I don't, personally.

Josh

I have just don't a few trades from there and was contacted directly. I do forget to look and am trying to train myself.

I visit the exchange forum every now and then but that's not where the magic happens, that's not where you find rare & unique plants. For instance, I would've never gotten a piece of Mike's rare jade or Norma's Hummel's Sunset if all I did was visit the exchange forum, though, it is a good place to start. But oftentimes you have to go behind the scenes and do some leg work, especially if you want the rare and hard-to-find-items. ( :

-Bo

i go to the exchange forums. i like them because everyone is on the same page. i exchange items on there from time to time.

Doug

I'd go there, but it's spelled out that my kind isn't wanted there.

Your Kind? I'm guessing you mean Canadians ;)
yeah... not because you're not liked, but because of our customs department :( They're afraid of some Kudzu like plant or Med Fruitfly or some other odd invansive species from running rampant again. God knows, it's colder up there than here and something controlled by the cold could find our year round warm weather (in the south) too inviting.
Heck, Every winter here in Florida, our RV parks fill up with Canadian Snowbirds! And their numbers are increasing. We just don't have an environmental control for them :)

But you're always welcome :)

I don't check there very often because I find most of the posters tend to have rather common plants for trade. I'm interested in rarer plants, and even when I do find something I might like, I can't find anything else to make a trade worthwhile. It's easier (and possibly cheaper) for me to just order several plants from a nursery and pay a single shipping charge.

Trading has no appeal for all the reasons penfold2 mentions.

I have completed over a dozen successful trades so far over the last 6 months or so. Some have been done thru GW & some by email, depending upon how I have been contacted.

I have only recently discovered the exchange forums and I LOVE them. What a great way to find new plants! Plus I never know what to do with extra plants when I have too many other then to pawn them off on someone else.

Paulzie,

Yes, I know about transborder plants and the reasons therefore. Whenever I fly to/from home and bring plants back, I can always count on spending some time at the Ag Station in Vancouver Int'l, for example. I suppose it's necessary, until the nice lady hears how this Bursera simplicifolia simply won't tolerate Canadian winters, thereby allievating her concern that it would take over the area.

Pen and Brad,

That was the reason I never posted to trade there, only for the succulent sendoffs. If I were trying to start a collection that would be a great place to look at, but, like you, I'd want to get, for the most part, only those plants that one doesn't see offered at the Exchange list.

Ken and Zach,

That's great that you can expand your collections that way.

Well, I can understand your opinions, but it's not always just for you to collect or benefit from, but also to help others.
Don't some of your "Rare" Plants produce seeds you can share or cuttings you would normally just toss or could use for a trade?
I don't think I've had one trade on there that was equal but if I send someone something considered more "Valuable" than what they sent me, that's fine because my next trade I may get something valuable and I just made them very happy and they'll hopefully become someone that will remember me when they do get something more rare to share. It all works out in the end.

I also must say, I've gotten a few plants that are not considered "common" or are rare. Granted, some have been from one of the more serious members on here. But it also opened a door for me to then build some type of a relationship with that member and I've now received several plants from that person, some I've purchased and some were "gifts".

I think if everyone checked it from time to time, we could help some of the newbies become serious collectors.
I think we could use all the C&S collectors we can get! The more of us out there, the more accessible rare plants will become.
Sharing is how many of those rare plants got into the culture and its how we build this culture.

Share and Share alike :)

I just quit doing trades a few years back. Too many hassles, too many people don't live up to their end. I sent out cannas this year, over $150 in postage and 4, FOUR, people paid me. I just can't afford it.
We go to several plant trades every year, there is one cactus/succulent collector @ the Mercer trade. I'm trying to get more people excited about my favorite group of plants by taking cuttings, divisions, etc.
Tally HO!

That really stinks! So sorry to hear that Beachplants.
What is the Mercer trade and where is it?

Paulzie,

FYI, I sent out hundreds of boxes of cuttings in the years that I was active in C&S in San Diego. While I appreciate the the 'giving forward' idea, I was practicing what you're preaching long before you thought or ought to preach.

I don't go there often, other than to just look around & see what's being offered.

I'm fortunate in that being in a big city, I have local plant societies where I can join, swap & trade.

I was w/ a local C&S society for 10+ yrs. 'til they got too political in its administration.

I'm also w/ a local Indoor Gardening Society, where succulents are mentioned from time to time. I have a meeting tonight where the speaker is someone who does bonsai succulents, so that should be fun & interesting.

It's also where I often take my extra plants, like tonight I'm donating a small pot of Ceropegia woodii, having recently subdivided a pot of them that was getting too big & messy. So now I have 3 of them, I'll keep 2 & give away one (to this group's Plant Sale table where it'll make a couple of bucks for the Society).

