I had a slightly different experience with Bill at Pious Palms. I purchased 2 flamethrowers from him and though they both looked great when I got them, one started to go downhill while the other did fine just 3 days after being potted. Bill's policy was that he takes no responsibility once the plants are planted, but I was hoping he would be more understanding of my situation. I even sent him several pictures of the 2 palms documenting their daily progress to let him see the difference in their condition. He was apologetic but wouldn't offer me a replacement, not even a discount. I guess that's the chance you take when you buy plants bare root. Hope you have better luck with all of yours.

Sorry I missed this message earlier, I don't frequent Gardenweb often enough to keep tabs on everything going on over here!

Protemps! Glad to hear everything in your order arrived in perfect shape! Sending plants to other countries is always a bit more difficult than here within The States. Keep me apprised of their growth during the upcoming winter, I'll be interested to hear how some of the more tropicals handle the stress of interior living. (Sorry I'll miss you in Florida during your vacation, I'll be in Hawaii at the same time!)

David, I can only guarantee plants will arrive to you safely and in good health, this policy was made clear at the time of purchase and I cannot single out people to make "special exceptions". As you stated the palms did arrive in great condition. There are far too many variables once a palm has been potted for me to take responsibility for your palms. Soil could be old, compacted, fungi, etc.etc. and the whole other host of problems related to weather, root zone back filling, temps, humidity, pests and the list goes on. My policy is plainly stated at any of my sales and is more reasonable than most growers who ship. I am indeed sorry you had a bad experience, although I do no claim any responsibility for YOUR experiences. I have shipped thousands of palms to hundreds of customers with a 99% success rate and will continue to fill this hobbyist niche market with oversized liners at wholesale prices.

Bill, my previous post CLEARLY showed that I was aware of your policy. My argument was that the 2 palms I purchased were planted using the same soil and technique, but yet one is still alive and the other has been thrown into my flower bed as mulch.

With a 99% success rate as you stated, why not give your customer the benefit of the doubt when I was concerned about the condition of one of them just 3 days after shipment arrived? I even sent day-to-day pictures of the palms for you to compare their opposite condition and repeatedly emphasized that both went through the same planting process using the same material.

Yes, the palms did arrive in great shape visually, but like a fish from the pet store that seemed healthy, it could take a turn for the worse once brought home and through no fault of the buyer. Just because one of your plants died does not mean that it's always the buyer's fault. I understand your concern to protect your business, but again, with that high of a success rate as you stated, your company wouldn't collapse if you have a bit of sympathy for the 1% who weren't so lucky, especially if a customer went through the whole ordeal and was very polite throughout the situation like me.

Flamethrowers are known for that i have lost many myself.
In my opinion they do not like to be shipped and they do
not like to be in less conditions than they are used to.
You can just about bet you will suffer shock with these guys.

I personally think that bare root shipping is B.S.
Everybody wants a great deal on their palms but I would like the option to have my purchases shipped potted up,palms esp have problems with this(bare root shipping) and I have seen palms sulk for over a year trying to recover and some just die.It's amazing how long a palm can look"o.k." and then the spear pulls and you know the rest.

I agree with jimhardy. Although they are more expensive this way, I would rather pay extra to get them delivered in the soil in which they are growing and not take a chnce on bare root shipping.

I had over 80 plants shipped bare root in 3 boxes from Hawaii to Europe, 6 to 7 days in transit, with only a few of the smallest plants damaged. I don't think bare root shipping is the issue.

Great success! I'm happy for you catkim and I would agree,banana plants,Tetrapanex,cactus,etc,I have had no probs with,not an issue at all.
Many of us on this forum are growing palms where they normally would not be expected to survive( I bought 2 7g needle palms last year that had 9 of 15 spears pull)of my 2 needles one died,the other made it through the winter here in Iowa,I am sure in Florida they would have both lived and flourished but here we have a short season and we need every advantage we can get.It is very tough for most palms to be bare root shipped have to regrow all there hair roots, bulk up in time to make it trough winter and survive,I for one(or 2) would not mind paying a little extra to give my Princeps,Waggies or whatever alittle better shot at pulling through.

To clarify, these were all rare tropical palms, (some very rare), most 4 inch pot size, some one gallon size. And to be fair, the shipper has had extensive shipping experience.

The problem as i understand it is : Lots of sellers won't ship soil because of bug and fungus issues . At least that's what i was told.

My experience with Piouspalms was a poor one. I was reamed on the shipping charge, and then contacted by ebay about the actual ship charge, then told the seller piouspalms was being suspended. One palm died within a week. Never had such a hassle on ebay before.