john_ny

I notice, on the top of the page, it says that I haven't posted in several weeks. This was for several reasons. First, just plain busy. Second, I really don't have any questions at present, and I can't give many answers because I feel I'm not experienced enough with bananas. I've been trying to read some of the threads, but there's just so much here. One I noticed was where it said something like' "Post if getting Siam Red from Agri-Starts". That caught my eye as I've been doing business with Agri-Starts for many years. I read every page of that thread, and still wasn't sure what was going on. (Just today, I found another thread, where I think the discussion started, and I determined that someone was going to get some rare plant for $500.00, or something, and have it tissue cultured, or grow pups from it, to distribute to contributors.) Reading the thread, I saw numbers like $20 and $40, and couldn't figure it out. I looked at my Agri-Starts price list, and couldn't find anything over $2.00 on it. I think the most expensive plant I've bought from them (banana, or other) was $1.50. It took me a while to figure out what the big numbers were for. I'm selling some basjoo for $45.00, but they're 8-10 feet tall.
Since I don't have a lot of experience, I have limited myself, so far, to basjoo, lasiocarpa, Dwarf Cavendish, and Hi Color Mini.
When I get plants from A-S, the boxes are usually delivered to the plant transport company, by A-S. They are paced on the truck, and not handled again unti they reach me, so there is very little breakage.
I used to get a lot of tropical fish, via air freight. They were packed in plastic bags, inside styrofoam lined boxes . (similar to the cheap styro coolers, sold in super markets) Recently, I got some Hibiscus liners. Granted, these are not quite as fragile as bananas, but the grower had removed them from the cell trays, placed them in plastic bags, inside what looked like a fish box. Sure enough, the cover was embossed with a Florida Fish Farmers Association logo.
Sometimes, I get plants sent by Fed-Ex, or UPS and, sometimes the boxes get turned over, all the plants come out of their cells, and some get broken.
I noticed. in the thread, that some plants were broken, in shipping. One grower, once, had an inovative way to prevent this; he filled the box with shredded styrofoam, right up to the top. The plants were all held in place.
So, my suggestion, for shipping one small plant:
If you need a 2 inch by 2 inch by 4 inch space for the plant, get a 4" X 4" X6" high box.
Cut pieces of 1" thick styrofoam, to fit all 4 sides, top and bottom.
Place the bottom, and side pieces in the box.
Tie a baggie around the root ball of the plant, and place in the box.
Fill the space around the plant with the finely shredded (not peanuts) styrofoam, to 1 inch from the top, gently tapping as you fill, to get the styro settled.
Place the top 1" piece of stro on top.
Close and seal box.
The pieces of styro help insulate from cold, and the shredded stuff insulates and keeps the plant from flopping around.

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John