Shipping iris

I am a newbe and am eager to jump in with both feet. lol.

I see people sending iris for $2 postage. My question is, how do you package the iris for the mail? Do you use a padded envelope, a box or a priority mail box? I would think priority mail would be perfect but that costs a lot more than $2.

I understand about preparing them and cleaning them ..

Also, I have read that you should not dig iris until two months after they bloom. Should I wait until the middle of August or will they be OK to ship now?

Sure would appreciate any help. Thanks. Kay

I've used padded bags and small boxes sent first class mail for $2.00. It depends on how far it's going. I send them dry with shredded newspaper for cushioning. My optometrist saves his eyeglass boxes for me. They work great.

The rhizomes I sent out recently were too large for the padded envelopes,
especially with more than one. Wal-mart has boxes of about any size you
want. Mine were less than a dollar each and were more than adequate
for 4 to 6 rz's. I padded them with crinkled newspaper, for both less
weight and and moisture absorption. Unless you have an UPS pickup
near, the post office is ok. My boxes averaged something like $5.60.
I would be more than happy to pay in advance for mine. Also, priority
mail cost me 10 cents extra and the postal lady said it would mean the
difference of about 3 days over about a week.

We turn all sort of incoming boxes into outgoing boxes. The main large shipments are plants to the iris conventions. Our small shipments have been going for 4.80. I prefer priority mail as plants arrive in better condition.

You don't have to wait until two months after they bloom. You can dig and ship anytime as long as the recipient has time to get them in the ground at least 6 weeks before their first frost. If you're sending rhizomes to cold winter areas, the sooner you ship, the better.

I always ship by Priority Mail so that the rzs arrive as quickly as possible. The P.O. provides free boxes, labels, and packaging tape if you ship Priority, so you save some expense there. It'll still cost more than $2.00 to ship, though.

Laurie

I agree with irisMA and Laurie... priority mail and free supplies. Here's a link to the USPS. You can find an answer to most shipping needs here. http://www.usps.com/ If you want a cheaper alternative to priority, 1st class isn't bad, but the package cannot weigh over 12 ounces. (I believe that's the weight limit). Do not send by parcel post... would take too long to arrive. I highly recommend boxes over padded envelopes.You can get good (free) boxes from a shoe store, but you will most likely have to wrap them in brown paper for shipping. Newspaper shredded in a home/office shredder makes good packing material. If you're sending lots of packages, or just want boxes on hand to last several years here's a great place to buy. http://www.uline.com/index.asp?pricode=wc354

Good Luck... Dan

thanks for all the info. I have access to priority mail boxes but knew they would run a lot more than $2 and didn't want to have people think I was charging too much for shipping. I sounds as if I am OK.