i have just been hearing lately that many newbies are afraid of us old timers and don't want to trade for fear that they won't do it right. every one of us on daves was once new and was also afraid. i, for one, feel a certain affection for any newbie. i will prob. give you too much information if you write me. i just try to give you information that worried me when i first started trading.
the most important thing to me is if you are new just let me know that. callalily is the first person i ever traded with on daves. she kindly and patiently explained the whole thing to me. and remember this is not rocket science and if i can do it so can you. all of us have ways that we prefer to receive plants and that should be worked out as you communicate with your trader. i am laughing at myself right now because if yall would go back and read my very first posts i think you could identify with me because i was just plain "KID" scared. hahahaaha
so come on newbies. find somebody and let the games begin.
WELCOME...newbie traders
Heh... Maybe I'm just fearless, because I'm already waist deep in trades. :) I get so many plants from my horticulture class that I just HAVE to trade them.
Andrea
I think what most of us new to plant trading are worried about is all we have are common plants, nothing quite as exotic and unusual as the oldies. I have not traded plants because of this. I am an oldie at seeds trading, but plants are another thing all together.
You know what they say though...one man's trash is another man's treasure. So what's common to some...isn't to others. It's surprising how excited I've been to receive something that the DGer thought was common!! God love all the patient souls with us when we first start shipping.
that's right chantell. just because it grows real good in your neck of the woods doesn't mean someone else might not like to try it too.
and newbies, sometimes people will trade for things other than plants. lots of people like gardening books. i know someone once traded me clothes for my 13 yr. old daughter. they had been involved in marketing fashion samples and had some things that my daughter really liked.
Im new to DL and always love plants. Im looking forward to learning and trading!!
PP/Teri
sorry mamajack i have to do it...........were the clothes worth trading your daughter for?? (just kidding, that was the first thought that came to mind when I read that).
I can tell you that there have been a lot of threads on this subject. Most of them I have posted on and probably ruffled a few feathers. There are quite a few members who have traded for a long time and want things done a specific way. That is fine, but for the new members, having to hear a lot of bad things like .........their was no DG name on the box, there were too few seeds in the pack, the roots were not wrapped correctly, the botanical name was left out, they didn't include any planting info., etc., is intimidating to someone who has never done this before. I can tell you this, I have traded only a couple of times and was worried to death that I had done it wrong because of some of the things that I have read here on DG. I worried for no reason, I have never been told that I did it wrong, or that it was not up to someones standards.
If you want that type of information on the trades that you make, then by all means ASK for it.......no big deal, but do not assume that everyone is going to do it. Trading is supposed to be fun, and until I get a Master's Degree and am tending lawns at the White House, that's how I would like to keep it, purely fun.
:oP
may Princess Kathy have fun with her seeds
the english language can be so treacherous if one is not careful. lol.
What big words you use there Mama! :oP Yep, I am back on your heels! LOL
May Princess Kathy be enjoying this beautiful day as I am!
tehetehetehe!!
Sorry, I just couldn't resist! :oP Just too much fun to pester you ya know! LOL
I do agree with the newbies being threatened by some things they read, especially since I am still a newbie myself!
Hi Princess Kathy!
well what worries you about trading misty?
and bhaugh...i agree with everything you said up there but that thing about the roots............now that has to be done properly. lol.
I don't have a problem with seeds, but for example- I have some Canna Rhizomes that I bought to do a trade and I wanna make sure I have them packaged correctly when I send them out. I have received plants/cuttings/bulbs from wonderful people here and I try to take note of how they went about it, but I still fear I will not do it right!
:oP Princess Kathy
I always have the not sufficient postage fear... I'm scared my babies will get shipped back and die en route, even if I have the guy behind the counter weigh it and slap the tag on for me!
I'm just paranoid with the post in general, though... I don't think they're too fond of dealing with me. I've got a chihuahua that will snatch up the letters that the mailman drops and run away with them. He thinks its a fantastic game of keepaway...
Its mildly embarrassing...
well for me...if you are going to send me canna tubers.........wash the dirt completely off and mail them to me dry. that's how you're going to get them from me. i usually cut the foliage although they shouldn't have much or any right now. but having said that i usually tell my trader that's what i'm going to do and then i ask them if they prefer something else.
and lobsterandi.... i have on occassion received seeds without enough postage but that's not a big deal. if you take a pkg. to the post office and they weigh it and put the stamp on you are good to go. i am thinking that the pkg. might weigh less when it arrives due to evaporating water but not more. and i am fairly certain that the post office doesn't have time to reweigh pkgs. although, somebody correct me if i am wrong but when people send pkgs. either certified or signature requested it seems like they do put the box back on the scales. but again i bet they would weigh less.
