How to pack and send rose cuttings through mail

Let me show you how you can share your roses with others.

The joy of having roses in the garden doesn't stop when the blooms age and petals fall on the ground. It is beyond these events. When blooms are spent and dead-heading begins, this is a good opportunity to save some cuttings for friends and neighbors.

Dead-heading rejuvenates my roses to produce more growth and flowers. Sharing rose cuttings builds and strengthens friendships. I could not ask for more from my roses.

This time I am sending some cuttings to my fellow rose lovers from different parts of Malaysia. I usually send rose cuttings via normal/standard mail.

My Kg Pink Classic now has its turn to donate some stems. I noticed the stems were long and arching and just finished flowering, perfect for cutting and enough for give-away.

How to pack rose cuttings for sending via normal/standard mail:

Step 1: 
Of course, get some cuttings first.(How to take good cuttings will be explained in another post)

Step 2:
Wash the cuttings. This will free them from dirts, pests and foreign substance. Don't forget to wash the underside of leaves too. 

This always is the best time to re-evaluate the cuttings, see if they are really good ones. Too spindly or young may not root well, so does too woody.

Step 3:

Soak them in water for few hours to ensure they have adsorbed enough fluid. It's going to be a long journey ahead for these cuttings. Dry cuttings will never get to root.

When soaking, the bottom ends of the stems should be in water. That is the thorns should be pointing down. The leaves should be free from being under water as this will damage them and encourage bacteria/fungus to grow.

Step 4:
Hold stems together and wrap the bottom ends with cotton balls. 

When I am out of cotton balls, I steal some of my facial cotton pads, they work just fine. You may also opt for florist sponges. 

Two or three piece of balls or pads usually are sufficient, depending on the number of cuttings you are sending. Tied these to the bottom ends of the stems with a rubber band. The band should hold the stems together. Be careful when doing this as not to prick your fingers.

I don't snap off the thorns and I don't think you should. Good cuttings are cuttings without any injuries as open wounds are like doors for bacterias to enter and damage the cuttings.

Step 5:
Wet the cottons. It should be wet thoroughly but not dripping wet. Wet cottons works to supply water to the stems.

Wrap the cottons with an aluminium foil and loosely wrap the stems with a piece of wet kitchen/paper towel. This will protect the cottons and stems from drying too quickly. 

The paper towel acts as a blanket covering and protecting the stems and keeping them cool and moist. It helps in absorbing excess water from evaporation and preventing the thorns from sticking out and pricking the envelope.

Step 6:
Place the stems in an A4-size plastic bag. You can have this in any size you like but for the quantity of 4-5 cuttings, the A4-sized plastic bag seems working well for me. Bag too small will cramp the cuttings and damage the leaves. 

Step 7:
Fold the top of the plastic bag and seal it keeping in mind to leave some air in. Be mindful that the cuttings need to breathe too. You gave them water, you also need to give them air!

The inflated bag too will assist in preventing the cuttings from being flatten or folded during posting. It also helps in keeping the thorns away from the envelope/plastic bag.

You may get a thicker plastic bag that is not easily pierced. However, I work with just the normal ones you can easily purchase from grocery or stationary store.

I forgot to put in the paper towel. But sealing should be somewhat like that.

Sealing can be done by running the folded edge along on candle fire. 

Step 8: 
You can wrap the plastic bag with a bubble wrapper for a layer of extra cushion. You may also opt for an envelope that is already bubble-wrap ready (but this can be a bit costly). 

Most of the time I skip this. Thus far, my cuttings are all safely received with or without the bubble wraps.

Step 9:
Put the bag in an A4-sized envelope, seal it and don't forget to tape it as well.

You may want to write the address on first.

I usually write 3 things; the recipient address, the 'Do Not Fold" and my name as sender on the back. I don't usually write my/return address as getting it back after 7-10 days undelivered doesn't serve me any good. The cuttings are a goner by then.

Step 10: 
Stick a stamp and post it. 

For 4-6 cuttings, I would put a RM1 stamp. Please be advised to get the mail weighed at the post office. The cost could be lesser or more than what you thought it would be. Since I do this a lot, the RM1 stamp is usually suffice for that amount of cuttings.

The cuttings will reach the recipient in approximately 3-4 days.

Exchanging and sharing rose cuttings is what rose hobbyists are practicing. It is the easiest and cheapest way of adding new roses into one's collection. It also adds joy and fun in growing roses and sharing always is fun.

Kg Pink Classic:

Kg Pink Classic and Green Apple.

About to unfurl.

Hope these instructions are helpful and hope you find joy in roses and in sharing!


Copyright of Rough Rosa