Emergency Advice Needed!!!!

[Renegayde]

I had to work later than normal today.....normally my mail does not arrive till after 3 in the afternoon but today when I got home at 3:05 between my doors was the box containing the Paph Helvetia.......the pot felt cold to the touch however the leaves of the plant are not drooping or mushy or wilted at all.......should I just let it come to temp in the Apartment or should I un-pot it and get the chilled dirt away from the roots and let it come up to room temp.......its about 55 degrees in my apartment as I turn the heat basically off when I got to work and the turn it up to about 66 or so when I get home....so its going to be a slow warming up either way...... not real sure when it was actually dropped off as the tracking # is showing only the acceptence info in FL where it was shipped from..What should I do guys?

Todd Cook

 

[NYEric]

hold the pot between your thighs to warm it up. :evil:

 

[Renegayde]

ROFLMAO........not sure that would warm it up much


Todd

 

[NYEric]

If the leaves aren't damaged then it's probably OK to just let the whole thing come up to temp, although a warmer room wouldn't hurt.

 

[goldenrose]

I would just let it warm up gradually, as in nature (and not between one's legs!).
I don't think I'd unpot it, could add more stress, IMO.
Good Luck!

 

[NYEric]

She's no fun! :evil:

 

[goldenrose]

ROFLMAO........not sure that would warm it up much Todd

She's no fun! :evil:

OH ye gads! What have I gotten myself in to? :crazy:

 

[Renegayde]

LOL.....at this point in time there does not appear to be any damage to the leaves....here are a couple of pics of what it looks like right now.....the potting medium and pot are not like ice cold just chilled....the temp here right now is 21 degrees and I do not think the pot or the potting medium feel that cold...the last pic which is a outdoor pic shows the plant the way it was when it was listed on E-bay....after taking these pics and looking over the plant as things show up in pics you do not always notice with the naked eye.....there are some new growths down in the pot that and it appears to be VERY root bound.....the pot is hard to the touch like there are lots of roots inside the pot and the pot is split as you can see in the one pic.....the seller had stated the plants definetly needed a re-pot


Todd

 

[nikv]

I think you're plant was brought indoors in time. Doesn't appear to be any cold damage. I received a shipment of two paphs week before last and the heat pack didn't keep them warm enough. I opened the package to two severely damaged paphs. The leaves were totally brown and mushy. One was a complete loss and the other had a small growth on the side that survived. But it will be two years before I see it flower (if I'm lucky).

 

[Renegayde]

WoW sorry to hear that......does it really get that cold in San Francisco?

 

[nikv]

^ ^
No, they were being shipped from Wisconsin. It was in the seventies here during that time. So whatever damage happened occured on their end. The seller was kind enough to offer me credit even though he's not technically liable. And insurance doesn't cover damaged plants - only loss or damage to the package.

 

[Ernie]

Gentle reminder- pay the little bit extra for the signature confirmation! Don't expect the seller to know that it's below freezing or that your mail carrier comes at a weird time. And a little more for a heat pack will help you sleep better.

Anyway, I think your plant will be fine.

-Ernie

 

[Renegayde]

ohhh I am in no way blaming the seller for the mail carrier coming early......as far as signature confirmation.....guess I should have requested it....and heat packs not saying they are worthless and I suppose heat packs do offer some degree of protection...... though I have to say the last two shipments I have gotten did not feel any warmer inside the box than the air temp....I suppose it is a subtle difference and hard to feel on the skin but I know the last heat pack itself was cold to the touch....I have had heat packs in the past that were warm to the touch when they got here.......anyway normally I would have either called the PO to let the know it was coming or been home to receive it......I was a bit shocked the box was not marked more clearly to not expose to heat and cold...and the tracking # on this shipment was basically worthless as it never showed any movement after the shipping date....so I was not real sure it was even going to come today.....I am just thankful that the plant was not damaged....still waiting to see when it was actually left at the door....but UPSP website has been down all afternoon and evening so it may be tomorrow before I know the time it was left

Todd

 

[Renegayde]

LOL....ok finally the USPS site is up.....I got home at 3:05......the package was delivered at 3:03......so the chill was from riding around in the mail jeep not from being left between my doors.....I should explain my mail leaves the post office in the jeep and then the mail person stops and gets out and walks the mail to the few block area....then gets back in the jeep and goes to the next few block area and gets out and walks that portion and then repeats until all the mail is delivered

Todd

 

[Ernie]

Cool deal. Glad it's okay! That's too nice a plant to lose. Wow, a mail carrier that actually walks! I thought they were extinct.

(friendly advice from experience, NOT a reaming): Anyway, no matter how much a seller scribbles "protect from cold" on the box, the carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEx) is not bound to do anything more than the services purchased. No matter how much you tip your carrier at Christmas, he won't wait for you to get home from work to deliver. Insurance is pretty much pointless too, since we're talking about perishable goods here- perishables are NOT covered by USPS, UPS, or FedEx even if they are delivered late (but you'll get your cost of shipping back if late)! Heat packs, a good styrofoam box (ask for them at your local aquarium store or from your local lab geek), quick delivery, and a signature confirmation are your best protection if you can't wait until spring. USPS web site does not track every movement of a box like FedEx and UPS do. USPS only updates once a day with cursory information, but, for us, USPS does a spectacular job when one understands the services.

-Ernie

 

[goldenrose]

Sounds like you can be dividing 'the monster' at any time soon!

Knock on wood, I haven't had problems recieving or shipping in the past. We've had such extremes in weather this winter, I'm not taking any chances, pick them up in person or wait! I guess the heat packs are better than nothing, for whatever amount of time they're doing their job!

 

[Renegayde]

yeah I was going to say.....if the box was insulated good enough then I think a heat pack would do more good.....but in just a plain cardboard box it does not seem to work exceedingly well


Todd

 

[NYEric]

I just had a plant replaced from Wisconsin. Evidently the pick up service was under equipped for the cold.

 

[Rick]

If this was not already covered, In addition to keeping the plant in a warm stable environment for the next couple of weeks, try to boost the air humidity up to about 70% if its not already there.

 

[cnycharles]

sounds familiar! you might want to give it a fungicide drench or spray to help ward off any bugs that might be waiting to get in if the plant is weakened but still looks okay right now. had the same thing happen a while back but most of those plants seemed to come through though a few leaves died off here and there (and luckily they were masdevallias)