plants out of water

[GaryE]

I have several hundred Crypts, Vals, Anubias sp, Bolbitis and java ferns, as well as several pounds of guppy grass I want to move next week, ten hours down the road. My plan is to put them into large plastic bags, then put the large, wet inside bags into styro fish shipping boxes. As soon as I arrive and can fill containers, they'll sit for a week or two under lights but crowded.
How far in advance can I do this and have a chance of success? The trip is in 9 days, but the location they are in will be cold by the end of next week. Plus I want to dry their tanks before they are carried in cold winter conditions. Ice is a pain to deal with. So I will have to take a chance and pack the plants before the fish. Those who have sold, or received shipped plants should have a good idea.
Advice?

 

[TheTenthDoctor]

When I have shipped, or received plants, they always came in plastic bags filled partially with water. As long as they are sealed, moist or wet, and kept that way they should be fine.

 

[Sgooosh]

When I have shipped, or received plants, they always came in plastic bags filled partially with water. As long as they are sealed, moist or wet, and kept that way they should be fine.

yes as long as high moisture, they are OK
but also most online plants are emersed grown...

 

[connorlindeman]

When I got my water sprite in the mail, they were shipped dry. They are doing completely fine after being in the mail for about 3 days.

The frog bit came in a bag with a little water. It was frozen completely solid. 2 out of 5 of those died.

 

[Colin_T]

The frog bit came in a bag with a little water. It was frozen completely solid. 2 out of 5 of those died.

That brings up a good point.
Are the plants going to get frozen during transit?
If yes, then no water is probably the best option but most aquatic plants don't survive freezing, and most tropical plants don't like cold either.

We got plant cuttings in wet newspaper and they were put into foam eskies (coolers) with lids and taped up. However, they were only in there for up to 12 hours, usually less.

When we got plants in pots, they were put in plastic bags (standing upright). The bags were filled up with pots and the bag was filled with air (just from the atmosphere) and a rubber band put on it to seal it up. These bags of plants were put in an esky with a lid and sent wherever. The plants would last 24-48 hours. However, most were grown hydroponically (as mentioned by @Sgooosh).

 

[Byron]

I concur with others. When I moved in 2000 I had the plants lying in shallow water, which got cold but no where near freezing, for 10-12 hours before I could get them floating in a tank with warm (normal fish) temperature and light. Over the next 3-4 days I planted them in the newly setup tanks.

The crypts are the most sensitive in your list, and you should expect these to lose all leaves but leave the roots planted in the new tanks and they may recover. Sometimes they don't.

 

[GaryE]

Nothing will freeze, but it may get cool. I had crypts survive an icestorm caused 8 day power blackout. It was a heat blackout too, and since it was in the dead of winter, the fishtanks got to 1 degree celsius before the power came back. I was draining the icewater when the lights came back on.
Amazingly, the Crypt wendtii, which vanished, returned gradually over a few months to a year later, and the ones I have now are descended from them (the icestorm was in 1998).
While I respect the toughness of those Crypts, I'm going to try to baby them. They'll be in a styro box, with the fish.

There was no avoiding a mid winter move in this context, but man, do I have my fingers crossed it's going to be a nice toasty day up close to zero.