I don't want to take it for granted that you all have traded plants before. I lesson would be appreciated by those who do it all the time. HOW tO MAIL HOYA suggestions, please
Norma
How to wrap when sending Hoya
We need how to prepare them for mailing.
How to wrap them for maililng.
I know how to put the stamp on LOL
and I know where the mailbox is LoL Norma
Hi Norma,
If they are cuttings, soak them in the Superthrive water overnight or a couple of hours (then wrap the bottoms of the cuttings with a papertowel. Place the bottoms that are wrapped in a plastic baggie and spray with some of the superthrive water to moisten the papertowel, then I use a wire bread tie to tie it at the neck. After that, I use newspaper to wrap up the whole thing like a roll, just roll it in Newspaper and use tape to keep it rolled. Very compact and doesn't get broken. If you have a rooted plant, and mailing out of CA, you should wash off all the soil off the roots and then wrap the same way with a papertowel and moisten.
I just find it easier to moisten the towel after they are wrapped and in the baggie, I either use a spray bottle or just a little cup to pour in some of the mixture. Then make sure they are packed with more newspaper on the sides of the box so that they do not rattle around. I find that when I roll them, I can get more plants into a box that way without damage. Hope that helps some..
All plants are usually mailed via priority so that they don't sit in the heat, and get there within three days time (most of the time) sometimes they do take longer. priority mail is running about 4.00 4.20 I think. There is a USPS site that will mail you all the supplies, boxes, tape, labels that you may need to mail via priority, but that is all they can be used for. But the supplies are free. USPS.com , they have boxes the size of video tapes, and go on up in size, even the long tube triangluar boxes. I also use a comfirmation receipt on the boxes, which tells me when they are received and hopefully the po tries to get them there within the three days they say they will when they see the confirmation receipt on there. It is also free when you print it off their site.. although I still write mine out.
If they are mailed other than priority, they may arrive a little dried out if it takes more than one week. I just got some hoyas in the mail today from someone in CA via priority, and they were a little wilted and dry. But it was 104 degrees here today too, so I am sure it is just too hot to be mailing them.
Gourds' method for mailing cuttings is what I do.
When mailing plants in pots: First I take the plants out of bright light into lower light for as long as I can before shipping. This acclimates them to living in a dark box for a while. Then, I make sure the soil is damp...not newly watered...and I wrap the pot in a plastic bag and tape it at the soil level so that the soil won't flip aroundl
I open a newspaper and place the pot with the hoya in the lower right hand corner and roll the newspaper around the plant...making a cone. If the plant has long vines, this keeps the vines confined...and newspaper is a great insullator...moisture is not lost so readily. Sometimes I spray the plant with water before wrapping it up.
I have found the that worst thing to do is to package a newly watered plant....rot sets in.
Hope this helps.
Canada has the strictest laws around...it is easier to send plants to Timbuktu!
I would suggest being informal about the whole proceedure. Wrap the cuttings per the suggestions above and mail them in a padded envelope with something stiff inside (like carboard). Bubble wrap on the inside of the packing can cause too much "sweating"....
Ahhh good old "import to Canada" question. Well to make it short, in person you can bring up to 50 houseplants without phyto across the border from the continental US. Mailing from the US requires Phyto.
Here's the official document explaining it:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/protect/dir/d-01-03e.shtml
Note that bark chips in the soil/medium are not recommended.
From experience I can say that mailed un-rooted cuttings usually arrive without problems but there is always a chance that they don't make it. Also sending cuttings to the US seems to work without problems.
Milan
Okay I'm going to try to get plants to two people in Canada that I owe a plant to. Susan I going to do exactly what you say, and just see what happens.
I am going to Oregon, and will be taking three plants with me I'm going to do the cone bit, with newspaper, I'm flying so will get them ready tonight, I think they will survive for 3.5 hrs. Thanks for the help, this time of year plants often come here like mush, soup, or worse. Plastic I don't think is the way to go when it's hot? Norma
No plastic unless you are crazy about Steamed Hoyas, au jus!
Hi CWootton,
Is that a krimson princess you have blooming?..it doesn't look like a huge plant either...what a beautiful colour it is...what's your secret?...lol....now i have hope maybe mine will bloom one day too....nice pic!
Sandy
Hi Sandy. Thanks for your nice compliment. I'm not sure exactly what kind of hoya it is; I see a hoya and I buy it, or shamelessly beg for cuttings. I have five different ones and thought they were all carnosa-related (except the hindu rope and bella), but since I joined Dave's, I'm discovering a plethora of different hoyas exist. I lead such a sheltered life ... lol. That pic was of its first blooming several years ago. Its much larger now, but the colours are still just as incredible. And I think my secret with hoyas is to water like crazy during the summer and allow them to get very dry in the winter between waterings. They all bloom like crazy, sometimes even through the winter. And they love a southern exposure-full sun at least 4 hours a day. Good luck, eh! - Christine.
Hi Christine....
I think i was just as sheltered pre-hoyas in my life too....thats why i am so glad there are forums like this and such to read as much info as you can so not to kill the more pickier ones...i will have to wait several more years for mine to grow larger and bloom i hope...i have a small bella on the verge of one little bloom...it really does tease you but half the fun is the wait....i have a sister in London, ON and i have her hooked on hoyas too....its a good sickness though!...
Sandy
Hi Sandy. Yes, it is a good sickness! I have about 60 other tropicals but few that excite me the way the hoya does when it blooms, especially for the first time. I just thought of another rule of thumb I follow with hoyas - they simply will not bloom unless they are potbound. For that reason I start them in a 3" pot and don't transplant them until they bloom - usually 3-4 years! Then I put them in a pot that is only 1" bigger and repot only every 2-3 years after that. Again the pot should be only 1" bigger each time. Happy gardening!
HI Christine..
thats a good rule of thumb to go by....it serves 2 purposes, you get them to bloom and you can have that many more plants because you have the room!.....yes i think the enjoy cozy quarters with their roots ...that seems to be the consensus anyway...your plants must keep you busy if you have 60 other tropicals...that is a lot...great hobby i must say....keeps me out of trouble! lol.....happy gardening to you too :)
Sandy
I just came back from another state with about 100 cuttings, in case I was stopped at the border I first washed them in soap and water, after they dried a bit I sprayed them for mealies, they all made it fine, not wrapped in anything at all, just piled high in two open boxes, the only one that didn't make it was a non-succulent species of Dischidia with heart shaped leaves. We traveled from Sat. afternoon to Monday afternoon
I didn't even mist them and they were as crisp as crackers. ]
Thanks for all your suggestions, I will apply them as needed. I suppose where I send them will dictate how I wrap them, and how the weather is out there. Norma