I am being gifted 5 peruvian cactus They are all in pots, the average height of these plants is around 7 feet high They have to be transported over 100 miles should i have them delivered in a pick-up truck, or a closed truck? I have arranged for them to be wrapped in blankets. If anyone has sent a cactus on a trip, I would appreciate knowing what they did!
Closed truck, closed truck! Try to pad them up and buffer them as much as possible to avoid road damage; but if you transport those in an open pick-up you run the risk of the wind drag breaking the stems. Which Peruvian cacti are they?
lucky you to be gifted with such large plants!!! definitely use a closed truck!!! wrap each one in numerous layers - old blankets will do - to protect them from damage from the others. it's inevitable that there will be some tipping during transit. also put something (boards or boxes or whatever) down around the base of the planters so that they don't shift during transit. use ropes to secure them, if you can, too. otherwise, use the boxes/boards to hold the bases in place - shove in more blankets to fill in spaces. make it as tight as you can. you'll want to leave enough space between each so that branches aren't touching, too. good luck!!
As a student, I did once transport a four-foot high cactus from Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City (about four hours) in the back of a pick up, and it was fine. Or at least, it wasn't nearly as harmful as my new room mates who figured it made an excellent target for their BB guns!