Hi........
I do look at the exchange forum and I tryed it once but I didn't have anything that the other person wanted....
I have been contacted from a few on here (by e-mail) about getting a cutting or off set from a plant that I posted a picture....and I just send them good size cuttings or off sets...if they want to send me something or pay for postage thats up to them, I don't ask....
I sometimes think it would be nice to know if the cuttings or offsets grew and if they are happy with what I sent...but thats up to them....
I see sometimes people mention that they get a cutting or plant from ebay....I have looked on ebay and the cuttings that people are selling seem really small, and I wonder if they grow???
when I send a cutting or off set I say, if it doesn't grow let me know I will send another....
I agree it all works out in the end.......
linda

Tally, do you want to trade some Jade cuttings with me?

Josh

Southern California is also rather plentiful in species available, and for those not available, can often buy online. Dont' think I have even once seen anything interesting offered as an exchange before, though I do have myself a ton of rare things that could be given away... just a hassle to do so (would rather people come over, rather than to have to mail stuff).

Mercer is held twice a year, spring and fall at Mercer Arboreteum in Houston, Tx. Jennifer does all the leg work and posts it on the Texas exchange forum.

Galveston County master gardeners have a spring swap, it used to be twice a year, at Jack Brooks park in Dickinson, or is it League City?.

Yadda usually organizes a swap in Ft. Bend in late Spring, there are only a few of us that show up there. All of these will be posted on the Texas exchange page.

With our climate things grow very well, sometimes too well, so always trying to find homes for things. It is easier to just load up someones car for sure.

Josh, I don't grow any jades. They really don't like the humidity here on the island. I've got tons of other stuff though I'll work on a list next week when I'm off. Aloes, oputania, agaves, tropicals...

PG, there are tons of plant societies in Houston, which meet about 80 miles from my house, usually on weekday nights so I haven't joined any. Just can't do the long drive through Houston traffic. Here on the island, nothing. We don't even have a really active garden club. Of course, our population is really down, around 45,000 of us left.

Jim of Jimbos in Santa Fe raises bromeliads and other tropicals. He is a member of several societies and I may start car pooling to meetings with him. He's very active in the bromeliad community so I've gleaned tons of information from him, and like me he likes weird stuff, including cacti/succulents.

I still trade on line, especially when the banana canna gets out of hand, $20 a rhizome!! And it's the fastet growing canna in the yard. Anyone want any let me know LOL!

Tally HO!

Sorry, I was razzing you....since I know you don't care for Jades. ;)

Josh

Beach,

That's why when I was doing the annual Succulent Sendoffs I required postage (either actual stamps or a postal money order - none of that PayPal stuff or personal checks) in advance of any plants / plant cuttings being sent to that person. None of this promise stuff - no postage, no plants, no exceptions. Of course, that was a little different than trading - I wasn't asking for any plants in return (although I got quality baked goods, handmade pots, and some cards, too). Postal rates at that time were well under $10 per 3 lb. box of Priority Mail, sometimes as little as $5, depending on its destination.

Josh,

I was thinking that that was just what a joker like you was doing.

Ah, you know me too well...! ;)

Josh

I know, I know, I just forget. Someone will find the old post on the canna forum and revive it, even though it's years and years old, then a bunch of people will post and I can't throw away plants or cuttings so I mail them out. I have a list in my email of bad traders and post them on the rate a trade forum. I can absorb some costs, and do frequently as I want everyone to be as excited about gardening as I am and so many people helped us after the hurricane and the fire.

Josh, I KNOW you want a couple of boxes of this canna! I swear it grows faster than I can dig it.
Tally HO!

Canna! My canna are officially "sleeping" in their leafy beds. The last two nights tucked 'em in for the Winter.
I do enjoy them.

Josh

I heard a rumor they go dormant. They didn't even die back in the freeze last year. I never knew people actually bought canna, they are a weed here and you run over them with the lawn mower.
Tally HO!

I don't trade plants any more for the same reasons the rest of you don't. Been there done that usually people who want to trade, also want a plant free NO POSTAGE No exchange.
I went through that, I was asking for them to send at least the postage, he wanted a plant that was at least 23" high at most with very heavy leaves that held a lot of water, other forum members urged me to just send it already, I never did receive the postage which he said he was sending and he never received the plant. He demanded and asked for the plant first. I just love it when other tell me to spend money on strangers, which they won't do. I have never seen his name on the forum again either. People come out of the woodwork then they can get something scott free, never say thank you. Only one in 10 sent postage with out asking and I sent another package with him not asking. He will get one more this Spring he doesn't know it yet. Norma

Thanks Everyone. Like I said, I understand.
Probably easier and safer to just trade with those on here you know.

Personally, if I didn't know who I was trading with, I'd be concerned about sending postage and not getting anything... But then again, sending seedlings and seeds along with the cost of the postage and getting nothing in return is worse.

But knowing the person doesn't always work either.
I had done several trades with one person and on the last trade, I was to get some seeds and I sent a few seedlings and few seeds, some rare. We had been emailing and he said he was sending his package that weekend so I sent mine... Never heard back from him and never got anything in return.

Should I stop doing trades?

Cactusmcharris, hope I didn't upset or offend you.