Step 1. WRAP CUTTING BASE IN TOWELS: We take a wet paper towel and wrap it around the base of the cuttings. This will provide moisture so that the cuttings do not dry out during shipping.
Step 2. BAG THE CUTTING: Cuttings are placed in a ZipLoc bag and sealed.
Step 3. LABEL THE CUTTING: The bag is then rolled up and a piece of tape placed around the rolled bag so that it does not unroll during shipping Once the bag is rolled up and taped, the variety name is written using an indelible marker—a Sharpie brand marker does a good job. At this point, the cuttings are ready to box up and ship. You may want to place all your bags of cuttings in a 2-gallon zip lock bag and seal it up before boxing. The 2-gallon bag is an extra precaution against water leakage which can really freak the post office out!
Step 4: SHIPPING THE CUTTINGS: We have found that the best and least expensive way to ship cuttings is to use Priority Mail from the US Post Office - a small box is about $8.00 and can accommodate up to three sets of cuttings. The best day to ship is Monday to give the Post Office the chance to deliver before the weekend. Shipping late in the week can result in cuttings sitting in a hot truck over the week end— this can kill cuttings during the hottest summer months. So please don't take the risk, ship early in the week to be safe. Also, using the LARGE Priority Mail box will force the postal carrier to bring the box up to the house instead of leaving it in the curbside mail box where it can cook.
DO NOT ship express mail. Though the cuttings arrive overnight, the $25.00 shipping fee is excessive and defeats the money saving goal of trading cuttings. Sorry, we do not ship out of the country.