How long can plants generally last out of water?

[jddeal]

I have four plants that were sent out of Arizona (I believe) from a seller on Aquabid. A couple Amazon Sword, wisteria, and Alternanthera reineckii. As of Wednesday I was given the confirmation that it was delivered for shipping through USPS. They did use priority mail but that can be 2-3 days which means I'm looking at a Friday or Saturday delivery.

On Friday evening I'm headed out of town until Sunday afternoon which means there is a decent chance the plants will arrive while I'm gone. The package will likely sit in my mailbox which is in doors with ~70 degrees temperature with zero light.

Do you think that the plants will survive from approximately Wednesday to Sunday in whatever packaging they come in? If not, should I just have someone open them and float them in my tank on Saturday?

Thanks!

 

[User]

Not sure about your exact ones. I have had stuff survive 2 weeks with very little water in the mail. Each experience is different though.

 

[abrahamavelar]

aslong as it has water for the roots i could agree ^^^^ but i never had them out of the water for longer than 30 min

 

[User]

Forgot to mention the paper was somewhat damp which aided in their survival

Thanks for reminding me!

 

[jddeal]

I'm going to assume the packaging is similar to the last seller I went through which was inflated air tight pockets with the plants and some moisture inside. I did think that was a bit over the top but was also my first experience buying from someone other then a store. Those were shipping for about two and a half days and seemed great when I got them, but I've been generally unimpressed with my current seller so I'm not holding my breathe for the same plant treatment during shipping.

Unless advised otherwise, my current plan is to just have someone take the package for me and float the plants in my tank until I get back, I figure that's better then just leaving them in the mailbox.

 

[jetajockey]

They will be fine as long as there is some moisture in there. With the plants that I ship, I literally put about a teaspoon of water in the bags because it doesn't evaporate, so it doesn't need a lot. I believe it's better for the plant to be damp/humid rather than fully submersed the entire time also.

Some plants are notoriously sensitive, like water lettuce, but most don't have a problem going several days in shipping. If you want to be on the safe side you can have someone float them for you, that'd be better than leaving them in the package.

 

[mfdrookie516]

if they're packaged properly, and not subjected to extreme temperatures... they'd probably be fine... but I think having someone float them in your tank is a good idea. The only down side is that if they're full of algae, in bad shape (refund would be hard to get without notice at time of delivery usually), or something like that..