Plants leave our greenhouse in Easley, South Carolina. They do not leave seven days a week, and they do not leave unprotected just because the cart total was high. This page is the customer version: ship days, insulation, heat packs, cold packs, the 40°F rule, tissue-culture timing, and what to do when the box hits your porch. The legal terms stay on Shipping & Returns — we are not replacing that page.
We ship Monday through Wednesday
Live exact-plant listings say it in the shipping block: we ship Monday–Wednesday to keep plants out of weekend carrier limbo. That is the schedule on plants such as Alocasia Black Velvet Gold Exact Plant #454 and Monstera Masterpiece #421. If you checkout Thursday night, do not expect a Friday box. Processing and transit are separate clocks on the policy page — processing can run several business days, then the plant is in the carrier’s hands.
Standard methods on the policy: UPS 2-Day Air is what we prefer for plants; USPS Priority and FedEx are also used. Faster options show at checkout. If your weather is a mess, wait. We will not pretend a heat pack makes a polar vortex safe.
Insulation and heat / cold packs
On the product page, under optional add-ons, you will see two protection lines. Those prices are current on live PDPs:
- Insulation — +$5.00
- Insulation w/ cold or heat pack — +$9.00
The $9 add-on is insulation plus a temperature pack, not a pack by itself. Palmstreet’s shop also lists “Insulation and Cold Pack” at $9.00 — same idea, live-sale channel. Pick heat or cold based on the route, not the vibe. Summer asphalt cooks a velvet Anthurium. A 28°F overnight in the truck freezes an Alocasia whether it was $40 or $400.
The 40°F rule
From the shipping policy, verbatim in spirit: if cold-weather protection is not purchased and your local weather is below 40 degrees, the order is not eligible for return or replacement. That is not a scare line we added for SEO. It is the rule. Check your forecast for the delivery window, not just the day you click buy.
If something does arrive damaged, the policy gives you 48 hours, with an unboxing video showing the damage. Do not wait a week, repot it, and then send a photo of a sad leaf.
What to do when the box arrives
Do not contradict the genus pages. Open the box, then follow the unbox notes for what you actually bought:
- Alocasia — let it sit 1–2 hours before fully stripping the wrap; do not repot for at least two weeks; high humidity the first 10 days.
- Anthurium — unbox immediately for airflow; week-1 humidity 70–100%; no repot / fertilizer / location-hopping for 3–4 weeks.
- Monstera — unpack away from drafts; sit in the nursery pot 1–2 days; humidity bridge 60–80% then step down over ~10 days.
- Philodendron — 14-day bridge, week 1 above 70% humidity, no direct sun for the first 10 days.
Sticky droplets on Anthurium or Philodendron stems are often extrafloral nectaries, not an instant pest diagnosis. The landers cover that. If a leaf yellows after a dark truck ride, that is transit stress, not a refund on a plant that is still turgid and rooted.
Tissue culture shipping is slower on purpose
The TC lander still says: new tissue-culture shipments about every two weeks; if your variety is not in domestic stock, the order is typically included in the next incoming run and ships within 1–3 weeks. That is not the Monday–Wednesday clock for a rooted exact plant sitting on the bench.
Acclimation is on you. The shipping policy promised a link to TC instructions and then did not include one. Use this page plus the genus unbox notes — we are not publishing a fake flask SOP. Once a plantlet has started acclimating, it is not eligible for return.
Legal policy vs this FAQ
This page is how we actually ship. /shipping-policy/ is the contract: processing windows, 48-hour damage claims, lost/stolen packages after “delivered,” wholesale exclusions, TC liability. If the two ever sound different, the policy wins. Questions: contact us, 864-252-1939, or hello@plantnookshop.com.
Related: About The Plant Nook Shop · Exact vs growers choice vs TC
How Indra packs an exact plant
Exact plants are not dumped into a mailer. Indra is the one in the greenhouse and the one at the packing table. Leaves get polyfill so they cannot slap the carton. Cups or rigid support keep a jewel Alocasia or a numbered Anthurium from rattling. The photographed plant is the plant in the box — that is the whole point of an exact listing.
UPS 2-Day Air is the default because it shortens the time a velvet leaf spends in a trailer. USPS Priority is used when it is the better fit for the route or the size of the box; it is not the collector default. Summer means insulation against heat. Winter means insulation and a heat pack if the destination is going to sit below 40°F. Skip that protection below 40°F and the order is not eligible for return — the rule is on the shipping policy.
FAQ
What days do you ship plants?
Monday through Wednesday, from Easley, SC, so plants are not sitting in a depot all weekend.
How much are heat packs and insulation?
Insulation is +$5. Insulation with a cold or heat pack is +$9. Those are the live add-on prices on the product pages.
What happens if I skip a heat pack below 40°F?
If protection is not purchased and local weather is below 40°F, the order is not eligible for return or replacement. That rule is on the shipping policy.
Why is my tissue culture delayed?
If that TC is not in current domestic stock, it waits for the next incoming shipment. The tissue-culture page says that typically means 1–3 weeks. Rooted plants on the bench still ship Mon–Wed once processed.
Where are the TC acclimation instructions?
Not on the shipping-policy page, even though that page refers to a link. Follow the genus unbox/acclimation notes linked above and message us if your plantlet is a special case. Do not start acclimation and then request a return.