Instructions for ordering from David Liddle

Firstly, big thanks to Sandyc for starting all this - she is the glorious woman we can all thank for getting it going and for doing most of the legwork to find out what needs to be done, how to do it, and for getting the instructions from Mr. Liddle. I am merely her humble servant ;-)

I hate to do this to anyone from Canada who wanted to be a part of this, but I think, given the heightened "security" alert, it is most likely not a good time to take a chance on having expensive cuttings confiscated at the border.

So, now that everyone has had the chance to mull over their inclusion in the order, as well as what they want to order, I have, here, a set of instructions from the Man himself (Liddle, that is...):

1. Orders to David Liddle for the Ann Strahm ordering group can be done anytime between Monday, August 14 through Wednesday, August 23.

Instructions for the group order:

2. Ordering cuttings from David Liddle

a. Each person will need to place his or her order directly with David Liddle. Here is how:

3. Email your order to davidjliddle@bigpond.com

a. In the email make sure to specify that your order is part of the group order being sent to ANN STRAHM

b. Make sure to include your email address in the order so he can contact you with the total you will be charged

c. Indicate, in your email, the type of payment you will be making to him (i.e. credit card, paypal, or direct deposit)

c1. If you are ordering with a credit card make sure to provide the credit card information (name on card, card number, expiration date).
NOTE: If you are not comfortable sending this info via email, note this in your order email and then fax him the credit card information. His fax number is located on the first page of his catalogue.

c2. If you prefer to paypal the payment to him, note you will do this in your email. You can paypal him by accessing your own paypal account and making the payment to davidjliddle@bigpond.com

c3. Direct deposit can be made at Swift Code, CTBAAU2S; BSB, 064812; Account number, 00360202

4. As soon has the necessary certificates are in his hands, he will process the orders and arrange the Phytosanitary inspection.

5. David will send the package with everyone's orders to me. Each order is packed separately in a gauze bag and each cutting is labelled with the name of the person who ordered it. (Please remember, the costs for shipping and phytosanitary cert. are divided by the number of cuttings ordered)

6. David will then send an invoice to each individual who ordered (via email), letting them know the exact amount owed him from that person.

7. When the order arrives to me (Ann) he will process the credit cards for that invoiced amount.

a. If you are paypal-ing him the money, you will need to paypal the money to him at that time.

8. I will immediately unpack the big box from Liddle and send each person's cuttings to them via USPS Priority Mail.

a. Please note that I will only be charging you for the shipping cost, and with very few exceptions, that will be the base rate for priority mail. I would ask that each of you send that to me prior to me mailing out the cuttings, and you can do so by sending me the money via paypal or a check - whatever you prefer. I would also ask that if your mailing cost ends up being more than the base rate, that you are honorable and forward me the additional money when requested.

9. Please read this additional information provided by David: "It takes three days to get to the USA from us but USDA can take a number of days to inspect them and send them on their way, so allow seven days for passage. Because exchange rates and banking charges influence the final cost, the price often does not agree exactly with the amount paid."

Finally, please remember to consider what kind of cuttings you order and remember that no matter what, when ordering from such a long distance, not every cutting is going to make it. I will be sending everything out immediately, but as David points out, there is almost a week's difference between when he sends the cuttings and when they arrive to me, then, an additional 2-3 days from the time I send them until they get to you. In other words, we are ordering big cuttings, but they will be taking a stressful trip with no water or light for up to 10 days.

Hopefully others who have ordered from Liddle in the past will be kind enough to offer some advice on what not to order. I suspect that cuttings with smaller vines and leaves will not do as good as hoyas with fleshy leaves and vines. I am no expert and my assumptions are unfounded (mere gut instincts).

One last note (I'm sorry if this seems whiny, I just want to be upfront) - If something you order does not survive, try not to get upset with me. I am saying this because I do not want to become the mean lady who cost someone money. And, even the best intentioned person, who might really like me, will naturally be very upset if an expensive cutting doesn't make it. So, please consider what you are ordering, and realize that I am going send everything out immediately, but because of the nature of this kind of ordering, some things may not make it.

