Expulsion terms

I do not send seedlings in the spring. Firstly, there is nothing worthwhile left, and secondly, the dormant period ends in plants by this time. During the transfer, they can “wake up”, dissolve the leaves, spending a supply of nutrients on this. It is unlikely that depleted plants will take root normally. It is impossible to send seedlings from the northern regions to the more southern regions in spring: we still have early spring in the yard, and gardens are blooming there. Therefore, the optimal time is in the fall, when the plants have a period of natural dormancy - from the beginning of September. First of all, I send orders to gardeners of the north, then - to the middle lane, and finally - to the southerners. On winter evenings, I prepare cardboard boxes for seedlings and labels made of thick plastic film. I write on them with a black alcohol-based marker.

Filler

Many amateur gardeners wrap the roots of seedlings with moss. This is a very good material: sterile and moisture-retaining. Unfortunately, in my area it does not grow and I have to make do with sawdust. They must be fresh and free of mold.

Saplings for the future

I dig them out just before shipping and pack them right away. It is important to preserve the root system as fully as possible, so I stick the shovel strictly vertically (and not obliquely) and carefully begin to tilt it, lifting the seedling. For shipment, I choose only standard plants. I transplant the weak ones into a school, and by the next autumn they turn into strong two-year-olds.

§ 3. Packing and transport of planting material

When the duration of transportation of planting material is less than 6 hours, the bunches of seedlings selected from the digging are placed in the body of a car or in a wagon on a layer of clean packaging material (straw, sawdust, moss) with their roots to each other. Each layer of bundles is shifted with packing material, covered with tarpaulin, burlap, matting or synthetic film on top and tied. It is allowed to transport seedlings in baskets, boxes, bags, carefully wrapping bundles with packaging material.

When the duration of transportation is more than 6 hours, the bunches of seedlings selected from the digging are packed in matting or straw bales or placed in boxes separately according to the species, using packaging material. The roots of seedlings and seedlings are interleaved with wet moss or straw, and so that the plants in bales do not get warm, the leaves are sniffed from them. To prevent drying out, seedlings in bales and boxes are watered. The weight of boxes and bales must not exceed 30 kg. Therefore, 2-2.5 thousand one-year-old seedlings of deciduous and two-year-old coniferous species should be packed in one bale; biennial hardwood seedlings are packed in bales of 1000-1200 pcs. Each place of container is marked in accordance with GOST 14192-77, indicating additional details; name and address of the recipient and sender, species name, age and quantity of planting material, passport number, quality standard number. Before shipment, the packaged planting material is stored in the shade and watered if necessary. Bales and boxes are placed in one row, stacking bales on top of each other is not allowed.

Seedlings and seedlings with a closed root system are transported packed in disposable boxes, in portable pallets, in rolls, in large transport pallets. At the same time, seedlings in paper-honeycomb containers, as a rule, are placed in boxes and pallets in honeycomb blocks ("paperpot", etc.), and seedlings and seedlings in peat briquettes and pots - in blocks or singly, "brik" seedlings are transported packed in rolls .

With a developed network of nursery farms, planting material is transported, as a rule, from the nursery directly to the silvicultural areas. Sometimes (during long-term transportation, especially outside the district, region) they organize the transportation of planting material to intermediate storage warehouses. In all cases, prior to the start of transportation, it is necessary to carefully consider the routes for transporting planting material, choose the most mobile vehicles according to the state of the road transport network, stock up on the necessary packaging material, identify and prepare places for temporary storage of planting material in silvicultural areas. If necessary, the access roads should be put in order first.

Planting material, especially seedlings with an open root system, cannot be stored in packaging containers or in vehicles (in the back of a car, etc.).

When planting material is released outside the farm, additional quality control of the released planting material is carried out. The control is carried out in the nursery-supplier in the presence of a representative of the recipient. A special sample is made from different places of each batch of planting material intended for dispatch. With a batch size of 500 pcs. check all bunches of seedlings, from 500 to 1000 pcs. - 5 bundles, from 1000 to 10,000 - 10 bundles, from 10,000 to 50,000 - 25, from 50,000 to 100,000 - 35, from 100,000 to 500,000 - 50, from 500,000 and more - 75 bundles. 10 seedlings are selected from each bunch in the sample and, using a template or caliper, check their compliance with the standard in terms of the diameter of the root collar and with a ruler - in terms of the height and length of the root system. Quality control work is carried out in a shaded and wind-protected place, under a canopy to prevent drying of the root systems.

When accepting a batch, no more than 10% of seedlings with deviations in the thickness of the root neck, and no more than 4% with deviations in the height of the stem, are allowed. If the party does not respond necessary requirements standard, then the nursery-supplier is obliged to carry out additional sorting, and then re-control - acceptance of a new sample.

