Cutting Preparations from Sellers

DCallahan said:
My "ideal" Seller will simply label the cutting individually with a marker or tag. drop it in a ziplock bag and ship it to me using an option that it will arrive in 2-3 days.
I've bought many hundreds of cuttings over the past few years, The ones I have the least rooting percentage are the ones where the seller has "cleaned" them before shipping. I cringe when I hear of people using high percentage bleach baths. My reasoning for not wonting the seller to clean them is because if Im going to store them long term I will clean them before striking them, so then they get cleaned twice. Also the added cleaning step is another place for cutting variety mix ups.
When we buy cuttings, we are buying a chance to have a new variety, I just want the best advantage of bringing that cutting to a beautiful full-grown tree.
If I'm rooting my cuttings fresh from the tree I do nothing to them, If they've been in the fridge a spell, they get a light scrub using a soft toothbrush and a 2 gallon basin of warm soapy Dawn dish soap and about 1/4 ounce of kitchen bleach.
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I agree, my list of biggest problems I've received are.... cuttings wrapped with a wet paper towel, cuttings bouncing around dry inside a box, cuttings that have been washed and cleaned ( introducing too much moisture), and the always fun cuttings that are old and dead on arrival. To be honest Ibam not crazy about individually saran wrapped either, unless its just for a very short time.
 
Mark cutting with gold paint pen as cut (one var. at a time) let sit till sap stops leaking out (usualy less than 10 min.) wrap in saran wrap ,label with masking tape (var. and date cut) ship in 24 hr by priority mail . done thousand ++ never had a complant . NOTE :SMALL DIAM. CUTTINGS (PENCIL SIZE OR A LITTLE LARGER ARE BEST FOR BARK AND OR CLEFT GRAFTING ) BUYER SHOULD INDICATE WHAT THERE GOING TO DO WITH THE CUTTINGS AND IF THEY DO NOT WANT APLICABLE BUD .
 
I like cuttings.... I don't really care about the thickness, pencil size or bigger is better, but I have rooted and grown thinner..... Much thinner.... I like them in a zip lock, and labeled independently, and thats it! Nothing fancy, no time spent cleaning them, just clip, label and ship
 
I like them individually labeled and packed in a ziplock, into a bubble mailer. Preferably washed. Especially coming from humid places, I’ve seen my own cuttings and how much rust and fungus growth can be on them. It’s a stark contrast from cleaned and non cleaned.

I spend the time to wash mine with a little soap and diluted bleach with a soft scotchbrite sponge. Individually labeled and mark the top for newbies. I’ll parafilm top and bottoms of expensive cuttings, but the rest go in a ziplock with a dry paper towel and off they go in a bubble mailer.

I meticulously sort and label them, even thru washing…. I understand the frustration of getting a cutting that’s not what it is.
 

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Bofig said:
This causes mold in my opinion. Paper towels hold mold spores and they have the perfect environment to flourish.
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Not in my own experience. I wash and dry all mine. paper towels haven’t molded in my storage, they soak up extra condensation and I switch with a fresh one if I notice one getting too wet. The dry paper towel in shipping for the same purpose. Who knows how many temp swings the cuttings goes thru before its destination. IMHO, I believe the towel soaking up moisture is helpful during transit.
 
JC Figgy said:
Not in my own experience. I wash and dry all mine. paper towels haven’t molded in my storage, they soak up extra condensation and I switch with a fresh one if I notice one getting too wet. The dry paper towel in shipping for the same purpose. Who knows how many temp swings the cuttings goes thru before its destination. IMHO, I believe the towel soaking up moisture is helpful during transit.
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Not saying you’re wrong at all, I’ve just had mostly bad experiences receiving cuttings wrapped or with paper towels. Could just be the person preparing the cuttings before I got them not cleaning or prepping properly. Saran Wrap on summer cuttings is like instant death if it’s more than a few days. I received many cuttings in a grocery sack loose after several days looking perfect still so sometimes less is more.
 
ChesapeakeFigs said:
I agree, my list of biggest problems I've received are.... cuttings wrapped with a wet paper towel, cuttings bouncing around dry inside a box, cuttings that have been washed and cleaned ( introducing too much moisture), and the always fun cuttings that are old and dead on arrival. To be honest Ibam not crazy about individually saran wrapped either, unless its just for a very short time.
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Old, dead, and shriveled up is always fun. I even got a response from a seller to those types of cuttings to just soak them repeatedly in hot water.
AIso love to open a package and see the cuttings vacuum packed, like wow, you just tried sucking the life out of these things.

Like you I'm not crazy about the multi layers of stretch wrap, I just think its unnecessary.
 
JC Figgy said:
Not in my own experience. I wash and dry all mine. paper towels haven’t molded in my storage, they soak up extra condensation and I switch with a fresh one if I notice one getting too wet. The dry paper towel in shipping for the same purpose. Who knows how many temp swings the cuttings goes thru before its destination. IMHO, I believe the towel soaking up moisture is helpful during transit.
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I Agree. Having some breathing room, and something that takes up excess moisture can help both in transit and in storage. A wet paper towel is almost always a bad thing, but a dry paper towel keeps water droplets from collecting and has always helped for me. This year I had good results with cuttings I cut in December and rooted 11 months later in October, especially if you occasionally check on them
 
Kompakfigs said:
As a buyer, maybe see some pics of the cuttings before finalizing the transaction and shipping.

If I’m paying $100 for a cutting, I would like to see the tree it came off of, a ceremony of the cut and the seller praying that the cutting will root for the buyer. 😜
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NEVER mentioned it before but once a year i throw clams at the sunrise as a sacrifice to the fig cutting gods ! NEVER fails to protect cuttings from evil .
 
Kompakfigs said:
As a buyer, maybe see some pics of the cuttings before finalizing the transaction and shipping.

If I’m paying $100 for a cutting, I would like to see the tree it came off of, a ceremony of the cut and the seller praying that the cutting will root for the buyer. 😜
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I do this for all my buyers. I do think that’s a nice gesture to provide that. It’s actually a good record too, In case you somehow miscounted or forgot a cutting.
 
I personally don’t want them washed and then stored. All that does is lead to added moisture in the fridge. If someone is sending me a tiny cutting, I just want them to be upfront with me before hand. Labeling the cutting legibly would also be a appreciated.
 
I expect more from them in cutting quality, length, and number of nodes. Please do not cut the bottom of the cutting with no room to spare right against the bottom node! Especially if you are only sending a cutting with two or three nodes.

Do not wash, sanitize, or wrap anything. Just label and put them in a ziploc dry. No wet towels! A dry towel is okay to absorb condensation. No parafilm!! No wax!

(I may allow wax if they have to be stored by the seller before shipping, but it is a pain to get off, and I often have to cut them.)
 
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