When do you consider it too hot to trade plants. I'm getting concerned about shipping plants as it's just getting to be so hot here in the south east.
When do you consider it too HOT..
Depends on what your shipping.
Coleus, philodendron - tropical type plants can be shipped any time the weather is warm even during hot weather.
Cool season plants like lavender, pansies, alyssum should be shipped from Oct/Nov until April/May.
Dormant bulbs can be shipped almost anytime.
The rules would be different for those folks not living in the Deep South (or shipping into).
That is just the way I do it, anyway.
DaleTheGardener, please explain what you mean by this...
'The rules would be different for those folks not living in the Deep South (or shipping into).'
ants
ants...here we are getting temps in the high 90's w/ 100 + % humidity.
It's just so hot I worry about plants, either "baking" or "steaming" to death !
Ants, I'm obviously not Dale, but where I live it's not unheard of to have freezes in May sometimes, and definitely in April. If they're going to be sitting around outside, I don't want tender, tropical plants sent to me before June, probably. Hardy perennials, anytime.
Also depends on how carefully you ship them, where they're going, are you wrapping them in moisture crystals, are you sending them in a little pot of dirt, are just they going as cuttings wrapped in a paper towel, etc. The more carefully you pack them, the better their chances. If they can survive in the ground? Of course, we haven't had a hot day up here since April, so I can't really remember.
Good point, Carrie.
It depends where the plant is coming from and where it is going to.
If you are sending a plant within the deep south (Tampa to New Orleans) that package is going by truck. It is going to get hot inside the box. Mid-summer (now) is not the time to be shipping plants that can't take temps in the 100's.
I have had plants shipped to me from Hawaii, some did fine, some suffered. I know they had to come by plane since there is no other way to get a package from here to there. I have no way of knowing what it was like inside the plane. Some airlines keep the belly of the plane at modest temps, some airlines don't. I have seen the results of the difference.
Sending plants from Tampa to Milton would be a challenge. They are probably going by air. There is no way to know how well they would endure that ride. Depends on the plant also. A coleus shipped from here to Mass. would spring right back, but, a columbine shipped from Mass to Tampa is gonna die from the radical changes.
I try to trade plants with folks that are within 500 miles of me. I try not to trade plants with folks that are over a 1000 miles.
Keep the shipping times short, pack it well and hope for the best.
I stopped mailing live plants. The last ones I sent survived, but just barely, and took a lot of TLC to pull them through.
It's too hot here in NW Florida - won't be sending plants until the fall.
I know what you mean. The last ones I received took 5 days priority & were just barely alive when they got here. If it weren't for the types of plants that were sent they would have been DOA. Thank you for clearing this up for me :)
ants
We have had high 90's and high humidity and I have received several plants in great condition. I received coleus, angel fishing rod, and lions tail. But they have been packaged very well.
Just my two pennies worth.
The ones I received were also packaged very well. Just too hot for some things.
ants
I've got another trade to do for plants, and one for some cuttings, but after but that's all I'm doing for plants. How about cuttings ? how do they hold up?
Haven't sent cuttings. If I did, I think I'd find a way to keep the business end moist during it's travels - damp paper towels, etc.
Being in the South, I personally will not send ANYTHING anywhere, it if the daytime temps are in the 90's .. dark hot and humid spells rot and mold and the Post Office doesn't bother to ready the perishable or Live Plant notes on the box. When the daytime high's are in the 80's I'll send plants but not bare root.
X
I never understood how anybody can send a plant with bare roots, no moisture. It stands to reason that if a plant goes without moisture for a length of time, it will die.
Wrapping the roots with a damp paper towel, then sealing it with plastic, is simple to do, yet some traders won't bother. I certainly won't trade with them again.
Even wrapping with damp towels and plastic is not good and that's what I meant .. I can't tell you how many plants I've received bare root that looked good upon opening the package but croaked later on. Without some kind of sealant on bare roots, they should not be sent.
X
This message was edited Jun 30, 2009 9:59 AM
What kind of sealant? I have never heard of that.
Hope the plants I sent you made it. If not let me know. We have been in the 90's last 2 or 3 weeks but everything has arrived very nicely. Everything had moist paper towels.
Xer - I'd be interested in knowing what kind of sealant, too. I'm not familiar with one.
It's called Wilt Pruf .. thelibertybelle, told me about it .. I've not been able to find it where I live as it is a seasonal thing here only available in the Fall. I have found it online, but the shipping cost more than the product.
http://www.rose-black-spot.com/wilt-pruf.htm
I'm still trying to find some at a reasonable price, but she had sprayed it on some plants she sent me in which the post office mishandled the box and everything was thrown out of their pots so when I opened it, I was sure everything was a goner .. astonishingly enough, two of the most important and rare plants which had been sprayed with it survived beautifully!
X
I have that and it is a common thing around here, usually used in the fall to prevent mosture loss from the cold dry winters.
Looks pretty neat.
Here's a link to a web page that will find a store that sells it:
http://www.wiltpruf.com/Home/Stores/tabid/397/Default.aspx
No stores near me. I could really use some of that stuff.
X
I think there's also a link on the store locator page that lets you find mail order places.
I know .. as I said, the shipping cost more than the product.
X
I found a store that sells the quart concentrate for $21.95, and the shipping is $10.55.
Here's one - quart $22.95, standard ground shipping is $7.95:
http://www2.yardiac.com/list_categories.asp?id=78&tgs=32594411:20825013&cart_id=
I breed peacocks and have shipped birds all across the country and egg world wide. Bird shipping stops at 85 F. Peacocks can take a lot of heat but in a truck from Tyler Texas to DFW airport 85F = 125F, 100F = 145F Truck leaves Tyler at 4:30 PM.
I just got two hardy hibiscus and one joe pye weed they looked great but they came from Arkansas and came to Iowa. But we only got to 74 today. I guess being in the cold north has some benefit. :)
and mjsponies...........you have to use caution but my preferred way to trade with almost anyone is to do it in the fall. if i'm trading with a northern gardener lots of times i will send now and ask them to send in the fall. i think one person didn't follow through on their end last year. another thing is that some of my plants look awful right now and i wouldn't want to send them to anyone anyway.
and for trading purposes i think i may put some things in pots this fall so that i can have trade material for northern folks next summer. along about april i no longer want to dig into any plant until fall as it takes too much water to get plants to settle in again.