Acceptance of batches of seedlings is carried out by similar methods. The number of bunches selected for control also depends on the size of the lot and the number of seedlings in the bunch. With a batch size of 500 pcs. for control, 5 bunches of 25 or 50 seedlings or 10 bunches of 10 seedlings are selected, with a batch of 500-1000 pcs. - 10 or 20 bundles, respectively; with a batch of 1000 to 10,000 seedlings - 25 or 50 bunches; from 10,000 to 50,000 - 35 or 70 bundles; from 50,000 to 100,000 - 50 or 100 bundles; from 100,000 to 250,000 - 75 or 150, more than 250,000 - 100 or 250 bundles. Based on the results of acceptance, a conclusion is made about the quality of the entire batch. At the same time, in a batch of seedlings of the 1st grade, no more than 10% of seedlings of the 2nd grade are allowed, and in a batch of seedlings of the 2nd grade - no more than 10% of non-standard seedlings. The batches of planting material intended for shipment to other republics, territories and regions, in addition to the passport, must also be accompanied by a permit from the quarantine inspection.

Transportation of planting material is carried out by all types of transport - cars, tractors, railway. When transporting over long distances, it is necessary to use ice wagons, wagons and refrigerator cars.

Large seedlings with a closed root system "Briquette" need special preparation before transportation, the purpose of which is to increase the strength of the briquettes, which is not high enough due to high humidity during growing. For this purpose, 1-2 weeks before the end of rearing, plants are fed with potassium (to accelerate the lignification of shoots), watering is stopped and greenhouses are opened. Humidity of briquettes is reduced to 40-50%, approximately by 1% per day. Since the humidity of the briquettes decreases unevenly, already 1-2 weeks after the cessation of irrigation, it is necessary to regularly (1-2 times a week) monitor the moisture content of the briquettes by weight. The mass of a briquette is in close correlation with its moisture content. At a moisture content of 50%, it is equal to 300-350 g, at 40% - 200-250 g. When the humidity drops to 50%, the briquettes are separated with a sharp knife and transported to the forestry area.

Trucks are used to transport briquettes over a distance of up to 100 km. Up to 6 thousand seedlings can be placed in the back of a ZIL-131 car with multi-tiered placement, and up to 10 thousand with a trailer. in bodies. Containers with seedlings are placed on racks with a distance between their upper shelves of at least 0.5 m. At air temperatures above +20 ° C and humidity below 60%, briquettes can be on the road without watering for no more than 5 days.

For the transportation of seedlings with a closed root system of the Briquette type, a special container TsPS-4000 based on the ZIL-131 car has now been developed. Seedlings on the container are placed in 3 tiers in packages of 670 pcs. (six packs). Loading and unloading of packages by installing the SAB-1 forest planting unit on the platform is carried out using a mechanical lift.

Considering this method of acquiring plants is risky. Of course, it is more reliable to purchase a seedling on the spot, and even with a closed root system. But there are plenty of cases when buying seedlings by mail is more justified. For example, you have been looking for a plant for a long time, it is quite rare, and it is impossible to purchase a plant in your locality in any other way. Or you want to purchase many cultivars (varieties and species) at once, while completely trusting the seller. Or you do not want to get involved with a long search, you are afraid of deception, sorting, besides a trip to the place

Purchases cost more than shipping. And sometimes there are several motivating reasons at once. Of course, in the first place is trust in the seller, it is distrust that makes most gardeners refuse to buy a plant by mail.

We ourselves have ordered seedlings by mail many dozens of times. We constantly exchange plants with other collectors and gardeners. Approximately 70% of the plants from our collection were acquired in this way. I am sure that we will continue to do this, because in some cases it is cheaper, easier, and requires much less time and nerves.

When receiving seedlings by mail from others, we always paid attention to how they were packed, when they were sent and how long they were in transit, and, of course, in what condition they arrived. And we ourselves have already (in the spring of 2012) sent out more than 11,000 (eleven thousand) parcels to different regions of Russia (from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, and from Murmansk to Adler) and, of course, we have acquired sufficient experience of our own to judge which factors harm, and which, on the contrary, contribute to a successful transfer.

And further. Oddly enough, we have several regular customers living so close that it would seem easy to come. Two customers, for example, live just ten kilometers in a straight line from us, across the Klyazma River in the city of Raduzhny, and from year to year they order plants by mail, although a taxi arrives from there in half an hour. What they are guided by is not our business, one thing is clear - it suits them.

How do we prepare seedlings for postage.

It would be wrong to say that we have some special technologies or secrets we know only - they simply do not exist in nature.

Our only secret is that we do not trust anyone with preparation, digging and packaging and we try to strictly and accurately perform all the necessary actions with seedlings. In practice, this means: right time pack quickly and neatly, and ship without delay.

