Deflasked Fritz Schomburgs, this will be a challenge

[tnyr5]

Got a flask of Fritz Schomburgs today. As soon as I saw the package, I knew this was going to be interesting.

I think the postal service actually kicked this package at some point. Not sure if a "fragile" sticker would have helped.
The flask looked...well like a flask that had been shipped without a fragile sticker lol. Not so much a flask as a ball of agar, shredded paper, and disembodied roots with some tiny plants mixed in. It was packed nicely enough, but thepacking method didn't seem to work.

Consequently, there was no choice but to wash the agar away & put them straight into compots, rather than potting them with the agar for a month like I did with my Jason Fischers.
I put them in some boiled sphag and perlite for now. All told, I have about 26 after losing 8 or so to shipping damage. We'll see how they do. Most are very, very tiny with only one root.

 

[gonewild]

How far did it travel?

 

[tnyr5]

CA to PA, so certainly not an insignificant trip.

 

[NYEric]

Good luck.

 

[Cat]

Hope the shipping did not do to much damage on them. So you planned to pot them with the agar? I only ask because I have not potted with the agar myself. I remove most of it and I have a flask of Phrag Fritz Schomburg (besseae “Mega” X kovachii “Leonardo Andre” FCC/ AOS) from OZ coming in sometime around April 13th.

 

[mrhappyrotter]

Goooooooo USPS!

To be honest, I doubt even a 3 inch layer of fragile stickers on the outside of the box would have made a difference in how they treat your packages.

As you can tell, I'm a little disgruntled with USPS. They frequently fail to put a notice in my mailbox to alert me that I have a package waiting in the office (they won't leave it at the mail center anymore, and they won't deliver to my door). They also have a habit of electronically marking packages as delivered, but not bothering to actually deliver it until several days later. I guess it looks better on their reports if they lie about having delivered on time. And something about shipments of plants, it's like those stickers stating "perishable" "fragile" and "live plants" are a beacon to have the boxes crushed, kicked, dropped, or otherwise mechanically damaged.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Rage mode deactivated. I do hope your phraglings adjust and thrive.

 

[tnyr5]

Lol calm yourself man! Deep breaths.
Cat, this is the same cross you're getting. Check my Jason Fischer thread, those were started with the agar on for a month.

 

[orchid527]

Don't know if it is the case this time, but I see this frequently when the medium is a little on the soft side. It comes loose in the flask and tumbles into a ball, and in the process does a lot of damage to the plants. I doubt if USPS is ever going to take special care of any package you ship and I don't think there is any way to protect the flask to prevent the damage, except to open the flask and add soft packing to fill the void.

Sad to hear this as I will be receiving one of these tomorrow, and I'm sure it will look just like yours.

Mike

 

[tnyr5]

Mike, I'm sure yours will be better. I'm extremely unlucky.
Post pics when you get it .

 

[abax]

The only way to ship plants for me is FedEx two day. It's
worth the extra cost to me to receive intact plants. So sad
about your tumbled babies, but it might have a happy ending.

 

[Ruth]

Recently, I learned that fedex 2 day has a central location that all packages go to. I live in Idaho. A plant coming to me from California would go to the Tennesee fedex distribution center and then come back to me in Idaho. The only answer with fedex is one day which costs a fortune

 

[gonewild]

I doubt if USPS is ever going to take special care of any package you ship.

You are supposed to label packages that contain live plants. Put a big red sticker on every side of the box that says "Live Plants, Fragile, Keep from heat and cold". The label does make a difference. If you make your box look special and important most USPS personal will respect the package. If it looks like it contains shoes it will get treated like shoes.

and I don't think there is any way to protect the flask to prevent the damage, except to open the flask and add soft packing to fill the void.

That is correct. Best to ask the seller to deflask the plants for you. Learn to grow the seedlings without the agar.

 

[cnycharles]

Ouch. I have had very good luck with USPS and timely safe delivery. I did receive some bletilla tubers in the street side mailbox last week instead of inside the front door but it was 'warm' enough and they were perennials

Don't ask about intl delivery of paph flasks; they looked just like yours or worse and were quickly dead

 

[tnyr5]

Yeah, lesson learned. I'll stick with my rule from now on and only buy things I can see in person.
Despite that, I am GOING to save most of these babies. This is a full-blown mission now lol.

 

[theorchidzone]

We can replace the plants. My shipper is new. We should have sent entirely out of flask.
Please let us know.
JC

 

[tnyr5]

The Orchid Zone, being the awesome group of people it is, has made me an offer I can't refuse lol.

 

[gonewild]

The Orchid Zone, being the awesome group of people it is, has made me an offer I can't refuse lol.

Breaking your new rule already???? oke:

No reason to avoid shipping plants with USPS as in reality most of the time plants arrive fine. OZ recognized the problem was an error on a new persons part so.... apologize to USPS.

 

[tnyr5]

The only way you'll get me to apologize to USPS is by slow, painful torture, and I don't think you've got the

 

[gonewild]

USPS has the essos to punish you. Now you don't dare order any more plants through the mail.

 

[Ozpaph]

Wont boiling the sphagnum moss kill it? Wouldnt it be better alive?