Re: CULT: shipping young seedlings

I think they would survive just fine.  If they are in plastic pots, I'd
just carefully pack them in a box, using lots of crumpled newspaper to
make sure they don't thump around as they are shipped, no matter how
roughly the box is handled.  Be sure the potting medium is as dry as
practical.  Being closed up in a box with much moisture would not be
good for them.

If they are in clay pots, or if there is a lot of heavy soil relative to
the root volume, I would carefully tip the contents out, trying not to
disturb the roots, and carefully shake off the extra soil.

The crowding in the pots, especially if they are in lightweight potting
medium, may give you a nice tight root mass for each pot that will help
keep the seedlings alive.  If you tip them out of pots, I'd carefully
wrap each pot's rootball in some kind of paper (newspaper, paper bag,
tissue) then tape it.  If the potting medium is pretty dry, plastic
might be ok, but I'd worry about sealing up delicate baby roots in
plastic where they might not get enough oxygen on the long trip to
California.  Similarly, just tape it enough to hold the paper in place
well enough to keep the root ball intact, not to seal out all the air.

I'm assuming that since they are only 8 inches tall and are crowded,
they aren't going to have a lot of lush growth that would make them
prone to rot from being smashed in a box.

I would certainly send them, especially at this time of year while it's
cool.  I think I've heard that San Diego is about as far south as
bearded irises will do well.  Cultivars/seedlings that do well in New
York may not be the same ones that would do well in San Diego, but if
you have a few that live in both climates, they could certainly be some
good ones.

<Question from a lurker.
                   I have a few pots of seedlings that are about 8"
tall. I never got to separate them and they are very crowded, (20 or
more to an 8" pot). I wondered if I could ship them to my daughter in
California. She has more sunny areas than I do and is turning over new
beds. Would they survive the trip? Will TB iris grow in San Diego?
                   Thanks for any advice.
                   Sally Keller
                   SE NY State, zone 6>

--
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
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online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>

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