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I prefer trades of 5 or more plants in a trade. <p>Consider your time when making your trade deal: If it takes me 2 hours TIME plus $4.00+ shipping to send my end of the trade, I don t want to trade for a $4.00 plant that I can buy LOCALLY without any hassle or risk of transplant shock. Specify exactly the size, amount and condition of the trade plants before the trade is sent. Whether a newbie trader or not, no one can read your mind on what your trading expectations are. Make sure YOU are clear in what you are sending, and in what you expect to receive in return.
PACKAGEING
\"Bearded\" IRIS, DAYLILY, BULBS, CANNA, etc, .can all be sent dry. This is to prevent rot. I will sometimes roll in DRY newspaper or sometime damp, bag especially if I am sending wet things too or send in paper bag.
SEEDS, seal them in a small envelope or baggie, then into a cushioned mail envelope or small box or use bubble wrap. Seeds can be crushed by the postal machinery.
PLANTS, CUTTINGS, \"Beardless\" IRIS, etc, water the plants well the day before you dig them. Then dig plant, let them sit in water at least 20 minutes, shake off dirt (under water) until roots are clean. Soil is heavy, adding cost to the shipping. Soaking also helps hydrate the plant before its trip. All plants should have most of the soil removed or a very small soil ball. The roots are then wrapped in moist paper towels and cover end with plastic wrap, baggie or tinfoil (plastic wrap with tape to seal out air). Then roll WHOLE PLANT(leaves too) in damp(ALL MOST DRY) newspaper, and some times then bag in grocery bag to keep plant/leaves fresh. I just tie the handles of the bag together to get all most all the air out. (Air dries out plant in shipment.) Not to tight, they do need some air, then push the root into a bottom corner of the box, and continue to pack next plant.
More on plants. Itï s best not to enclose the entire plant in plastic, unless wrapped in newspaper. When youï re shipping to my zone, the temps can often be 90+. A plant locked up in a zip lock bag will be rotted mush when I get it. The sealed plastic acts as a greenhouse without any summer ventilation, and they fry. Roots only should be wrapped in plastic. I rarely trade live/living/growing plants Mid July to September. Too much gets cooked in mail and too much watering needed on my end. Plants can t survive shipping in extreme heat or cold. Spring and fall are the best times to ship from and too me. Take into consideration the weather where your package is going and the route along the way. Water them well the day/night before so they re fully hydrated. Dig the plants when itï s cool outside, not when itï s hot and the plants are wilty and stressed. And always ship healthy, vigorous plants or starts. SOIL can hold diseases and insects. And soil is expensive to ship. I can buy a 40 lb bag of it at Walmart for $1, a lot cheaper than anyone can mail a quart of it. For plants that shock easily, I sometimes include a bit of dirt around their roots. But potted plants rarely reach me safely. They get jostled out of their pots along the way and broken into useless pieces.
Please ID plant type and name written in indelible (waterproof) to each plant I use cut up mini blind for label and write in pencil, then wrap label (w/plant) in newspaper for each different plant.
I prefer to mail on Tuesday and Fridays. I can mail a package on Fri or Sat and it reaches its destination on Monday. I always send my trades, I might get delayed. (It takes a lot longer to dig, prepare, pack, and ship plants than you might think, so plan accordingly), I also do lots of volunteer work and work part time and a have a grandbaby that keeps me busy. I wish you all some successful trades!
I live in: United States
My zone is: z8a MS zip 391
My Birthday is January 01 .
My favorite forum 1 is Garden Junk.
My favorite forum 2 is Louisiana & Mississippi.
First registered on March 02,2001.