending a plant without its soil makes the box lighter and leaves less room for soil pests to travel with it. You can ship small plants bare-root or as cuttings, with damp moss around the roots, and tell buyers to pot them on arrival.

Large or fragile plants travel better in their pot. Use a plastic pot rather than ceramic, wrap the soil surface so it stays in place, and support tall stems with a stake taped to the pot. Whichever way you send it, the waterproof wrap rule applies to the roots and any damp packing.

Weather and timing for live plants

Live plants suffer most from heat, cold and days spent in transit. A few habits cut losses.

• Pick a service with a short delivery window so the plant spends as few days in the box as possible.
• Hold shipments to cold regions in winter, or add a heat pack made for plant shipping, and avoid shipping into a heat wave.
• Ship Monday to Wednesday so the box is not stuck over a weekend.
• Ask the buyer to open the box the day it arrives and to water the plant once it has settled.
• State your weather and arrival policy in the listing, so buyers know what happens if a plant arrives damaged.

Shipping plants to other countries

Sending plants abroad takes more paperwork than shipping inside the US. APHIS provides phytosanitary certification for plants and plant products exported from the United States, and it says that a US seller shipping plants to other countries you may need to comply with their special requirements.

Exporters apply for inspection and certification through the Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance and Tracking (PCIT) system. If the importing country sets no time limit, inspections should not be done more than 30 days before export.

The rules run the other way too. APHIS says a US buyer who orders plants online from another country is considered an importer and most likely need a permit. In its words: Most plants and seeds for planting require a PPQ 587 permit. Sellers abroad must make sure plants are free from soil before packaging.

Where Nation fits

Questions about shipping plants