Guidlines and Information...

FREIGHT. The plants we advertise are usually too heavy to ship economically via air freight. We have found UPS to be most satisfactory. Our pricing is designed to simplify ordering, including shipping cost. A $5.00 UPS pick-up fee is added to all orders.
Our packing will allow your selections to arrive in good shape. Care and maintenance instructions are included for all plants you order. All plants are shipped bare root. Roots will be trimmed and should be sufficiently healed to allow immediate replanting. If you notice any damage in shipping, please do not plant that item immediately. Let it dry and heal first.

POTTING MIXES. In spite of the complicated soil formulas I have seen in print (usually "leaf mold", "sandy loam", "sharp sand", super phosphate, blood meal, bone meal, gypsum, pumice, ect.) I am quite convinced that nearly any mix will work. If you are determined to believe such and such is better, more power to you. We can sell you a commercial cactus mix that we advertize in our supplies section if you are unable to find suitable mixes locally. I have never had any 'leaf mold' and have seen many kinds of soil promoted as 'sandy loam'. What is 'loam' in Arizona might be trash in mid-America. The point I am trying to make is that there are no standard names for soils and everyone has their interpretation. If it works for you, use it. Whatever you use, be consistent to simplify your watering.

CONTAINERS. The same advice goes for containers. If you prefer plastic for its light weight and low cost, stick with it. If you can afford stoneware or similar decorative pots, be consistent. Many people prefer clay pots. In Arizona they dry out very fast and our highly mineralized water leaves ugly deposits of salts. Whatever your choice of soils and pots, you must determine that magic instant called "almost dry" when you are advised to water again. This takes trial and error as the time between watering varies with temperature, humidity, ect. Our staff has come up with a simple and innovative way to determine the wetness of soils in containers. We use unvarnished wooden chopsticks or wooden tongue depressors. These are pushed down to the bottom of the pot and are left in place for about 20 minutes. When they are withdrawn the relative dryness of the mixture is obvious. I have personally found electronic meters to be worthless. One read 'dry' while the pot was standing in water and thoroughly wet. The opinion and experiences expressed above ought to activate the defense mode of every "expert" and/or manufacturer in the country. Cacti, ect. may go radioactive. If their plants are better than ours, bring it on.

WATERING NEW ARRIVALS. Plant new arrivals in a dry mix. Once your new plant(s) are potted up, you should not water for as much as ten days. This means your mixture will be really parched. When most mixes are that dry they do not take up water readily. We have found a good way to water a dry mix is with ice cubes. They release water very slowly as they melt and the 'soil' has time enough to absorb the water. Check to see how deep the water has penetrated with the chopstick/tongue depressor. A series of light waterings are better for newly transplanted specimens than a deep soaking. You are trying to stimulate new root growth and dampness is much better than wetness.

SUNBURN. Be extra careful with newly transplanted cactus or succulents as they are easy to sunburn at this stage. Watch them closely and move them to lesser sunlight intensities if you detect any yellowing of the skin on the hot quarter. Be especially careful of plants right at a window as they can burn and be scarred permanently in just a few hours.

SUMMER GROWERS, WINTER GROWERS. Now we are moving into an area where knowledge is hard to obtain. Some southern hemisphere plants are very adaptable and accept our seasons as their own. They are usually no problem. Others stubbornly adhere to the seasons they evolved in--these can be real problems. We will note any 'winter growers' we offer for sale and give you the benefit of our experience with them. If you are having on-going problems with plants you know to be from South America or southern Africa, you may be trying to push them when they are inherently dormant. Do some research on your own or contact the grower you obtained them from. An excellent source of advice for your local conditions can be found in your local Cactus and Succulent Clubs.

MINIMUMS. We require a minimum order of $25 to ship. You can combine all categories to reach the minimum such as plants, books, plants, labels, plants, etc. If you still can't reach the minimum, you just aren't trying hard enough. Find a friend and combine your orders--one address please. If an order does not satisfy the required minimum of $25, the order will default to $25.

ADDRESS. UPS requires a physical location, they can not deliver to a post office box. If you do not have a street address as such, give directions from the nearest city or town. Please also give us a daytime phone number, in case we have any questions about your order.

WEATHER. Cactus and succulents contain large percentages of liquids that freeze. Most larger plants can take short exposure to a few degrees of frost, but they can not withstand prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures. If you live in areas that regularly dip below freezing, you may wish to delay shipping until spring or summer. Certainly you do not want your beautiful living plant sitting on a dock somewhere turning into a popsicle. We normally do not advise shipping to northern locations from December through February. Outside of those months you should check the long range forecast for your location and advise us of your preferred shipping date. We will hold your plant if it is paid for up to 120 days. Unpaid plants are sold first come, first served. We will accept your judgement as to when to ship. You must accept the responsibility if you guess wrong.

PAYMENT METHODS. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Diners Club, Carte Blanche, money orders, and cashier's checks. Plants can be shipped immediately (weather allowing) if paid by any of these methods. Personal checks will hold your plant selections, but shipment will be delayed two weeks to allow the checks to clear.

SALES TAX. If you are a resident of Arizona, add 7.8% to the total cost of your order. If you are ordering from out-of-state and your order will be shipped out-of-state, you are currently free of our state and local sales tax. Apparently the federal government is attempting to impose some form of sales tax on web and mail order transactions, so stay tuned. Remember, Uncle Sam wants you, and you, and .....

GIFT CERTIFICATES. We do sell gift certificates in any amount. For shipping, remember we have a $25 minimum. Go to the retail area just as with any other order. This should be an especially thoughtful gift as the recipient can shop on-line or come to the nursery.