Over the years of work, we, without the slightest exaggeration, have become our people at the post office along the entire chain from our post office to the sorting department of the Post Office. To speed up the process (and what to do!) we were forced to take over some of their packaging functions. Relations with employees of the post office are of a personal confidential nature. What's wrong - they immediately call us at home. Postal workers know that a parcel with seedlings should not lie in the post office, and often they themselves offer us the most rational work schedule.

We send seedlings by mail with an open root system. At the same time, most of them are grown in "pots" (that is, in plastic technological containers), from which we "shake" them directly during packaging. This method does not injure the root system at all, as happens when digging. The core roots of trees and shrubs (which are originally characteristic of apple, pear, horse chestnut, Japanese quince, walnuts, etc.), in order to create a compact root system, we subject to pruning at an early age.

When packing, we use moistened sphagnum, as there is no better preservative. Sphagnum, not only stores moisture well, but has a disinfecting and anti-putrefactive property, is a nutrient medium for the time of transportation.

Ideal conditions for sending plants by mail.

If the seedling does not have damage to the root system, is packed in a state of deep dormancy and is transported at a temperature of -3 to + 5 degrees Celsius, then during the shipment it does not leave the dormant state, and arrives in perfect condition. Based on this, we try to start mailing as early as possible, with a minimum of solar heat. In order to speed up the melting of snow, we sprinkle it with ashes in early spring, which allows us to start mailing a few days earlier. We try to make the sending as soon as possible, and we finish it as soon as the buds of the bushes begin to open.

When is the best time to mail plants?

In order for a plant to survive transplanting and mailing well, it must be in a state of full physiological maturity and dormancy. For tree and shrub crops, this means that their wood and roots have finished growing and become lignified. In this regard, every year is different. Sometimes the readiness of plants for transplanting comes earlier, sometimes later. Therefore, the term of expulsion is determined not by the addressee, but by the sender, that is, we. For most woody plants, this period begins in the first decade of September. To expel them before this date means to put them at risk.

In spring, plants continue to be at rest until the sum of positive temperatures exceeds some critical value. In practice, this means that we need to send plants by mail within the first three weeks after the snowmelt, which we do. As a rule, we finish sending seedlings by mail in early May. The exception is single recipients from the north or nearby areas. In mid-May, we completely stop mail forwarding. Orders received later are transferred to the fall, or at the request of the customer to the next spring.

When to write out seedlings - in the fall or in the spring?

For sending plants by mail, we have developed a regulation substantiated by many years of experience. Bulbous and small-bulbous are sent to a dormant period, which begins after the withering of their aerial parts. We send rhizomatous perennials both in spring and autumn, but we try not to offer for spring those with which there have been failures. Shrubs and trees in the mass equally successfully tolerate mail forwarding in spring and autumn.

autumn season mail forwarding, we note, our customers are greatly underestimated. Everyone strives to place an order for spring, moreover, in autumn, the favorable period for mailing seedlings is much longer. It should be noted that each season also has its own characteristics in terms of sending plants to the south and north, which we take into account.

Center of the European part of Russia. That is, neighboring areas with a straight line distance of up to a thousand kilometers. Parcels take about a week and reach completely in good condition. Spring and autumn shipments are almost equally successful.

Murmansk region. Beyond the Arctic Circle, where it gets cold early, but the weather is frost-free, oddly enough, plants grow better in autumn. One of our Murmansk customers insistently asked to send her plants in the fall.

South of the European part. You can write out plants both in spring and autumn, but in autumn, the period favorable for shipment lasts an unusually long time. In autumn, we send plants to the south last, when we already have frosts. Plants by this time fully mature, lose their leaves, and enter a state of deep dormancy.

Deportation to the south in spring is specific in that we have the opportunity to send seedlings at a time when full summer has almost come there. It often happens that a resident of the Krasnodar Territory, not understanding this simple fact, harasses us with reminders. And our ski season is not over yet. Based on all this, autumn can be recommended to southerners as a more favorable time for receiving plants by mail.

Ural, Trans-Urals, Siberia. In the spring, the plants reach well, as they go in the cold. In the fall, you should send it out early, which we do.

Far East, Sakhalin, Kamchatka. Oddly enough, but parcels often reach such a distance in perfect order. Shipping is the same in spring and autumn.

Yakutia, North. Sending plants to Yakutia is very difficult, but the most grateful and understanding buyers live there. They never complain because they are used to being isolated. Autumn shipment to these regions is undesirable, since plants often fall straight from summer into winter. True, now and there often protracted autumns occur, but it is impossible to guess.