OK, kids. Lets try not to control ourselves. For once, greed is good!!

Feel free to dmail me with any questions & the address where I will send your package. Also, David Liddle welcomes any questions you have regarding hoya information, ordering information, etc. You can email him at davidjliddle@bigpond.com.

Ann

David Liddle certainly has taken the pain out of group orders!!! What a great help that is that he deals with each one individually!

I totally agree with Ann about being careful of thinly vined hoyas such as H. dennisii and others that do not like to travel, like H. praetoria/H. lasiantha. When I get my box, I open it in low light (no, not a dark room...LOL) and put the cuttings to soak in tempid room temperature water with about 2 drops of Superthrive or Hormex per gallon. I let them sit there, in the water, overnight - 12-24 hours, before I start to strike them. I try to keep them out of high light (remember, they have travelled in that dark box for a while) and they rest in their new pots in low light for a couple of days....then gradually I take them out into brighter light. I sometimes put the thinner leafed cuttings in a ziplock - or - a covered tray where they can stay humid.... I try NOT to cover them because hoyas suffer without airmovement....so I do mist them and do what I can to keep the humidity of.

I have lost all of the leaves from some vines which I strike anyway as there is always a chance it will take, regardless. It just takes a while longer!!! Just be sure to get a node in the medium...or lay the bald vine on the top of the medium in a pot and secure the nodes to contact the soil....

There are any number of ways I guess that are successful...this is just my method. OH, and I always try to get at least 2 cuts from each cutting...even if they are only 1 node apiece, to give me a greater chance for success.....

Have fun!!!

I have ordered plants from David Liddle on two occasions now, and both times have been really impressed with the size of the cuttings he sends. Some of them have been over 3 feet long, enough to make several cuttings from, and many had peduncles! In fact one cutting of erythrostemma produced flower buds while it was rooting and a Hoya acuta 'Green' actually flowered while rooting. Sometimes you get more than you bargained for!!

I would agree with everything that Carol says about handling them once they have arrived, and would just like to emphasise that because of the distance and time it takes for the cuttings to reach their destination, a few will show signs of wilting, some quite badly. However Hoyas are tough plants and rally round amazingly well.

With these plants I have potted them up and put them in a covered heated propagator with 100% humidity inside. I thought I was going to lose a cutting of mitrata and megalaster before doing this - both were almost completely dessicated. But they returned to perfect condition after about 3 weeks and have now rooted successfully and are growing away in the greenhouse.

I agree that Hoyas prefer a moving air flow, but have found when the dessication is bad, it's a necessary evil to cover them either by putting in an enclosed propagating case or a ziplock bag to rehydrate them properly, and to help them form roots. I ordered 35 plants from David this time round and only lost one. So don't worry if the plants are a bit dehydrated. It can easily be overcome.

Hope this helps
Matt

Matt...

While I agree with the generosity of Davids' cuttings...when he can he DOES send copious cuttings. However, when he can't, he sends what he can...and they are always healthy. Just don't want to get everyone's hopes up too far lest they expect long ropes and only receive 2 to 4 nodes of some....

Carol

Absolutely. Not all the cuttings have been so large, obviously dependent on the availability of the species he has and the demand for it at the time of ordering. I'm sure though, those of you ordering for the first time, will be impressed with your order when it arrives.

Good hunting

Matt

This is all good information. There is no better price or quality than the cuttings you get from David.

The last couple consignments I have gotten from David have resulted in very few losses. As said previously, I also soak all the cuttings over night in Hormex. I fill a tub at least a day before the order arrives and once I receive the order, allow the package to sit for at least a few hours before opening it. (Only if I have a great deal of control on that day) I always do this in a dark room. The idea is to let the cuttings get to aproximately the same temperature as the water or at least to reduce the shock.

After soaking them, I remove them from the tub, cut the ends with a razor blade and place only the cut stem in a bucket of water, which has also been sitting out for at least a day. I then leave them alone for a few days (in a dark room) to let them rest from their journey.

