Re: plants in the mail?
- Subject: Re: plants in the mail?
- From: "Marge Talt" m*@hort.net
- Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 14:14:32 -0400
Well, Alyce, I send a lot of plants out all over the map and my
preferred method is to wrap the roots in plastic bags secured by
rubber bands. If bare root, I dip them in water and add a handful of
slightly moist peat, leaf mold or pine bark fines. Secret is to
secure the plastic around the roots to exclude air so they don't dry
out.
If removed from a pot or in a pot, secure the pot and/or rootball in
a plastic bag with rubber bands. Put something like paper towels in
the top of the pot to prevent soil from moving and spilling out. If
the roots have not filled the pot, the soil will be loose and it will
spill out unless secured - and when that happens, the root ball
loosens and the plant starts sliding around, tearing roots.
I prefer to pack in Styrofoam peanuts if plants are in growth - it is
much kinder to foliage. I find that newspaper gets damp and mold sets
in, plus newspaper wrapped plants I get always have foliage damage.
Lots of nurseries send in newspaper - plants are always a bit worse
for wear. Some enclose root balls in aluminum foil. If carefully
done, it can be used in lieu of plastic, but generally if the soil is
loose, I prefer plastic baggies.
Under no circumstances enclose foliage in plastic. Especially at
this time of year when many places have hot temps., it will cook and
rot.
What you want to do is keep the roots moist, not the foliage.
If you have heavy root balls or are packing pots, put the pots to the
outside ends of the box and the foliage inside. Fill box with
peanuts, shaking it periodically to settle them securely around the
foliage. Top it up so that there is no sign of movement when you
shake the loaded box. You do not want the plants moving around in
the box. You can layer smaller pots/plants in a box, putting in
peanuts to separate the layers. I hoard peanuts - never have enough
of them:-)
Really heavy root balls can be secured to the box by poking holes
through it and tying them to the box. Cover the holes and ties with
packing tape.
It goes without saying that you want a sturdy box. Shirt boxes won't
do. That box will be abused during shipping.
For small packages, USPS Priority Mail is the best bet. For large
boxes, I have discovered that Fedex Ground is a whale of a lot
cheaper than UPS, who have lost their respective minds as far as
shipping charges go.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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----------
> From: Alyce Elliott <aete@northnet.org>
>
> Hi Folks, I'm sending a netfriend some Iris siberica. but have not
sent
> plants through the mail before. Suggestions? Box or mailbag --
bubble
> wrap or damp sphagnum -- overnight mail or 'doesn't matter' --
other?
> Thanks! (These will be traveling from northern NY to Michigan.)
>
> Alyce Elliott
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