Moving Long-distance

My wife and I have inherited a 135 year old Christmas Cactus we call "Granny." We recently sold our home in Halifax, NS, and are moving back to BC (V.I.) Closing date is June 15. We will be driving our motor home across the country and plan to take at least three months to reach our new home.

Is it feasible to cut the foliage back to the old wood, remove the root ball and cut it back, replant the original in some loose medium and send it ahead to my sister, who lives in Comox. The important thing to note is that it will be hot this summer and any plan I come up with doesn't seem appropriate. I would love to leave Granny as is but, 50+ pounds is just to much to ship and the moving truck is just not an option. Taking a slip and propagating isn't the same as having the original plant.

Any Ideas? I'm running out of time.

 

Welcome to the Forums. I suggest you bare root the plant by removing all the soil, thus reducing much of the weight, before shipping it to your sister.

References:

• Shipping Plants: Tips to Safely Ship Live Plants | Easyship Blog | Easyship Blog
• Handling and Planting

 

Extrapolating from that written in the second document, it may be beneficial to force the plant into a semi-dormant state before bare rooting by placing it a relatively dark and cool place for a while.

 

What a beautiful plant.
I would put her in the mobile home and take her with me.