Then, I strike and pot them, put them in a mini greenhouse with heat pads (unless it is really hot). Since the mini-greenhouse is in an area with more light, I cover it with a blanket. Then, each day I roll up a little of the blanket to allow the cuttings to acclimate to light. This method has significantly reduced my losses.

Best of luck to all with your new cuttings. You are in for a real treat!

Mel

Thanks for the info Mel....rooting cuttings is a scary thing for me. Ann Wayman had me root some stuff from her in a real cool way , but I was not dealing with hoyas that had been under alot of stress........Sandy

Well, I am on my way to an order, I sent mine to David already and I can NOT wait to get em!!!! Did I go a little nuts, yes! LOL

Ann - thanks for taking the time to do this and for the ordering information - the steps are very clearly spelled out. The only problem I have now - seriously - is HOW DO I CHOOSE???? They all sound so cool.....I think I want them all..............................

Hold on a sec, you mean we weren't 'sposed to order ALL of them...LOL

It certainly IS HARD to pick out only 10 or 12 isn't it. They way I usually do it is to highlight all the ones I want to get & then start whittling that down by marking most of those with "next time" written next to them. Ha. I also elliminate all of the WARM growers in fall orders as my house isn't all that toasty in the winter so I like to order those in the spring to give them all the chance to grow big in the nice hot summer before winter hits. By the time I eliminate all those, I've got it down to a few hundred...ha ha. The ones I REALLY gotta have I put a star beside their name, & usually can limit it to those for now.
Then I hide the whole catalog under my side of the bed so no one is wise to all the big order I'm about to place. Ha. Ha
Marcy

Or...you can go....

This time - big leaves

Next time - tiny leaves

The time after next -----

The time after the time after next----

Some thoughts......for what they are worth....

All of the different clones of one hoya, be it H. macgillivrayii, H. australis etc. are exciting to have and to grow out...but the differences between them can be so infintesimal...and the room they take up is HUGE! I just happen to have gobs of room, so having 5 clones of this and 6 clones of that is an indulgence I enjoy - I don't work and our entertainment is casual, so I am using the same make up I used 10 years ago (differently, of course)... Hoyas are how I spend my money (hoyas and other fabulous plants...I am hopeless!!!).

Get a ruler out with inches and centimetres/millimetres...look up the hoyas on the websites available and go by what you LIKE... There are some of us who are OCP...and we have to have ALLLLLLLL of them....but it isn't practical. I am learning that!!!

Also...consider the undeted species. These are hoyas collected usually by David which have not been stuck in a slot yet....there are some fabulous ones! The descriptions are what I go by, David is really good about that....growing out an unidentified species really excites me...because then I get involved in the evolution of its' identity.

It is SO much fun to grow out a cutting all the way from.....?..... australia/wherever....

Goferit!

Ohhh - good suggestions, Marcy and Carol! Marcy, I hadn't even thought about the warm vs cold vs intermediate temp. thing until you pointed it out! And Carol, I DO like large leaves.......and I think I will get at least one unidentified species - thanks for the thoughts! Karen (And Becky, shhh - we just won't admit we ordered them all - LOL!)

This is hard!

I have 13 on my list so far. Since 13 is an unlucky number, I must order at least 1 more, right (justification)? Besides, the more cuttings I order, the less shipping we pay so I'm actually helping everybody else out too. :)

I'm glad my husband puts up with me. Now I'm off to order seed packets from the AGGS seed fund. I am a HOPELESS plant addict and need help.

Ahem, there is NO help!
I have just ordered the mother load of plants, do I have an idea where and what I am gonna do with them, no! LOL
So, you just admit to your "little problem", get more shelving installed and spend hours agonizing over where, when and what. That is part of the fun!!

Truly! I guess I am not the only one who will resort to making painstaking diagrams of the plant arrangement in my house, hoping to somehow find a way to squeeze a few more in. Or am I?

