How to prepare a plant for its new home

Whether you're selling, giving away or swapping, the plant should reach its new owner looking the way it did in your listing's photos. A little preparation makes all the difference.

A few days before: a health check

• Look under the leaves and on the soil for pests. If you find any, tell the other person, or deal with them before you hand the plant over.
• Trim yellow or dead leaves and wipe the dust off the leaves with a damp cloth.

Watering: not dry, not soaked

Water the plant a day or two before, so the soil is moist but not soggy on the day. Wet soil is heavy, messy, and invites rot while the plant is wrapped up. Succulents and cacti travel best with dry soil.

Packing

• Potted plants: Wrap the pot in a bag, tied loosely around the base of the stem, so no soil spills. Stand it in a box or a wide-bottomed bag so it stays upright. A paper cone around the foliage protects tall plants.
• Cuttings: Wrap the cut ends in damp kitchen paper and put them in a resealable bag. Rooted cuttings can also travel in their jar, with a little water and cling film over the top.
• Seeds: In paper envelopes, since plastic traps moisture. Write the variety and the year you collected them on the front.

Write down what it needs

A few lines go a long way: the plant's name, how much light it likes, how often you water it, and anything else you've learned about it. On RootSwap, the listing's "Care & condition" step records light, watering, age and condition, so anyone interested knows before they even message you. Put the rest in the description, or in a note that goes with the plant.

Getting it there

• In summer, never leave the plant in a parked car. The temperature inside climbs fast and can scorch it within minutes.
• In winter, tropical plants can't take the cold. Wrap them well and don't keep them outside for long.
• Keep the plant upright and steady so stems and leaves don't snap.

On the day

Meet in a public place and let the other person look the plant over at their own pace. Then mark the listing on RootSwap as sold, given away or swapped, and choose who it went to. For the rest, see how to swap plants safely.