As the expression goes in real estate, "location, location!"

There was an article about this by Ralph Robinson in a 2014 edition of the magazine. He said for large plants, it is best to restart them and take only the starter plants. He was thinking of the difficulty in packing.

For myself, I have had several moves. Much depends on the light and where your plants will be.

For advance planning, I give away everything I can live without. I do that a couple of times until I am down to the most basic selection.

The last thing to pack are plants, and the first to be unpacked.

In my most recent move, it was on the same street. I hand carried the plants.

But the new location faces at a different angle that my plants struggle with.

So the short answer from me is to salvage your favorites. Give the rest away.

When you move, plants are not a priority. Too much else to do. Joanne

Look in the African Violet Magazine March-April 2017, page 35 for an article: Violets on the Move. Moreover, I agree with Joanne on starting leaves of violets too large to move easily. When it is time to move, the young plants will adapt better to your new growing conditions and are easier to pack. Also, Don't let the moving company pack your plants as most of them don't know how to do this correctly.

Absolutely, no one touches your plants except you or an AV buddy.

If I were moving across town, no big deal. If across country, perhaps still no big deal, depending on what types of vehicles you're planning on using to make the move.

I helped a friend move across town. He and his wife had a ton of plants. I went to Costco and got a couple dozen of the big, low, sturdy cardboard boxes that they often send groceries home in. We filled them all with the plants, still in their pots, and transported them in the back of my pickup, all in one shot.

If traveling across country, if the space was available, I don't see why the same thing couldn't be done. I would probably line the boxes w a garbage bag to reduce water damage to the cardboard. How long can it take to get from point A to point B?

I would really not care to consider reducing all of my plants to starters. I would have to come up with a plan B.

I only have 70 or 80 plants to contend with. Some of you guys have waaaaay more than that. That could be a sticking point!

Jeff,

I actually agree with everything you wrote as well. I have moved exactly that way also. The survival of the violets depends on the new location. Professional movers won't touch plants.

I also maintain a collection of about the same size, which is manageable. However, I am also growing new ones so the collection is often churned or starters raised for club sales.