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Mailing plants to California

  • Thread starter lambdlth
  • Start date
Hello - I am moving from Duluth, MN to California in two weeks. Naturally, my biggest concern is getting my plants there safely. I plan to mail them the day before I leave (as I am flying) and hopefully they will arrive the day after I am in my new home.

Question is...are there any potential problems shipping plants into California? My preference is to not bare root them, as I will have a handful to deal with upon my arrival. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
 
nope, just ship any way you want! we're not like hawai'i with all the restrictions.
 
Something to consider is checking the as cargo baggage as you fly. Weather is your biggest problem at the moment.
 
Something to consider is checking the as cargo baggage as you fly. Weather is your biggest problem at the moment.

Maybe it's just because I'm used to international flight, but I'd advise against this if at all possible. I've had so many of my checked baggage items opened over the years. If they find plants, not sure what they do, but I could see it being a pain in the butt.

Since you said you will leave the plants in their soil, I'd imagine that weather shouldn't be too great of a concern.

If it were me, and weather permitted, I would ship them via the post. There you can just write "live plants" on the box and not need to worry about some guy sorting through them, not zipping something back up, etc, etc.

I've had more baggage items lost than pieces of mail. Percentage-wise I've lost HUGE amounts more baggage than items via the post. For all the guff that people give the USPS, I haven't had too much trouble. And you can always spring for overnight shipping if you're worried about the box sitting somewhere cold for long. I take it that your address in Cali wont be too chilly (c'mon, it's California! ;) ).
 
I was under the impression CA was one of those states which requires a phyto ticket. IIRC many Ebay plant sellers won't ship there along with AZ, OR, GA, HI, etc. So you might not wanna write live plants on the box like you would in a state that's not wacky about it (like MN). Best to find out from the state of CA if you can somehow. Do they have a state Agricultural dept. you can contact and ask about it? Make sure they know it is a collection of rare greenhouse / terrarium plants and not common agricultural / farm plants that you want to ship to your new address. Agricultural pests is what they are so uppity about over the importing of plants and fruit in CA.

If you know Jerry from Orchids Ltd down here in Plymouth, MN you can ask him about rules of shipping orchids and CPs to CA since he does it all the time. Even if you don't know him I'm sure he'll help out with some information. PM me if you need his website's address since posting a link might be construed as advertising or something.

I'm sorry to hear that I'll loose one of the few CPers in my state! :(

But I'm sure it'll kick butt being able to grow many of these plants more easily outdoors in that climate! :D
 
Cargo services are not the same as checked baggage. You have to make special arrangements for it.

For example:
http://www.unitedcargo.com/services/SpecFlowers.jsp

It's hard to really get any information on the website, since it deals with shipping everything from pets, pallets, the dead, food, etc...

Every air service will probably have a service like this, I have no idea how much it costs though.

But just an option if you need it, not sure if you have 10 or 100. 8)
 
IIRC this guy has a greenhouse of Neps! :)
 
Don't ship to Ga.?I have had no problems with live plants shipped here.My mother sold African Violets on Ebay and shipped them to the 48 states only and never had a problem.
 
the only state that is stingy is hawaii. now if everything is done completely how the USDA wants it done, thats a different story, one filled with dead plants/
 
  • #10
I heard a lot of stories about CA & plant shipments back in my orchid trading days and was told that boxes labeled "live plants" are sometimes pulled for inspection. So I never labeled them. I doubt the USPS opens them, but maybe the CA Ag Dept. stakes out PO distribution facilities. They try to make sure plant pests & diseases are only shipped out of CA, not brought in. You're far less likely to spread something bad if you ship bare-root, even though it can be more stressful on the plants. If you have a greenhouse full of plants to ship, maybe that'll be enough business to help the USPS stay open 6 days per week.
 
  • #11
Thanks for all of the advice. Feeling a lot more confidant now.

Swords - I am sorry to be leaving also. One of the reasons I moved to Minnesota was for the diversity of flora. This state has an amazing abundance of carnivores, all a hop, skip and jump from top to bottom, and side to side. Not only is it the Land of Lakes, it is equally the Land of Wetlands. I'll miss it!!!

If you haven't been, get up to Grand Marais and see the Pings. It'll knock your socks off.

Happy growing, Chuck
 
  • #12
we can bost a fair amount of carnivores too! :) 3 genera...the darlingtonia bogs will really knock your socks off! What part of Cali are you coming into?
 
  • #13
How long have you been in Duluth? My parents know people in AZ who couldn't wait to leave Duluth, but I've been wanting to see that area for years. I thought I was finally going a few years ago when I had funding for a conference being held there. I had vacation days lined up for after the conference and had reservations in a hotel, at the beginning of a long trail system, that was going to give me free bike and canoe rentals. I should have realized it was all too perfect and, sure enough, management where I used to work screwed around with the paperwork for long enough that I couldn't go. I hope to get there some day because I love the "look" of the Lake Superior area and I'm fascinated by the region's geology.
 
  • #14
Cargo services are not the same as checked baggage. You have to make special arrangements for it.

Ah, thanks for explaining the difference. At first I was like "MAN, you couldn't pay me to put plants in my baggage." :p
 
  • #15
When I was a kid, my family went to the rainforest in Oregon. I was about twelve. I will never forget seeing Darlingtonia growing in the boggy understory. They were amazing. Hopefully, I will return there some day.

I grew up in San Francisco, have lived in Duluth for 10 years, and am now returning to San Francisco. When you visit Duluth, the first question everybody will ask is "why did you come here?" Well, it is an incredibly beautiful place, strangely hip (even by San Francisco standards), and if you love the outdoors, you have found Nirvana. To live here on the other hand...the winters are long, and some of the coldest in the country. A couple weeks ago, it was -40 degrees (without windchill).

So, I highly recommend visiting. Moving here will test your adaptability.

If you ever intentionally plan a vacation to Minnesota, book a cabin at Lake Burntside Lodge in Ely, MN, right on the edge of the Boundary Waters. It's amazing. Who knows, might even see a moose!
 
  • #16
nope, just ship any way you want! we're not like hawai'i with all the restrictions.

Guess again:

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/PHPPS/
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/InteriorExclusion/ext_summary.html
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/InteriorExclusion/houseplant_FAQ.html

Your packages should be labeld "live plants" and they will be inspected by the CDFA if originating from a quarantine area. Trying to sneak them in by not labeling the packages "plants" could lead to fines if the postal inspectors open the packages for any reason.
 
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