OK, answering my own post. :-)

I went to the sharing exchange forum and read their FAQ. They suggest rinsing off the roots, then wrapping in damp paper towel, etc. If that is what is done with the Salvia's you share among yourselves, then I've got that copied and can manage with the shipping preparations.

If I need to do something different for this plant, please let me know.

Do the Salvia's tend to recover quickly from this type of handling?

Mary

Mary:
Sorry but I have never shipped any plants Bare Root like
that. I have people ship me Daylilies that way either during
late winter or in the fall.Where are you shipping to if
it is north watch the weather for freezing Temps.But you
will need to prune the top back to the first set of leaves.
Many greenhouse operations send living plants through the
mail. They ship 2" size pots with plants in soil pruned back and special shipping containers so the soil won't come out during shipping.hope it goes well.
Art

Hi Art,

Thank you for this information. I will dig up with soil attached and send that way. Had I thought about sharing the babies, I could have put some in little pots early in the spring and let them settle in. This is half the fun of gardening, learning new things! :-)

Mary

Mary - Most people mail plants bare root that are doing plant exchanges.

The FAQ page in the Plant Exchange Forum has good directions. I'll link it below.

If you're worried about the tops breaking off since they're small, after you wrap up the roots, be sure and do the part where you lay the plant on a few sheets of newspaper and then roll it all up. That seems to help quite a bit with plants that would break easily.

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ - What is the best way to package and ship plants?

One thing that I do find true about salvias is that when you dig them up to ship them out, certain species of salvia need to be potted and pampered through the transplant shock of having their roots ripped out of the ground, and once stabilized, then they can be shipped with some dirt around their roots , a wet paper towel and plastic holding the dirt balled around the roots. I just received a dead salvia stick from a trader and she had just dug up her plant and mailed it to me. Maybe you can do this with other plants, but not salvia. They will die in the box. I think that salvia rootings need to be ROOTED and mailed with dirt around their roots.

I don't know if this link will actually be displayed but will try. Here's what the babies looked like as I attempted to prepare them for mailing.

I mailed them today and the PO said they should arrive Thursday.

If these even attempt to survive, once they arrive at Ann's, I'll pot some more babies and give them a chance to establish themselves before offering to share again. I dug these one day and mailed the next. It's really an experiment on my part, as I've never attempted to send a plant through the mail.

Here is a link that might be useful: 2009 04 21 - Salvia B&B babies shared

The babies arrived in excellent condition! THANKS MARY!!