i ordered a 2 lasiantha from him last year. unfortunately they never made it too me. he states that photosanitary is not necessary and provided by him. but my plants got caught up at customs and destroyed. just make sure he is providing all necessary documentation for the plants to enter the US.

jsainz-
Was your money refunded?

Kelly

I may be mistaken (but I am almost certain I'm not...) but phytosanitary certs are needed for ANY plant material that originates outside the USA. (They are also necessary for shipping between certain states, like FL, AZ, CA, TX and HI and between USA and Puerto Rico) so if a seller tells you otherwise you will probably be on the losing end of that transaction

Yikes - I just assumed that any vendor worth their salt would include necessary certification. I now see he said on the Ebay page that he'll include phytosanitary documents for free if you purchase *two plants* from him. Maybe I should have read the small print - but still, it seems irresponsible to ship to other countries knowing this will be an issue when the plant arrives. I emailed him to ask him to include one anyway, but the plant was already sent. Drats.

Julia

Julia - well definately keep us updated on the situation and I hope everything is delivered to you safe and sound.
-Nicole-

I think it might depend on what he puts on the declaration? I think if he puts hobby material - it could get through no problems as long as customs doesnt OPEN the package. If he puts plant material - then I would think you would need a certificate of some sort? But I am not completely sure?

I think you're right, Golden. I've swapped hoya cuttings with folks in the States before and I think theoretically they would also need a certificate for sending plant material to CA - one of the strictest states on plant immigration. Thus we always swap in unmarked packages....Julia

julias, just a small warning...
Sending plants across state lines in unmarked packages is a violation of the law in all 50 states and the US Territory of Puerto Rico. In most states its a 3rd degree felony.

These boxes ***usually*** don't get caught, but occasionally, they do. WHen they do and they get opened, you will end up getting a nasty letter from the Dept of Agriculture of the state that you sent the plant to and they can choose to prosecute you if they want to.

Sending the plants in unmarked boxes is almost like an admission of guilt. Its like you know you are bypassing the law but you are doing it anyway.

Its better to write on the outside of the box up front that it contains live plant material, and that it can be opened for inspection if necessary. Usually they will ignore it.

UPDATE: Apodagis emailed to say that he did include a phyto cert (despite saying on the Ebay page that you had to buy 2 plants to get one). So good news. I'll update when plants gets here (7 days, apparently, if not inspected).

Hi Bihai - I'm wondering how many hoya cutting swappers actually mark their packages as "live plant material." Not many, I bet. Wonder if anyone on this forum has been caught.

I have heard from many orchid growers that customs sometimes destroys or confiscates plants even if they are sent with proper documentation. Many companies do not ship to the U.S because of the frequency of confiscated packages. I am not sure about Hoyas but orchids require an import permit from the buyer to be sent to the supplier of the plant material and the supplier also has to have the plants inspected and to include a copy of the Phyto. certificate.
When plants are confiscated buy customs it is not necessarily the fault of the supplier and if you do not check your states rules on plant import you may just run into problems. For an overseas supplier to be aware of each states laws is not an easy task and the only way to avoid problems is to do your research. This is why many people do group orders with all the necessary paperwork and with communication between the customs office, supplier and receiver of the package taking place.

Jsainz I am sorry that you ended up loosing your plants.

Mike

i did receive a refund, but being on another part of the planet it took a while ;D

Dont feel bad mike....i dont, i went with cuttings from ted green for the same amount and got healthy, generous cuttings. Both are doing great with big root systems. Now im just waiting for new growth.

I'm glad you did receive a refund! I think I'd go through Ted first or one of the other vendors here in the states.

The only bad thing is that it seems the Thai vendors have selections not available to us here!

What Mike says is absolutely correct. Its unreasonable to expect overseas growers to know the USDA Agricultural regulations for each state in the USA. The laws vary widely from state to state in the USA, and since most people who ship plants within the USA don't know them, why should a Thai vendor be expected to?

But, as they say, "Ignorance is no excuse", and if you get caught shipping plants illegally over state lines, and they decide to prosecute you, you don't really have a leg to stand on so to speak. And the major food producing states, like CA, TX, LA an FL, take it pretty seriously.

Its not just Hoyas. People trade all sorts of plants, and ebay sellers who are not actually licensed to sell plants ship them as well. Did you know that several states in the North have specific laws against people sending sweet potatoes, in any for (including the ornamental vines) into their states? Its because of a specific pest that could decimate the sweet potato farming industry.

Its better to label your box, which, by the way, IS THE LAW. You are supposed to label it with the contents, including the species of the plants inside, and the sender and receiver's addresses both must be legible and complete.

I sent plants to Canada years ago and noted on the outside that it included live plants potted in commercial potting soil. The person in Canada received ok and in just a few days longer than the priority mail in the states.

Susan

Sending soil across most boarders is a big no-no so your parcel may have just been one that slipped through. The reason for restricting trade in plants is to protect against introduced species of plant pathogens or agricultural pests. Soil can harbor many pests including root nematodes which many states are very serious about. Sending cuttings that have been inspected for pests and cleaned prior to shipping is much safer.

Mike

I would suggest to anyone that is active in trading or wants to sell on eBay or whatever to look at the following website and view the restrictions and laws on a state by state basis for the states you plan to ship to.
Every state's USDA has a mechanism to prosecute people that they happen to catch breaking their Ag laws. Whether they choose to is up to them. Many will just warn you unless they catch you doing something REALLY negative, like shipping citrus into or out of FL, or shipping soil over state lines from a state that is under Federal Quarantine for Imported Fireant (which is almost the entire lower tier of states in the USA and Puerto Rico).

Its better to be safe than sorry, when it comes to your pocketbook, especially in these hard times.

I know of someone a few years back who got caught shipping water lettuce and water hyacinth out of a state where they are banned TO a state where they are banned, and the fine was over $2000 per plant.

Check out the website for the National Plant Board

In my particular situation, I had to buy a special priority mail box for Canada and the information was clearly noted so all could see. I certainly wasn't trying to slide one by. It's been years ago. That's all I can remember about it.

S

I never write anything on the box, besides "fragile." Haven't had a problem.

Julia

Woo hoo! Plant came today, despite my fears. Nine days doesn't seem bad from halfway across the world. It was fun to receive something from an "exotic" country in the mail on a normal Wednesday.

A phytosanitary certificate was included, altho the box didn't appear to be opened in Customs.

Here's a closer view of the plant. It's got 14 leaves - only one died in transit. The vendor has it listed as H. sp. "retangle leaf" which seems a more adequate description than H. sp. "square leaf," even if it's not the correct nomenclature.

(Phyto certificate underneath)

Congrats, Julia. The plant looks perfect.
Oh, BTW, you got mail. Thanks.

Xuan

Hi Xuan - please resend the email...I switched email providers recently and updated my profile now with the correct address.

Hi Julia,
I too am thinking of ordering from this vendor. Can you tell me how your plant is doing so far, did you have to cover it in the bag. Prices and shipping sound reasonable, I am just concerned with the size of the plant and the size of the pot it is in and also how it will adjust to the different environment.
Thank a bunch, Teresa

Hi Teresa,

It's a small plant with an established root system in moss. i put it in a table-top greenhouse with a heat mat, out of sunlight - where I put my cuttings. it's too early to know how it'll respond to it's new home, but it seems to be doing fine for the moment.....Julia