In some regions of Yakutia and Siberia, parcels are delivered only by airmail. There are also places with which communication is interrupted for a long time due to spring floods, but in this case, alas, all the risks are on the buyer. We remind you that we completely stop sending plants by mail in mid-May.

How the plant reacts to prolonged exposure to warmth and darkness.

The most favorable for the seedling is to ride in a cool or slightly cold place. This explains that potatoes are better stored in unheated cellars. In the dark, coupled with heat, the plant is the worst. For him, spring begins, the plant wakes up and reaches for the light, which is not expected. Without light, the process of photosynthesis is impossible, as a result of which chlorophyll is formed. Shoots grown without light are called etiolated, they are painted white and break easily.

We refused to send those plants that obviously do not tolerate shipping well, wither and rot at short delivery times. That is why you will not find any strawberries or felt cherries in our catalog. On the other hand, we can return to the expulsion of these plants when we have sufficiently studied their transport with a closed root system (ZRS), that is, in containers.

Processing of seedlings received by mail.

If the seedling has been on the road for a week, then it remains at rest and arrives in good condition. Two weeks is the period that should be considered critical. More long terms are only successful when good conditions transportation.

The first steps after receiving the parcel. Please note that you are dealing with outdoor plants - natives of the temperate cold zone, and not with indoor plants, whose homeland is the tropics. In spring, the soil is always colder than the air. The diurnal temperature fluctuations are also different. Our plants “remember” all this and do not accept other conditions. The parcel should not be kept warm. In a city apartment, take it out to a shaded balcony (of course, if there is no strong, more than minus 3 about frost) or place it in a common refrigerator compartment. Before this, it is necessary to hide the package in order to provide access to fresh air.

Long-term preservation of seedlings before planting in the ground in spring.

If the plants are received early in the spring, and planting in the ground is not possible, they must be properly processed and stored. It is necessary to distinguish between short-term storage (within 2-3 days) - it was discussed in the previous chapter. And long - more than a week.

Correctly. The most favorable conditions for the preservation of plants before planting is moderate cold, with relatively high humidity. It can be a cold cellar with a temperature of minus 3 to plus 6, a balcony or a cold loggia, a common refrigerator compartment. If you have stocked soil, then it is good to plant the plants in pots and store them in this form, periodically watering with snow water.

Not right. Seedlings should not be kept at room temperature until planting. This inevitably causes premature awakening and growth of seedlings. Plants are pampered, and this does not bode well for them.

Actions with seedlings received by mail in the fall.

If enough time (at least two weeks) remains before the onset of stable frosts, the plants must be planted in open ground. In this case, two options are possible - landing on permanent place and temporary digging until spring.

Planting a seedling in a permanent place. Planting should be carried out in accordance with the recommendations on agricultural technology, for each specific crop. (You can find them on the page " Articles".)

Let's take a closer look at shelter. Shelter is carried out with a decrease in average daily temperatures to low positive values ​​\u200b\u200b(from zero to + 5 °). At this stage, it is necessary to overlay the planted plants with spruce or pine spruce branches. When snow falls, it is advisable to cover them with seedlings from above. In the spring, as soon as all the snow melts, the spruce branches should be removed.

Digging in open ground until spring. The ideal place for digging should be protected from cold winds, elevated, with sufficient snow cover in winter. The soil must have good drainage. An important condition is the absence of mouse-like rodents. Shelter is done in the same way as in the previous paragraph.

A dig in a cold cellar. Unheated closed cellar with dirt floor - one of the beam

the best ways to preserve plants. The temperature there usually stays near zero or has insignificant negative values, and the humidity is always high. If possible, it makes sense to lower several buckets of fresh (not from the garden) soil of light composition into the cellar in advance and leave it in the form of a mound. Dig seedlings into it. Remember that in the spring the cellar can be flooded with melt water, which is unacceptable.

When mail is dormant, it must be hurried.

This is in the sense that if you have the opportunity, then strain your Postal office in the part that you are waiting for a parcel that does not tolerate long storage in warmth. Workers at the post office are now chronically lacking and delivery times are not met. But this is not so bad if it were not for cases of unfortunate mistakes and negligence. In our practice, there were several cases when the parcel lay quietly in the addressee's post office, and the postal workers "did not hesitate" to deliver the notification, or lost it, while the addressee attacked us with his telegrams.

Storage at the post office, as well as in general a long stay in any warm room, is dangerous for sent seedlings!

Something about the duties and guarantees of the mail.

If the postal department fulfilled its obligations exactly, then the seedlings by mail would entirely come in good condition. Here are some of the commitments currently in place.

Terms of sending postal items to different regions of Russia from Vladimir.

Here is what was hanging on the information stand of our post office at the beginning of 2012:

- Delivery within the city - 2 days.

- Delivery in the region - 4 days.

— Delivery to other cities of Russia - 7 days.