Thanks for the tips! These are actually ones I purchased at the Nursery, not any that I dug from my own yard. But it will be very helpful once mine all multiply and I can start to share! :oP I plan to plant lots of LARGE things like Cannas to make a flower block to my neighbors! :)
May Princess Kathy have good neighbors!
what's a flower block? is that another english faux pas? do yall get counted off for that? lol. you mean you want to block the neighbors view? the tallest canna i grow is omega and orange beauty.
No more spelling, Mama! :oP Yes, I want to block as much view as possible!!! We have planted trees all around our city lot, but they will take a while to do much good. So, I am going to plant banana plants and Cannas and whatever else I can find. It gets really irritating when all you do is open your door and be met by these heatheness dogs thinking you are messing with their territory!!! I think I need to look for some of the ones you mentioned, for sure!
May Princess Kathy have pretty Cannas!
WElcome all you newbie plantaholics!!
Some of us crazy nuts will trade for anything. Why I've traded some of my plants for cans of tuna believe it or not, Yellow label albacore tuna in water that is LOL 2.00 a can, and too expensive.... My daughter eats it like it's going out of style.
When I was a newby, I use to trade my home made soap for plants, folks would go nuts. thought it was neat getting something different other than plants. You never know unless you ask. I would stick it in at the bottom of my plant request.
"If I don't have any plants your interested in, I have these: and list my soaps. Though I've never publically said I'd take tuna in trades, folks would really think I was nuts. I have done so in private dmails ha ha.
I've seen folks trade for garden books, shovels, cd's tapes, lots of things.
Just something to ponder if your looking for something in particular and you don't have any plants to trade.
I don't think it's against the rules. I've seen it requested before. so I wouldn't think it was.......
Now I'll probably get in trouble LOL
Anyways. Welcome to Daves. and Most of all, Have fun Trading.
Wow!
I'm glad that I happened in upon this forum. I'm a newbie and honestly have been quite worried about doing trades. I've stuck to seeds for this reason and read the trading primer several times. If only I could get people to answer my trading d mails! LOL!Anyways, there has been a lot of helpful advice and I appreciate everyone's kindness here. Just wish I had found out about DG earlier!
I certainly understand your frustration, Even as an oldtimer, i've had folks not reply to my dmails , I've always tried to reply even if it's just to tell them I can't do the trade for what ever reason.
good to see this brought up, maybe it will help us be aware that we need to at least answer our dmails even if it's to refuse trades.
Welcome to all Newbies! And, Mamajack ... Thank you so much for starting this thread! I am not a newbie but I'm not an oldie either ... kinda in-between I guess!
I was very fortunate to have my first trade be with an oldie who was very kind and answered all my questions and gave me tips on how to pack the plants.
I just received caladium bulbs from a co-op I joined in ... they were packed and shipped by the grower - just put in brown paper lunch bags and labeled with the name! I was pleasantly surprised, would never have thought of brown paper bags! Now if I ever ship bulbs to anyone I plan on using those little brown lunch bags.
Now ... I'm ready to make a trade with lobsterandi ... I will take that little chihuahua ... I can trade plants, a kitty, or will even send postage if I don't have anything you are interested in. He/She is such a cutie! :)
I can't remember the exact wording, but I recently learned that I was called some not so nice words when I was first here. I can't for the life of me understand why, other than I was a real newbie back then and asked a LOT of questions. I have been told more than once that no question was a stupid one, but I guess this person did NOT see it that way! Basically that I was as dumb as a box of rocks!!!! Now if a person don't think this can turn someone off from wanting to do much on here, I wouldn't know what would. It really disgusted me to learn this, but it will NOT stop me from doing what I love so much and enjoy!!!! (except with this particular person!!!!)
:oP Princess Kathy is a good girl!
Thanks for starting the thread, Mamajack. This always a good thing. And this should be fun. :)
Misty, sorry to hear that. There's always got to be one, sigh.........
This message was edited Mar 14, 2008 8:27 PM
Thanks doc, I was sorry to hear it as well as I never expected it from this person!!!
:oP May Princess Kathy always be sweet!
I know my postage fears are unfounded... I guess its just an irrational phobia. Maybe I need therapy. LOL
Something that I REALLY like are when people include little notes with whatever they send. It feels good just to get a little "Good luck with the seeds" or something small like that.
I also really like it when people write on a piece of paper and then slip it into the little baby ziploc, instead of writing on the ziploc itself. This is for two reasons: 1. I am cheap. I like to reuse the baby ziplocs after I've planted their contents. 2. Sometimes I might drip water on the ziploc and it makes the ink smear and run, and then I get very confused. lol
No doubt the tooooooo tight pantyhose interfered with common sense. Just silly.
Love that comment doc! LOL
:oP May Princess Kathy's pantyhose never be too tight!!!
Hey lobsterandi,
What do you want in trade for that Chihuahua ? Just kidding, I know no one wants to trade their Chi-baby away. ; )
I have not graduated to plant trading, and have only done a few seed swaps. Maybe when the weather warms up, I'll try to brave the plant trading realm.
