Today I want to share with everyone our bare-root packing plan for Welwitschia mirabilis:
Approach: Welwitschia mirabilis needs to be shipped with moisture retention, and the plant is easily damaged, so it needs to be almost completely fixed. Therefore, all operations must revolve around the above two points. (By the way, once it arrives, be sure to pot it and water it immediately. Do not let the roots dry out, otherwise moisture-retention shipping is meaningless.)
Many people struggle over whether to pack with the pot or bare-root?
Our conclusion: If it is just short-distance transport, around 3-4 days, then shipping with the pot is the best option. If it is long-distance transport, more than 7 days, the bare-root shipping option will be better. If you insist on choosing to ship with the pot, then congratulations, you will have a Welwitschia with a huge amount of bright yellow in the center, and it will take longer to turn green again.
What is the bare-root packing process like?
Step 1: Soak the sphagnum moss first!!
Step 2: Gently tap the Welwitschia pot, remove it from the pot, and clean the roots (do not use force! It will damage the roots, and it may also break the leaves).
Step 3: Immediately wrap it with the soaked sphagnum moss and secure it with plastic film (do not wait until after removing the soil to soak the sphagnum moss; if the roots are left for a little longer, they will dry out... then moisture retention is meaningless).
Step 4: Put the wrapped root system into a cylinder and secure it, the purpose is to protect the roots and prevent squeezing.
Step 5: Fix the plant with the root system and cylinder in the shipping box, and also fix the leaves, using every method you can think of, to ensure that the plant does not move at all when the shipping box is shaken left and right, forward and backward!
Step 6: Fill the gaps with soft cotton.
Step 7: Cut the shipping box to a suitable size.
Step 8: Finally, you can ship it!