It is not clear whether exceeding these deadlines is a reason for filing claims.

The new location of a seedling received by mail in the spring.

The first month is the most important and responsible period, it is not without reason that it is often called nursing. If the plants are weakened, and their leaves are etiolated, you need to treat them as carefully as possible. First, the seedlings should be shaded. But the shading should not be very strong, and as the green color returns, it is gradually removed.

Correctly. As soon as possible, plant seedlings received by mail in open ground and water. Shade them from direct rays, until the process of photosynthesis is restored in the etiolated shoots, and they become green. Watering should be regular, but not excessive. For planting, it is advisable to choose a place protected from the winds. The soil must have good drainage. Watering is indicated to be carried out with a weak solution (in accordance with the instructions) of root formation stimulants (Kornevin, Epin, Heteroauxin, etc.). When the first leaves appear (as well as etiolated shoots at the beginning), it is advisable to spray them several times with a spray gun with the same solutions.

Not right. Landing in the sun under strong drying winds, on lean, quickly losing moisture soil. Irregular and insufficient watering.

Remember!

Carefully fill out the order form! Misspelled apartment number or postcode(even if the error is only in one digit), will entail the return of the item to the addressee in the future, and this is a disaster. Please note that mailers are no longer looking for an addressee, as was the case in the middle of the last century. By the way, this also applies to money transfers, if our postal code on the transfer form is indicated incorrectly, then at best we will have to go to another post office, at worst, the transfer will be sent back.

After reading the information on the received parcel, first of all, set the time it will be on the way. If it exceeds a week, then the shoots may already be etiolated. In this case, unpack the parcel with extreme caution, take out the plants carefully so as not to break the delicate bleached sprouts.

Russian mail is definitely not the most efficient mail in the world. But what cannot be accused of it is embezzlement of other people's money. For all the time (since 1995), we cannot name a single reliable case of the loss of a postal order due to the fault of the mail. Note that there were cases when transfers were lost as a result of dishonest actions of our mail workers, that is, they forged our signature and received money instead of us. Fortunately, this was always and very quickly found out and they were fired. At the same time, our clients did not even know about the adventures of their money.

In connection with the desire to send parcels with seedlings as quickly as possible, the time of spring mailing is a suffering for us, requiring the exertion of all forces. Therefore, during this period, we are in an extreme degree of fatigue, so there is simply no strength to answer calls. Please, if you have any questions, please contact email address or contact by regular mail.

We hope that we didn’t scare you too much with the dangers lurking when buying seedlings by mail?! We just, without concealment and in a concentrated form, showed all the subtleties and dangerous moments of this case. In this light, we consider you, our customers, as partners, on whom the final result also depends. After all, we are as interested in success as you are. If so, then your knowledge of all of the above will significantly bring our common success closer. Forewarned is forearmed!

Every gardener in winter prepares for the coming spring, for a new gardening season. There is enough time to read literature, prepare seeds and inventory. And most importantly - plan the purchase of the necessary planting material.

This article is devoted to the purchase of planting material that worries any gardener. I will also share mine personal experience packing and sending seedlings by mail.
I hope that my many years of experience and opinions on these important topics will be useful to readers of the Gardenia.ru website.

Buying seedlings from catalogs

In many cities there are garden centers and fairs that sell a variety of seedlings in a large assortment.
Gardeners living in small towns and villages are constantly faced with the problem of where to find and how to purchase quality planting material. They have few options: go directly to nurseries or to markets where seedlings are sold. However, the quality of market plants is sometimes doubtful, and in fact the planting material must be with a guaranteed purity of the species, variety.
It is not convenient for all gardeners to go to the nursery - the road is not close, and now trips are expensive ...

In this case, the most common option remains: purchase planting material by mail. Let's consider it in more detail.
For many years I have been dealing with planting material, constantly studying offers (from various large companies and private manufacturers) with sending seedlings by mail.

The main thing you need to pay attention to when purchasing seedlings in absentia is the guarantees of a conscientious seller for their products, as well as the proper preparation of plants for transportation. A quality seedling must be well packed in order to safely reach any corner of the country alive. It must be provided with an appropriate label with an inscription of the species, variety.
It seems that these requirements are small, but it becomes more and more difficult to find reliable sellers with such criteria every year.

The market for planting material offers is now oversaturated. When ordering plants by mail, many sellers simply deceive buyers: they promise one thing, but something completely different comes. You redeem the parcel and understand, as they say, that you "bought a pig in a poke."

How to choose a reliable plant seller

Many factors influence the condition and survival rate of purchased seedlings that have reached the buyer by mail.
Most importantly, seedlings should not be dug up in advance, but immediately before packaging, after which they are quickly packed and shipped.

