Bare Root Dasylirion-wheelieri (Experience with Planet Deser

[Fairview]

Does Dasylirion wheeleri tolerate being shipped bare root well? Planet Desert has them in CA. I'm in Texas. That's probably 3-4 day shipping.

If you have any experience with Planet Desert please chime in.

Thanks

[Spination]

I really don't see why not. Shipping plants with soil is problematic for several reasons. Pot and dirt weigh a lot, and that weight shifting around in a package can cause damage to the plant, not to mention paying to ship the weight of dirt is a waste. These plants are hardy enough to handle bare-root shipping without a problem, in my opinion.

[mcvansoest]

I have bought from Planet Desert a lot, their plants generally arrive well packed - they ship their smaller plants potted, but padded and carefully packed so there is no damage from pots shifting around, which I despise (I fully agree with Spination's assessment about shipping in soil). So if they are shipping a presumably larger plant bare root, I would be quite happy if it was coming to me.

Their plants are generally in great shape, but once every so often they arrive with some mealy bugs... (out of the at least a dozen shipments I have received from them over the last 4-5 years, I'd say 2, maybe 3 (sorry memory of these things gets fuzzy after a while) arrived with mealy bugs, which with the potted plants means that I am pretty much immediately bare rooting them. Receiving the plants bare root means you can carefully inspect them and do not have to deal with potentially contaminated soil disposal and you can just plop them into your preferred soil mix rather than having to clean the nursery soil off of them etc...

So while I would recommend them, I would do that with the caution to carefully inspect any plants you receive (but really that should be something you do regardless) and if they come in soil I'd bare root them immediately and then quarantine them for a bit.

[Fairview]

I have bought from Planet Desert a lot, their plants generally arrive well packed - they ship their smaller plants potted, but padded and carefully packed so there is no damage from pots shifting around, which I despise (I fully agree with Spination's assessment about shipping in soil). So if they are shipping a presumably larger plant bare root, I would be quite happy if it was coming to me.

Their plants are generally in great shape, but once every so often they arrive with some mealy bugs... (out of the at least a dozen shipments I have received from them over the last 4-5 years, I'd say 2, maybe 3 (sorry memory of these things gets fuzzy after a while) arrived with mealy bugs, which with the potted plants means that I am pretty much immediately bare rooting them. Receiving the plants bare root means you can carefully inspect them and do not have to deal with potentially contaminated soil disposal and you can just plop them into your preferred soil mix rather than having to clean the nursery soil off of them etc...

So while I would recommend them, I would do that with the caution to carefully inspect any plants you receive (but really that should be something you do regardless) and if they come in soil I'd bare root them immediately and then quarantine them for a bit.

I live in N Texas, zone 8 but that doesn't mean much as far as the weather goes. In your opinion am I pressing my luck planting at the beginning of November? These are 20 gallon D. wheeleri.

[mcvansoest]

I have bought from Planet Desert a lot, their plants generally arrive well packed - they ship their smaller plants potted, but padded and carefully packed so there is no damage from pots shifting around, which I despise (I fully agree with Spination's assessment about shipping in soil). So if they are shipping a presumably larger plant bare root, I would be quite happy if it was coming to me.

Their plants are generally in great shape, but once every so often they arrive with some mealy bugs... (out of the at least a dozen shipments I have received from them over the last 4-5 years, I'd say 2, maybe 3 (sorry memory of these things gets fuzzy after a while) arrived with mealy bugs, which with the potted plants means that I am pretty much immediately bare rooting them. Receiving the plants bare root means you can carefully inspect them and do not have to deal with potentially contaminated soil disposal and you can just plop them into your preferred soil mix rather than having to clean the nursery soil off of them etc...

So while I would recommend them, I would do that with the caution to carefully inspect any plants you receive (but really that should be something you do regardless) and if they come in soil I'd bare root them immediately and then quarantine them for a bit.

I live in N Texas, zone 8 but that doesn't mean much as far as the weather goes. In your opinion am I pressing my luck planting at the beginning of November? These are 20 gallon D. wheeleri.

I guess it depends on how soon it will get quite cold in your area? Based on the 'El Nino' conditions it is supposed to be a reasonably wet winter but not super cold in the southern US, but who knows what that actually means locally. Right now is prime planting season here, but we get no real winter to speak of generally. @Meangreen94z what do you think?

[Meangreen94z]

Yes, it should be fine. The only Dasylirion I’ve had problems with is quadrangulatum. Dasylirion wheeleri is common in Central Texas landscaping, and native in far West Texas heading into New Mexico. Native Dasylirion texanum and leiophyllum also you do well in the DFW area.

[Fairview]

Yes, it should be fine. The only Dasylirion I’ve had problems with is quadrangulatum. Dasylirion wheeleri is common in Central Texas landscaping, and native in far West Texas heading into New Mexico. Native Dasylirion texanum and leiophyllum also you do well in the DFW area.

I sort of figured that also. Imo now is the time to plant in Texas. Just wanted the opinion of more experienced people before I pulled the trigger on them.

I was fortunate to find D. texanum in 5 gallon containers and wheeleri in 15 gallon pots. I can only find leiophyllum in 3.5" pots. Too impatient for that size. Planet Desert sent me pics of their wheeleri. They are nice and they are running a 15% discount right now with Halloween1 as the code.

Thanks for all the info.