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[JMZ]

I’m just curious how people manage to successfully mail salvia cuttings. I nearly lost my three plants last winter, but they each have one sickly little sprig. I think they will eventually bounce back. People have asked for salvia in the past, and I’ve never been able to mail them. I’ve sent rooted and unrooted cuttings, but they always arrive looking like cooked spinach. Last year I just gave up on it out of frustration. I know it can be done, that’s how I got my first plant after all. So what’s the secret to mailing salvia? Hopefully I’ll have some cuttings for next summer.

[Frog Pajamas]

The trick is to wrap the cut end with a moist paper towel and put the entire cutting in a gallon ziplock. If you don't put the entire plant in a sealed bag/container, they dry out horribly like you had.

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[GoodEarth]

Removed by user

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[GoodEarth]

Removed by user

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[The Seedist]

So what’s the secret to mailing salvia?

http://sharetheseeds.me/forum/index.php?topic=3834.0

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[ONandONandON]

i use same techniques described by other posters, but i'm bored and want to post too..

- un-pot plant and shake off most of the soil, careful not to damage roots.
- wrap roots in damp (not wet) paper towel, (i splash drops of water after wrapping dry towel)
- saran wrap the towel covered roots, (i place plant in middle of saran wrap, and fold over, and over)
- saran wrap the whole plant, (it usually needs a second saran sheet to cover the top of plant)

and so ... i used to wrap plants in a plastic bag to keep it from moving around in the box,
but now i usually just tape the saran-wrapped plant down in the box so it doesn't move.
i like to use painters tape so that doesn't make it impossible to remove from saran wrap.

[JMZ]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully I’ll have some salvia to mail next year. I’ve tried it like the second post says, and it didn’t work. It arrived looking like cooked spinach. Maybe it didn’t work because I always tried it in the hot months of summer and they just baked in the mail.

[suchness]

Depending on the size of the plant....I have had luck with newspaper - moist newspaper wrapper around the roots and then plastic wrapped and tape around the top of that. Then more news paper dry wrapped around the whole plant. then in a box and newspaper balls around the plant so it wont move around in the box.

[OfCows]

While I remember, if anybody wants a copy of GoodEarth's now-deleted (and illustrated) mailing Salvia guide, he gave me a copy to work up for one of my websites...

COME BACK GOODEARTH!

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[kykeion]

There are a variety of clamshell cases designed for shipping plants available. Just google "clamshell plant mailer." At about $2 a pop it probably isn't worth always using, but is an option for fragile or less common plants.

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[eel]

What works quite well is a PVC pipe, just a small one usually about 4 cm in diameter (depending on plant size), roots wrapped in damp paper-towel and then the end taped off, that then put in a bubblewrap envelope  

[Hopfrog]

Well, they aren't cheap, but a place called "Salvia Divinorum Plants for Sale" guarentees live and rooted delivery for what you'd pay for any decent sized potted plant from a nursery.