How To Carry Alive Potted Plants on Bike?

Do you need to carry your favorite potted plants on your bicycle but wondering how to do so?

Carrying plants on a bicycle is indeed possible, but it requires some preparations. Planning how to carry alive potted plants on a bike depends on the type of bicycle you have, the roads you take, and the delicacy of the plants.

I will guide you through some of the best ways to transport plants on a bicycle. Then, I will also provide you with some tips and suggestions to help you carry your plants safely.

Now, let us dive into the details.

How to Carry Plants on a bicycle?

Carrying plants on a bicycle is feasible, although tricky. What method you use to transfer them may depend on a few issues. For one, you have to be careful when carrying delicate or blooming plants.

Other than that, what type of bicycle you have and what sort of roads you take is also something to consider.

For instance, baskets or bag baskets can be mounted on sturdier handlebars. Flimsy rack and handlebars cannot take much weight wither. You would also need to keep and manage the center of gravity more controlled and balanced.

Front bike Basket

Cyclists love front bike baskets and we understand the fondness surrounding them. Handlebar baskets are easy to mount, and all bicycles have handlebars that have the capacity of carrying even bigger plant pots. The only issue that you might have mounted a basket is if you have a drop handlebar.

Since pots are prone to get snapped on the way and the more delicate flowers could tear apart at every tight corner, it’s important to create a protective covering around them. As strenuous as this might sound, you could have your creative brain working for a little DIY method.

All you need to do is cut off a generous piece of hard paper. Before you do that, measure the dimensions of your plant’s circumferences well as height so that when you enclose the hard paper cover around the plant, it covers the pot. Simply tape up the covering and place it on the basket.

To make sure that the plant, if you are carrying on, does not tilt, you may want to add fillers like clothing, papers, or soft fabric around the pot just to fill up the basket space. If you have more than one plants to carry, the chances of the pot titling are much lesser.

When shopping for a front basket to specifically carry plants, you may want to avoid ones with curved bottoms and a soft base.

Cyclists prefer baskets that are removable and foldable for the ease of being able to use the bike without the basket whenever they want.

Rear Cargo Rack

Rear bike cargo racks are frames above on the rear wheel of your bicycle that are particularly designed to work with baskets, boxes, and pannier bags. The biggest advantage of having bike cargo racks is how they vary in size and hence in capacity.

If you wish to carry various items including plants and plant pots, your racks could be one of the most useful parts of your bikes.

We love to simplify things when it comes to carrying plants. One way is to place a pannier and create a space in the middle.

This way, you would be able to place the pot right at the center and stabilize its placement. To secure it further you may use some premium-grade bungee cords. For ease of use, make sure they have steel hooks that snap into the racks readily.

We also like the idea of having boxes or crates to carry plants on a bike rack. This would be similar to having baskets up front, and you would need to secure and protect your plants with extra clothing or paper for more stability as well.

One way that makes rear racks and the combination with crates more stable is the use of rods to affix the crate. You can use bungee ties to gather the assembly and have everything in one piece.

Bike Trailer

Bike trailers have been a cyclist’s trusted friend when it comes to carrying anything from boxes, food, and groceries as well as flowers and plants. The benefit of having a trailer attached to your cycle is manyfold. One of them is how your bicycle is free of any load.

There are no annoying rattles and no bothersome hindrances on your handlebars. Moreover, most trailers come with weatherproof covering, meaning you would be able to shield the precious plants from unexpected rain, splashes of dirty water, or too much heat.

As much as plants love to soak in the sunlight, a few potted plants can only take in direct sunlight and little rain. If the plant you are carrying has delicate flowers, a protective covering could be the blessing you’d seek.

Trailers have enough capacity to carry multiple, larger plants and for more regular transportation for plants, we approve trailers as a versatile bike accessories. However, cyclists often ditch the idea of trailers because it requires more storage space. Moreover, planning how to carry plants on the trailers and how much to load on it, could require a bit of prior mapping.

Cargo Bike

A similar option to a trailer is a specialized cargo bike.

Cargo bicycles are the most expensive method among the ones we have mentioned. If your work requires you to carry plants almost every day, cargo bikes could save you more hassle than trailers.

Nevertheless, trailers cannot be detached from the bicycle, making cargo bikes rare more than casual bikes.

Final Thoughts

When considering how to transport live potted plants by bicycle, remember to use a protective cover and fillers to keep the pot stable during transport. It is also important to choose sturdy baskets or racks and secure the plants with strong bungee cords or poles.

Bicycle trailers and cargo bikes are great for transporting large plants, and cargo bikes are perfect for everyday use. I have to say again that I prefer a front bike basket as they are very practical to use.

However, if you are planning to transport many potted plants and the type of plant you are taking is fragile, then it is safer for you to hire a professional.