Plants exposed to the cold

[JMiller2020]

Just wanted everyone's opinion 

I ordered some plants and the company sent it right out fedex etc.. should of been delivered yesterday.  Fedex tracking says delayed and unknown delivery date. I live in the cold state of Michigan. Anyone havd any experience with delayed plants with a heat pack that's no good as of today. Did the plants die, should I acclimate them in the house a while b4 putting in tank? 

[jwcarlson]

You'll know when you get them, I'd imagine.  They'll either have been frozen and then thawed (most plants get stringy and soupy leaves when that happens) or they'll have avoided major damage.  If the heat pack is "done" and they're still bouncing around in largely non-climate controlled trucks/warehouses they're probably toast.

I got a shipment of plants from Aquarium Co-Op kind of in the middle of whatever bug wasn't telling them to do the insulated pouches.  Actually two shipments without pouches.  First one it was colder out, a couple of plants had some minor damage, dwarf baby tears was pretty rough, but had some salvageable parts in it still.  They're hanging on.  Second shipment was fine, but it was a little warmer.  Not bitterly cold for either of them, but certainly nights well below freezing in the area.  I live in Iowa.

I would bring the box in as soon as it's delivered and then let it sit (without opening it) for a few hours to let things get back up to temp and then take a look.  Plants are a bit more resilient than we give them credit for sometimes, but cold is one thing that can really wipe them out in a hurry.  It's possible the roots might fare better if they're packed in rock wool, but even then it is going to be a long road to recovery for them.

Edited January 14, 2022 by jwcarlson

[lefty o]

getting cold might stunt their growth for a while. frozen on the other hand will outright kill most plants.

[JMiller2020]

Yea as of 2min ago no info still regarding the package. It's not just this lately its usps fedex ups etc...  Amazon is the only carrier that hasn't let me down. But hopefully they don't freeze  I'll post the results when I receive them

[Guppysnail]

Contact the company now. They will tell you to wait and see but if you are on record already and the plants perished they are more likely to refund or replace vs assigning blame elsewhere or on your acclimation process. 

[Torrey]

I second Guppysnail. 

We have had 3 shipments get delayed since Thanksgiving. Two stated that they had been delivered, when they had actually been separated from part of the shipping label and were comfy on a shelf in the shipping warehouse. 

The replacements arrived the day before the originals.

Notify the company, and see what they turn up. On one of our two deliveries that arrived after the shipment, the company refunded our shipping costs. So it's always worth having good communication with the shipper.

For as cold as it has been up there, I second the motion of allowing the inside of the box to reach room temperature slowly. If the plants aren't frozen and they warm up too fast, they won't survive. 

If the plants are frozen, allowing them to defrost slowly won't make them any more or less dead. I know that this must be frustrating, you take such awesome care of your plants.

[JMiller2020]

Just got it today .  Yep Def garbage. Company sending out new today tho so that's good 

[jwcarlson]

I'd still trim them back and drop them in, as long as the roots/rhizome are salvageable it should be OK.  It will be a long road to recovery for it either way, though.  (not saying they shouldn't be replaced)