It is also important that the parcel with seedlings be delivered to the addressee as quickly as possible.
Now mail began to work much better. For example, if earlier a parcel from Mordovia to Lipetsk traveled for a whole month, now it takes an average of 7-10 days. Class 1 shipments arrive a few days faster than regular parcels, but are much more expensive and have limited weight.

Let's start with who is better to contact when ordering plants - a large company or a private manufacturer, the owner of a small nursery.
We are watching promotional offers sellers and analyze them. The more complete all the data of the seller (full name, postal and electronic address, phone numbers, etc.) are indicated, the better. If the seller indicated only the city and the number of the post office box (PO Box), it is better to reject such an offer. After all, conscientious producers never hide their contact details, and often they even invite gardeners to come directly to his farm for seedlings.

The next point to pay attention to mainly concerns large firms.
First you need to find out the origin of the planting material - where it is produced: it is grown directly by the seller or the seedlings are purchased somewhere and then resold. A decent company must inform its potential buyers about this in advance. Before buying, the gardener must know exactly: where did this or that plant come from and what are its requirements for growth conditions. Then he has the opportunity to study this information and draw the right conclusion about the appropriateness of this acquisition. After all, it is important to find out in advance whether the plant you like will suit your requirements for the climatic conditions of the garden or not? It is also important to understand - will the gardener be satisfied with the characteristics of this plant?

According to my observations, major manufacturers often new types of plants and new varieties are cheaper due to what they offer a large number of seedlings, Exclusive plants are usually more expensive from a private seller; but this is not always the case, here you also need to study different proposals.

And, finally, the main thing - in most cases, in large firms, seedlings are dug out en masse before being sold. Consequently, with poor organization of further work in the company (when taking orders and sending parcels to the buyer), seedlings often lie and dry. In addition, the unstable work of the branches of the Russian Post, which cannot cope with the mass sending of parcels, leaves much to be desired. Consequently, seedlings are delayed for a long time in transit when delivered to the customer, and as a result they have poor establishment.

Small nurseries and private growers typically dig and pack seedlings when placing an order just before shipping. Consequently, such seedlings dry less on the way, reach the customer in an acceptable form.

Large sellers of seedlings often re-grading: they can write one variety and put another. Sometimes this happens simply by mistake - where a lot of people work, with mass shipments and a lack of time, there is always more confusion.
Private small sellers who value their reputation, each plant is carefully dug up, carefully packaged and signed.

So, everything has its pros and cons. In any case, before ordering seedlings, you need to study the sellers of plants and form your own opinion about them.

Experience of buying plants with delivery by mail

I will give personal examples of buying plants with postal delivery.

I purchased seedlings of indoor citrus fruits by mail from a private trader - orange imandarin. And only after receiving the plants discovered that they were grown from seeds. Therefore, it makes no sense to grow them in the future as indoor plants. After all, indoor varieties of citrus reproduce only by cuttings or grafting. And since the seedlings sent to me turned out to be grown from seeds, it turns out that they sold me a low-value wild stock at the price of a varietal seedling.

Another example is the purchase of seedlings from a large seller (I will not name him, I sent a claim to them). All planting material was imported, about which the seller did not notify me. My order contained new and rare, and therefore expensive varieties. As a result, it turned out that completely different plants grew than in the photo in the catalog.

For example, I bought the Empress U hosta from them. According to the description of this variety and the photo in the catalog, a bush with huge leaves (more than 1 m) should have grown. Of course, I did not immediately expect such large leaves, but I hoped to grow this particular variety, which over time will turn into a fairly large plant. He placed the seedling on fertile soil, sufficiently moist, with diffused light - what the host loves. As a result, I grew a nondescript, the most ordinary undersized hosta bush, appearance which (shape, texture, color and size of the leaves) is completely different from the description and photo of the Empress U variety.

The second hosta, ordered from the same seller, also brought me an unpleasant "surprise". In the photo from the catalog, the hosta variety "White Feathers" looks exotic - it has creamy white leaves unfolding. As a result, I have grown the most common hosta (with a small streak of light color in the middle of the green leaf), which is absolutely no different from the varieties I have. There was a sorting or ordinary deception. It is possible that the photo in the catalog contains a hosta grown in complete darkness; Or is it computer processing by Photoshop.

The third unpleasant "surprise" from the same seller is an iris seedling. An exclusive Black Dragon iris was ordered, which I carefully cultivated for three years. And when the plant bloomed, instead of beautiful flowers with blueberry-black velvety petals and a dark purple beard, the most ordinary blue flowers with a yellow beard opened (see title photo). All my long expectations were in vain, because such modest irises grow everywhere in our village...

These simple plants, which later disappointed me, were sent to me by a large seller of planting material instead of ordered expensive host varieties and an exclusive variety of iris.