Nope-El Grumpo isn't up for trade either,lol.
Oh my, I think I'm in love! What a cutie patootie, he is!! Attitude!!! Bet he thinks he's a Rottie!! LOL
You'd think I'd want to trade him with all of the naughty stuff he does.. lol Bentley is a bit of a neighborhood celebrity... He's somehow convinced people to carry treats when they go for walks, so they can stop and give him a little snack while he's outside in his invisible fence. His 6 pounds are starting to look a little more like 7... LOL He loves people when he's inside, but when he's around me he wants nothing to do with anyone else and will even growl and snap if they don't let him be. What a little brat.
Wow, Misty ... the person who said that to you is the dumb one! Some folks are very nervy. I agree that there are no stupid questions! How else are we going to learn if we don't ask? I am older and blonde so I ask a lot of questions ... sometimes two and three times before I "get" it! LOL. I know when I first subscribed to DG I was very intimidated, I don't know why because I am pretty outgoing and vocal in my every day life! I guess it was just being new. This is the first website I've ever joined and had never chatted with others on line except in family/friend e-mailing. I have come across a couple of people on different threads that seem to have a "superior" attitude and one thread in particular, I at first found to be a bit cliquish, but as I've posted a bit more they have become friendlier.
I have always realized there are folks in this world a whole lot smarter than me with much more education, but that does not make them better than me! I LOVE this Garden and most of the folks here!
Oh, Bentley is sooo cute! These babies are making me so miss having a dog in the family! Someday we will have another canine to cuddle.
Doccat5 ... Love that comment about the pantyhose! Gotta remember that one!
Thanks, Lin! What you said is so true, in every aspect! Those that have the 'holier than thou' attitude can irritate me, but I just try to move on and forget about them and go back to those that I know are never going to treat me rudely or make me feel incompetent in any way shape or form. MOST here are very helpful, and some show their omnipotence in just about every post, so we learn who to stay away from pretty quickly. Shame there has to be people like that anywhere, though!
May Princess Kathy have a good nights rest!
:oP
Someday there will be a separate "garden" for those "uppity" folks who think they are above so many. Well ... yeah, you know it won't really be a garden ... more like a bonfire? LOL.
To ALL Newbies who feel a little intimidated .... We've all been the new kid on the block at one time or another, some of us just remember it and some don't. For every not so nice person you may come across in this garden ... there are hundreds who are really genuine, caring and giving!
OMG Lin I am ROTFLMAO!!!!
DITTO to what she said on the rest, too!!!!
:oP
Princess Kathy is a sweetheart
Mistygardener,
I have a tall mesh fence around my swimming pool and I planted a couple of Silver Lace Vines, hardy in your area too, at the base of the fence. They are also called mile a minute vine because they grow about a foot a day. I stick them in and out the fence where they need to go and it makes a great, thick blooming privacy fence. Part of it is in the shade and that doesnt bloom very well, but the vine is still awesome and thick with leaves. Just a suggestion for you.
Kathy
OHHHHHH that sounds cool! Thanks, Kathy! Gonna go look that up now and put it on my want list! :oP
May Princess Kathy not have annoying neighbors!
Well hey Mama and Misty! You two are everywhere! Thanks for doing this mamajack, and I hope your kniphofia gets there soon! I am a newbie who has traded with both mistygardener and mamajack. For me it was the shipping I wasn't sure about. I haven't ran into too many mean people here, but there are a % no matter where you go.
My first shipping was ok, except for the alocasia( sorry Tammy) got turned upside down and broke off the leaves. Since, I have learned the proper way to ship a plant. There is a good thread somewhere on here on plant shipping. The kniphofia I sent mamajack is done realy well and I will bet gets there in good shape. Now, I don't even know what mama is going to send me in return, I trust her. Now how do you trust someone you will most likely never meet? And how do you know if I sent something, will they send me something in return, and will it be the plant I was promised? FAITH!!!! There is more good faith on this web site than anywhere else. I trust a DGer more than most and I try to take full advantage of the things you can do on here.
If you are a newbie go to the thread on spring cleaning/seeds for newbies. For the price of a few stamps you get a ridiculous amount of cool seeds!
If you see a work party or plant trade that is within driving distance, go and meet some of the people on here. I have and loved it to death! You always go home with some plant or advice that you needed , and the people are super nice! Hi PNW folks!)
Hey Gordon! BTW, he is an AWESOME trader!!! Getting ready to do another with him since he is doing such a wonderful job!!! No apologies needed, either, cause all is doing great! You should see the other two plants, OMG they are GROWING!!!! Yes, the newbie thread with Robbi-AKA distantkin is well worth it for a newbie, just sorry I missed out on it when I first came here. But I have had MANY MANY others help me out with seeds!!!!! I am positive mamajack is worthy of trading, she is just ornery! LOL
:oP Princess Kathy