How to Pack a Cactus

Chose a box that will be just big enough for the cacti with 3 inches of excess vertical space and 4 inches of horizontal space. Lay a pad of 1 inch packing foam on the bottom of the box. Place another on top of that and cut a hole in the center big enough for the cactus pot plus 1/2 an inch.

Prepare the cacti by wrapping plastic wrap around the bottom of the pot and up around the top of the soil. Keep the plastic wrap around the base of the stem. The goal is to keep as much planting medium in as possible during shipping. Use a rubber band or linked twist ties around the bottom and up and over the crown of the cacti to help hold it in the pot.

Tip the pot on its side on top of a piece of butcher paper. Leave a point at the bottom and center the pot on the square. Fold the bottom up and one side in. Roll the pot to take up the rest of the paper. Secure with a piece of tape. You should have a stiff cone around the plant and pot.

Activate the heat pack and curve it around the pot. Hold it on the pot with a rubber band and insert the bundle into the hole you cut in the packing foam. Remove more foam if necessary to fit it into the hole. Put additional pieces of foam around the sides of the pot.

Fill in around the sides of the plant with shredded paper. Put shredded paper in the top of the cone and cushion the crown of the plant. Fill the entire box as completely as possible so the plant doesn't shake around. Close the lid of the box and tape around all the edges with packing or stripping tape.