My experience shows that there is often a banal deception in the sent varieties, and their replacement with outwardly similar plants, and large sellers simply get confused. For example, I ordered potato planting material, the Lazar variety. They sent me mini-nodules, it was hard to see the true color of the tuber peel on them. And in the fall, when harvesting, the purchased variety showed itself. This is not "Lazarus", which has a red skin - tubers with a white skin have grown. Well, if by external signs it can be determined: the wrong variety was sent. But sometimes the external differences in varieties are so insignificant that if a completely different plant is sent under one name, then this may not be determined visually. Or after some time you will realize that you are not growing what you wanted to buy.

Pros and cons of autumn and spring planting seedlings

I want to pay special attention to an issue that is no less important: the timing of the expulsion and planting of plants during the garden season.

Of course, it is better to send seedlings by mail in the fall. After all, plants in the fall are already in deep sleep. Therefore, no temperature fluctuations during the delivery of the parcel will cause the awakening and growth of seedlings.

In the spring, it is better for the customer to receive the plants. Indeed, in the summer it will be possible to observe the seedlings - how they develop on the site. Of course, during the garden season, seedlings will take root better, get stronger and prepare for winter than during autumn planting. While seedlings obtained in the fall do not always have time to fully take root in a new place and go into wintering with good strength (it is better to cover such seedlings for the winter).

The expulsion of seedlings in the spring is characterized by very short periods: before the snow has time to melt, everything begins to bloom. It is better to send plants in an unawakened form - this way they tolerate the shipment better. Otherwise, when the awakened seedlings arrive at the addressee, they already open all the buds in the parcel and begin to grow. But this is still permissible, the main thing is that they do not die, do not dry up.

Having received awakened plants by mail, you need to take special care of such seedlings. After landing in the ground, you need to gradually accustom them to the open sun, first covering them from direct sunlight.

Before spring shipment, it is desirable for buyers that seedlings be stored in special rooms - so that they can be sent out in advance of the planting date. That is, the plants should come to the buyer immediately by the date of planting in open ground or even a little earlier. However, not even all large nurseries have such premises with winter storage of seedlings (well, private manufacturers generally do not have such premises).

Packing seedlings for mailing

I will tell the readers of the Gardenia website. ru about his method of packing seedlings for mailing. In this way, for many years I have been packing and sending seedlings to different parts of Russia, and they have always arrived perfectly.

The most important thing in this business is to quickly and securely pack the root system for transportation. As you know, if the roots of a dug out plant are left without any shelter, then microscopic suction roots die already in the first minutes. The longer the roots are in the air, the more the root system dies. To prevent this from happening, the dug roots must be packed in moist (but not watery) suitable material as soon as possible.

Used to pack plant roots different materials: sawdust, peat, various synthetic fibers, just wet paper and much more. Recently, hydrogel has been used, but I personally have not used it, and therefore I can’t say anything about it.

I have been using moss for packing plant roots for a long time now. I collect moss in a pine forest, dry it and store it in bags.
To pack the roots of seedlings, dry moss is pre-soaked and then allowed to drain excess water. Ready-to-use moss should be damp, but no water should flow when compressed. As a result, moistened moss should contain water in the optimal amount: it should be neither too much nor too little.

I pack the roots of seedlings as follows. I take a piece of black film, spread a layer of moss on it and put the root system of the seedling on this moss. It is desirable that only roots are in the moss, it is not advisable to pack the trunk.
From above I cover the roots with another layer of moss. Then I carefully fold everything, wrapping the roots of the seedling as tightly as possible. And then I wrap it with wide tape on top - this is a very useful thing when packing seedlings.

The packaged seedling must be provided with a reliable tag with the name of the plant and variety. Tags are best made from aluminum cans(for example, from under beer), cutting them into small plates. I write the name on the plates, pressing the letters.
Such high-quality aluminum tags on planted plants can hang for many years - they do not rust, do not fade, and the name of the variety will not be lost.

PACKAGING OF SEEDLINGS FOR SHIPPING

Being engaged in mailing such a delicate and capricious culture as large-fruited garden strawberries, we are constantly working on improving packaging methods. Every year, during the distribution period, we lay control bookmarks to monitor the quality of seedlings preservation in different temperature conditions at different exposure times: all by analogy with sending. The only thing we can't recreate is throwing, throwing and pressing the load imposed from above.

Based on this, we draw conclusions and preferences. The filler can be any - no big difference was noticed, although it still exists. The main stumbling point of the quality of the shipment is the weather factor - I ask you to pay special attention to it. No matter how we pack in compliance with all our achievements, if there is a heat, do not expect anything good. We monitor the weather in the receiving regions, but it is not in our power to influence it already during the period of the parcel. Help me Lord here! It may seem funny to someone, but I baptize my parcels before sending.

