mailing orchids

[clusty]

Hey,

Was curious how long can orchids tough in a parcel. I can imagine it depends on how it is packaged, but some rough times would be appreciated.

I gather it would take about 10 days for a package to arrive from Malaysia to Canada. Should I bother or I will be receiving some dead plants?

[SlipperGirl]

I have yet to have plants shipped to me but 10 days sounds like along time to be in a cold box with no water and no light. I dont think I would have them shipped.

[lambelkip]

It depends entirely on the type of orchid. Most blooming sized Vandas, Phals, Dendrobiums and Cattleyas can easily handle a 10 day trip. Certain other types, such as Catasetums, and tuberous terrestrials will normally only be shipped if dormant, and can often handle a couple months in transit. If you're planning on ordering miniatures, very young seedlings, or plants that require constant moisture at the roots, then you should be concerned.
Most vendors that do international shipping know how to package the plants, and what service to use to make sure the plants get there alive. You might want to check if there's a local source, first, so you can avoid fees & paperwork.

[RosieC]

I've had Paphs, Dens, Masdies and a Gastrochilus all cope fine with a 7 day trip and I think 10 days should be fine on ones like that. As Kip says ones that need constant moisture may have more of a problem.

[Silje]

I've had plants going on a two week safari (?!) before they finally ended up with me. I always buy a combination and quite many together, and this box contained bare-rooted (and a couple of mounts) of aerangis, vandas, catts and dendrobiums. All survived the trip. A couple have since passed on, but I take full responsibility for those. Oh, I've had one casualty in transport, a cochleanthes discolor it was a small plant and just dried out too much.

What I'm more interested in is how you go about doing the paperwork for cross-border transport. Is that fairly straight forward in USA and Europe/EU? Because down here it is a hassle and even if I would be willing to do my part of the bureaucratic paper mill, I find that it's difficult to convince suppliers to do the efforts regarding the phytosanitary certificate and sorting out the export permits.

[Wild Orchid]

Originally Posted by Silje

What I'm more interested in is how you go about doing the paperwork for cross-border transport. Is that fairly straight forward in USA and Europe/EU? Because down here it is a hassle and even if I would be willing to do my part of the bureaucratic paper mill, I find that it's difficult to convince suppliers to do the efforts regarding the phytosanitary certificate and sorting out the export permits.

Good point! I'd be interested to know the answer as well as that's why precisely it's rather difficult to ship even from US - PAPER WORK!!

[silken]

It's rather expensive and complicated to import orchids into Canada. Unless you are ordering a good number, it may not be worth the cost of getting the Phyto Sanitary certificate and the Cites permit. You should have it in advance as it can take weeks or more to get. I've never done it myself but our society has and I think the one form costs around $85.00 now but it may be good for a year. Then you have to either hire a broker or deal with Customs when it comes in. Your plants could be delayed there too unless you are lucky and get some good natured and understanding Customs officer. I'm not trying to be negative, but be sure you know all the rules before arranging for the order. A call to Customs and Excise should give you the info you need or likely from Gov't of Canada's website.

a better option is to join a local orchid society where group orders are done sometimes. Also attending orchid shows where vendors from all over the world bring plants. You can usually pre-order from them too. Then they do all the paper work and hassle and bring your plants to you!

[clusty]

Originally Posted by silken

It's rather expensive and complicated to import orchids into Canada. Unless you are ordering a good number, it may not be worth the cost of getting the Phyto Sanitary certificate and the Cites permit. You should have it in advance as it can take weeks or more to get. I've never done it myself but our society has and I think the one form costs around $85.00 now but it may be good for a year. Then you have to either hire a broker or deal with Customs when it comes in. Your plants could be delayed there too unless you are lucky and get some good natured and understanding Customs officer. I'm not trying to be negative, but be sure you know all the rules before arranging for the order. A call to Customs and Excise should give you the info you need or likely from Gov't of Canada's website.

a better option is to join a local orchid society where group orders are done sometimes. Also attending orchid shows where vendors from all over the world bring plants. You can usually pre-order from them too. Then they do all the paper work and hassle and bring your plants to you!

The vendor will provide a CITES certificate.
Do I still need to apply with the customs to be able to import them?

I received other stuff with just a phyto certificate. Have I been importing stuff illegally thus far ?

[silken]

Originally Posted by clusty

The vendor will provide a CITES certificate.
Do I still need to apply with the customs to be able to import them?

I received other stuff with just a phyto certificate. Have I been importing stuff illegally thus far ?

Having never done it myself I am not sure exactly what you need. As far as I know you need some of your own documentation to do it legally unless, maybe you can bring in a small number without. Our society always has some hoops to jump thru to import from valid growers in the U.S. Did the phyto certificate cost $$. If they cleared thru Customs OK, it must have been legal. Sometimes I am tempted to take a chance and try bringing something in. But if you get caught without all the paper, they will likely get confiscated. I guess if they wanted they could press charges, but I doubt it would come to that.

Here is a link from the Canadian Orchid Congress about importing that might be helpful. Importing Orchids into Canada

[clusty]

Once i bought seeds from Taiwan and he provided a phyto free of charge.

My current plans include buying from Malaysia and they charge about 15 $ for a phyto.

By the looks of it, a phyto is a bit annoying for the company, but nothing that costs a whole lot.