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Shipping Nepenthes Around X-mas

Dexenthes

Dexenthes

Aristoloingulamata
So this is been a long time in the making, and something I've taken too long to do. But I need to mail my N. bicalcarata to Colorado. I should have a month ago, but what with finals, student government, a job, new shipments of plants arriving, Christmas, and a thousand excuses excluding my connection to the plant:

DSCN5686.jpg


I'm looking to mail my N. bicalcarata tomorrow. The box is ready, large enough to fit the plant, and it is insulated with two inch foam on all surfaces. I've created a cardboard frame that will hold the root-wad. I've carved grooves that it fits in within the foam and taped it amongst those grooves. It appears to be quite stable. I've sealed all the crevices of foam with tape. I purchased some 72 hour heat packs and I intend to line the box with newspaper/packing material, and insert these packs throughout the packing material. Other than that I will of course wrap the plant from head to toe in a humidity bag of some kind. And attach it thoroughly to the root-wad base.

DSCN5735.jpg


I have a few concerns. I have mailed only one plant before and it suffered some mild damage on route. I did not pack it as extensively as I plan to pack this plant.

1.) Tomorrow is Dec. 20th, only five days from Christmas. Is this or is this not a terrible terrible idea to try shipping a live Nepenthes at this time of year?

2.) I plan on sealing the box up pretty good. What are the chances of temperature damage either hot or cold? Have I waited to long in the season to ship a lowlander like this? Or is it possible to over heat it with the packs, or is it possible that it will be grossly under heated?

3.) Those of you that are experienced with shipping large Nepenthes, what do you think of my plan, anything else I should do?

4.) Do it now? Or wait til after Christmas?

5.) Or am I just being ridiculous? :banana2:
 
No worries if your shipping it priority. It'll arrive in 3 days, rather than 2 though. That's the downfall of Christmas shipping. Be sure to pack the box full of packing peanuts or newspaper for extra insulation. And wrap the entire plant in newspaper to help protect the leaves and growth point from breakage.
 
Thanks mass, So you think even though it's christmas it wont run into any hiccups in the mail?
 
Only hiccup you should see is the one day delay.. but get tracking/confirmation just to be safe.
 
Not sure what the rules and exclusions are, but if it's a decent sized bical, you might consider taking some photos for documentation and buying insurance on it. Either way, use packing peanuts rather than newspaper. Newspaper works for lightweight things but if it gets compacted it loses a lot of it's cushioning power. And if it gets wet, game over. Packing peanuts are a much safer bet.
~Joe
 
seedjar said:
Not sure what the rules and exclusions are, but if it's a decent sized bical, you might consider taking some photos for documentation and buying insurance on it.
Click to expand...
I thought this came up previously iirc - I don't believe USPS will ensure plants.
 
You should probably insure the package as well. The only time I've had serious problems with Priority Mail has been in the weeks around Xmas.

It's expensive, but you can also spring for Express Mail and it will arrive overnight. Unlike Priority Mail, Express Mail is actually guaranteed to arrive within a given time, and you have a lot more recourse if something does go wrong.

Your setup looks pretty awesome, by the way. I don't ship very many lowland plants, but with that much foam and some heat-packs, I think the temperature should stay stable.
 
You don't want to use multiple heat packs! Those suckers get up to zillion degrees each, and more than one will surely fry your plant. Besides, packages aren't really out in the cold all that much during transit. That, and heat packs are only good for 24+ hours.. unless you pay $15 for the 48hr. suckers online.
 
  • #10
massmorels said:
Agreed.. but not everyone has access to them.
Click to expand...

True, but I suspect that shouldn't be a problem for anyone taking a package to a shipping outlet.
~Joe
 
  • #11
seedjar said:
True, but I suspect that shouldn't be a problem for anyone taking a package to a shipping outlet.
~Joe
Click to expand...

I'm trying to make fewer assumptions this new year. Was proven wrong WAY too many times throughout 2010.
 
  • #12
Thanks for the input guys. I am contemplating express mail... It'll cost an arm and a leg either way I'm sure.

So you really think that more than one heat pack would be too much?

They are 72+ hour heat packs. They say that they reach a peak surface temperature of 115 degrees F.

It's looking like it might be somewhat insulated. :\ So maybe it could reach too high of a temperature?
 
  • #14
Well see... Exo had told me that I should pack it full. Maybe he was exaggerating or being sarcastic I don't know.

But yea he said to use em all!
 
  • #15
I've been getting highlands, lowlands, dews, pings, and even cephs without a single heat pack all month long. And not one DOA this season. It's a low of 6* at night here.. with proper packing and insulation, a heat pack isn't even necessary with priority shipping.
This is what too much heat from a heat pack during shipping will make a plant look like.. trust me, I know.

100_2725.jpg
 
  • #16
If its the one coming to me, no rush. It looks like it will go though shipping great in that box.

See ya,
-Jeremiah-
 
  • #17
Alright thanks Jeremiah.


Mass - that's terrible! What kind of plant was that?

Should I use even just one heat pack?
 
  • #19
Last year I ordered two Nepenthes something like two weeks before Christmas. I remember it took them 5 days to arrive via priority mail with tracking. That's not the only time that has happened to me, either. Maybe I just have bad luck, but in my experience, USPS is not the most reliable service--especially during times of heavy mail traffic. I also had a plant freeze in the mail last year. It was only in the mail for a few days, it did not sit in the mailbox at all, and it was very well packed, but it was apparently exposed to some very cold temperatures during shipping:

February242010056b.jpg


While I wouldn't want you to cook your plant like Mass's, I have seen the benefits of using heating pads in moderation. Several of my plants were shipped with them last year and all of them came through just fine. I remember once I bought a few smaller plants which were packed with two heating pads, and they were right up against them when I opened the box, but none showed any signs of stress. (Although I definitely wouldn't recommend trying that yourself...)

The bottom line: usually priority mail will arrive just fine, with or without a heating pad. However, I know this plant is really special to you, so I wanted to make sure you had all the evidence. I wish you and your fanged beauty the best of luck during shipping :)
 
  • #20
Thanks Raven, that's really valuable input.

I feel like the USPS is just such an unknown. I shipped a CD once and they managed to snap that in half.

I'm thinking I might wait until after Christmas after hearing your story. I can deal with three days, but five sounds like pushing it.

And I really don't know where the mail will stop en route to the Rocky Mts.
 
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