Sometimes we receive instructions to send seedlings by a certain period - this does not correspond to the CONDITIONS of mailing. Our task is to ensure that the plants reach you alive - the rest is in your hands. Therefore, such requests are ignored - the climate is unpredictable and it is almost impossible to adapt to it.
The pictures below show the packing process.

The photo gallery gives a complete picture of it.

1 Packaging materials. 2. Crystalline hydrogel. 3. Wood chips.

4. Selected seedlings of the same variety. 4. Removing leaves. 5. Leaves removed.

6. Root shortening 7. Roots are trimmed. 8. Outerwear - PET bag

9. Chip layer. 10. A certain amount of hydrogel. 11. Chips again.

12. Formed "roll" 13. Ready roll. 14. A varietal label is pasted.

15. The label is fixed with adhesive tape. 16. Packaged MOQ= 5c*3pcs. 17. Order for 7-8 varieties

Shipping and payment

DELIVERY

Delivery is made by Russian Post or TC (transport company).

Type of departure - a regular PARCEL, when sent by the Russian Post, or a corrugated box (or TUK) when sent by a shopping mall (transport companies).

Sending orders by Russian Post is carried out daily, except Sunday, (TK) by a transport company - once a week.

PACKAGE

SEEDLINGS are packed in a double p / ethylene bag with a root system poured with a wet substrate (fresh sawdust of coniferous wood). Additionally, from mechanical damage, seedlings are packed in corrugated cardboard postal boxes.

CUTTINGS are packed in sealed plastic bags without adding any substrate, in order to avoid possible underheating of the cuttings. Additionally, the cuttings are packed in a corrugated box, which excludes damage to the cuttings during transportation.

When sending TK (transport companies), seedlings and cuttings can be packed both in BOXES and in BALES.

All orders are processed and sent as they are completed and convenient to set. We cannot give you an exact date for a specific order.

Track number postal departure (parcel) or invoice number (when sending the TC) is reported immediately after sending the order to the E-mail of the CUSTOMER.

MINIMUM ORDER AND SHIPPING COST.

The minimum order amount is 1 thousand rubles on cuttings ; 1.200 rubles for strawberry seedlings and 2 thousand rubles on SEEDLINGS.

The cost of PACKAGING, PACKAGING and SHIPPING across the territory of the Russian Federation by Russian Post is 30% - at the cost of the order up to 3 thousand rubles (but not less than 500 rubles!) and 20% - when ordering over 3 thousand rubles. Small order shipping calculation REMOTE regions made individually for each order!

Attention! The calculation of the shipping cost for your orders will be sent to you on email upon APPROVAL of the order

When sending a shopping mall (transport company), the cost of PACKAGING, COMPLETE the order and DELIVERY to the shopping mall office is a fixed amount of 500 rubles and does not depend on the amount of the order . Shipping cost to destination The CUSTOMER pays at the office of the shopping mall, upon receipt of the goods, at the rates established by the shopping mall.

We also inform potential customers that it is better to arrange the delivery of small orders by Russian Post, and not by TC, since delivery by Mail will be much cheaper than by TC. It is better to arrange the delivery of large orders by a TC (transport company), which will cost customers less than delivery by Russian Post. Delivery of TC cargoes is carried out to the nearest office of the transport company to the customer.

We also notify all customers that we do not and cannot be held responsible for the slowdown in the passage of orders due to the fault of the Russian Post or the transport company. In this case, you should not contact us, but these organizations, which are required to comply with delivery deadlines.

Note:

If you have chosen delivery by TK (transport company), ALWAYS specify Number and series of your passport(requirement of new legislation! -the federal law dated July 6, 2016 N 374-FZ « On Amendments to the Federal Law« On countering terrorism» ). The number and series of the passport must be only together with the order! Orders with TK dispatch (without passport data!), as well asa separate mailing by additional letter of these data will not be considered. Without passport data, we will not be able to send your order by a transport company and order (if it's paid!) will be sentRussian Post.Claims in this case will not be accepted! Please keep this in mind!

PAYMENT

ORDERS are sent and sent only after full prepayment of the order.

All orders are reserved in your shopping cart for 5 days. During this time you need to PAY for the order. If no payment is received during this time, the order will be cancelled.

Payment for the order is made on bank cards Sberbank of the Russian Federation, by bank transfer "Zolotaya Korona", to Qiwi wallet or by postal order.

Payment ONLY after the order is approved, when you will be sent the details for payment with the calculation of the cost of shipping by Russian Post!

After payment - MANDATORY confirmation of payment to our email (E-mail). It is enough to indicate ORDER NO..

We do not guarantee the execution of the order if the customer is not identified. Please let us know about the payment!