Topic: How to succesfully send small plants via the mail. Help please.

[Emagggie]

I know I have read somewhere here about good ways to send small plants or seedlings in the post.One suggestion involved a bottle. I can't find it anywhere now ! Please can anybody help?  ???

[sallylockhart]

This is how I sent mint cuttings recently:

Plant

- wrap roots / ends of cuttings / compost in several layers of kitchen towel.
- Soak it under the cold tap and squeeze out the excess.
- Wrap in kitchen foil and squeeze it to seal the water in

Bottle (I used a 1.5L mineral water bottle)

- cut the top off the bottle about 2/3 of the way up.
- Put the plant inside
- gaffer tape (or other waterproof tape) the bottle back together again.
- Make sure you leave the lid on or it will leak and upset the postman!
- Then write the address on a piece of paper with permanent marker and stick that to the bottle (lots of tape).

I wrote what the plant was on the label just in case the postman was nosy  ;D

Make sure you use an appropriate sized bottle - the idea is that the plant cant move about too much and get damaged.

Hope this helps.

sl

[Emagggie]

Just what I wanted, thankyou SL.

M

[CityChick]

As the lucky recipient of said parcel, I am happy to report the contents arrived in very good condition.

I think the foil, and a fairly snug sized bottle, worked very well to both keep the damp kitchen paper wrapped around the roots, and protect the stems within the bottle.

Plus, your new plants arrive with a free plastic cloche, foil for attaching to string to deter birds, and some damp paper for the compost heap ;D

I'm sending some plants out tomorrow, and I'll certainly be doing it this way...

[marjrie]

I was one of the lucky ones to get some strawberry plants from city chick and must say they arrived in perfect condition  :)

[Emagggie]

Yep, tried and tested. Great stuff.