No, you're not! I've always tried to keep my "obsession" out of certain rooms of our house, i.e., formal living, kids' rooms, our bedroom. That plan is now out the window! Hey, each of my kids has his/her own bedroom. Maybe they can share..... :)

LOL, we all seem to have had grand plans of "containment" in the beginning eh? Well, mine has officially taken over, why not, the dogs and cats did!
I JUST got notification from HOA that I will be allowed to set up a greenhouse (6 x 8) in my minute back yard, yuhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu .....no more problems...I can order what, where and how much I want!!!!

Congratulations! Have fun filling up that greenhouse!

That's great news Bec!!!! :) Looks like you can order a few (hundred) more LOLOL. :)

I asked Mr. Liddle if he thought multiflora would handle the trip as I have been told they require a lot of water. Below is his response:

Patricia
I have sent this reply to a number of people and I included it here.
"the delicacy of Hoya cuttings depends on a number of things. Paramount, is to take only mature wood from hardened plants, not tip cuttings from pretty plants that grow in a protected environment. Second, is the ability of the receiver to recognise the needs of the cuttings and take appropriate action. We have in the past sent some material I felt was too young, in an effort to satisfy the client but invariably the cutting was lost because of these reasons. Consequently, we will not supply material of a plant if it does not meet our criteria. The ability of the purchaser to strike the cutting is beyond our control and all we can do is advise."

I collect material in many places and have to keep them as cuttings for two or three weeks before we get them home where they are fumigated with Methyl Bromide on entering the country. From this you should see Hoya are tough plants, and in most cases if the material meets our criteria and the correct action is taken they will survive.

Water requirement depend on many things, temperature, humidity, light intensity, available nutrient, and porosity of the potting medium are a few. If you can maintain humidity and a good open potting mix all the water you will need is that sufficient to maintain the plant and the plant will tell you that.

regards
David

Ann - sorry, I have a menopausal brain, so I just want to make sure I got this right - we paypal David Liddle after you receive the cuttings, not when we place our order, correct? That way the phyto. and shipping charges are included. Sorry to be so dense.....Thanks - Karen

Karen, you are not dense!! Yep, that is how Liddle wants it done. He sends each person an invoice via email, then charges the credit card or asks for the paypal payment when I let him know that the package has arrived.
Ann

Thanks Ann....I think I've got it now.

ummmm, is anyone else as excited as I am?.....I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas......!!!!!

Oh, and THANKS Carol, Matt and Mel for the "refreshers" on rooting these....that's my only anxiety - I'd hate to mess up the rooting process and lose these!
Karen

This message was edited Aug 19, 2006 8:14 AM

Relax Karen, if you can root hoyas at all....you can root these. Of all the plants I rooted I had the most success with the ones I got from him.
It is exciting isn't it?
David is going to be REAL busy with 2 large" combo" orders coming from the US all at once like this.
Marcy

I've got ants in my pants ...

One question about DL's catalog......from what his 'intro' states...the prices appear to be for *plants*, or am I reading this wrong?

Are the catalog prices for plants or cuttings?
If the prices are for plants...what is the price for cuttings?

Also...is there a minimum amount we are to order?

TIA

His prices are for cuttings..........

Nan, you can order as much as you would like. My understanding is that the cost for the phytosanitary cert will be distributed equally, while the shipping cost will be divided up by number of cuttings - if I understand this correctly, he will probably divide the total cost for shipping by the total number of cuttings. Then, he will multiply the individual cutting shipping charge by the number of cuttings each person has ordered. Thus, if you order 100 cuttings, you will pay a little more in shipping than someone who orders five cuttings. I may be incorrect, but that is my understanding. Those who have done this before might have a better explanation.
Ann

I am VERY excited!

Ann I think the cuttings works the same way---If there are 100 cuttings total, then each cutting will go up a dollar --200 would go up 50 cents each, etc. etc...........I could be wrong but I think that is how he did it last time.....Sandy

I guess he;ll let us know what we owe at a later date correct? I place my order last week and haven't heard anything.

Thanks for the info.....I'd best get it in gear, then, and get that order to him!!
1 day left!