Hello, I'm a newbie, just started trading this year, but I'm getting it down, and I am totally with you two. I wrap roots with wet paper towels and then saran wrap. I almost always use priority boxes. Shelly, maybe we can compare "friends" and I could give you references. I think I've just been burned - first time. I sent a medium sized priority box FULL of bulbs and plants, no box in return yet. I'm sending emails to get tracking number or PID. I know you're supposed to keep first trades small, but I got so used to the generosity and friendliness on here and plant swap.net. I had made a firm agreement, I thought, with the person, and I even took pics of what I was sending to make sure it was OK before I boxed it up. I look at people's want lists, and don't try to just serve myself. I love this trading, I got SO addicted this summer! Now I'm cooling down, both because of the weather, and because of this possible burn . . . will be more cautious in the future. Maybe trading with a cautious trader will help me out.

I have the same shelf as zenman, but I don't use a heat mat. I buy the mylar blankets from the sports dept at Walmart. They are in a small box hanging on a rack and the cost is about $3. I drape this small blanket over the top shelf and attach it with clothes pins to cover down to the next shelf. I don't use any lights on the top shelf, and because heat rises, the heat from the lights on the second shelf heat the area above that shelf. The blanket holds the heat in and the tray with the dome cover holds the moisture in the tray. At the first sign of germination, I remove the dome and move the tray down under the lights and drop the lights down until they almost touch the plants. I grow in a building that is well insulated and will only add heat if the outside temp is below freezing. The lights create some heat, but I intentional grow tomatoes on a cooler shelf. Peppers, on the other hand, need to be on one of the open shelves that has a light under it as they will benefit from the extra heat that rises from that light. I also have my light fixtures plugged into surge protectors so that I can control all of the lights by just flipping a switch rather than plugging and unplugging cords. The sports blankets that I use look a little like aluminum foil, but are soft and almost transparent. When I first start the plants I use another blanket to wrap around the shelves because the silver color tends to reflect more light onto the plants (I think). Sometimes I remove it from the lower shelves and some years I just add a small fan to make sure there is some air movement on the plants. Later in the season, I remove it because I don't want the plants to be too hot, but I leave the top part covered and continue to use it as a germination chamber. I am attaching a picture, but the light wasn't on in the room when I took the picture so you have to look closely to see the top shelf which has no lights. I have watered from the bottom, from the top, and misted and I never have had damping off, so I can't say which is best. I would never mist if I wasn't running a fan though. Here is a link that might be useful: My shelf

Thank you, every one for the nice comments.I am soon going to have to repot "SECRET" to a new pot.Its in a big plastic tub.Well,its one of them plastic tubs that walmart sells,and has rope handles on it.They sold for $ 4,00 each when I had bought 4 of them.Regular big flower pots are expensive,so I bought these tubs,and drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom for drainage and decided to put this rose in one.Its been in the tub for almost 7 yrs,and now its tearing up,so it will need a new home very soon,and I will probably have to find some one to help me get it out of this one and put it in a new one. BETH: No I am still bothered with deer coming to eat up everything they see.I have just been lucky that the spray that I spray them with,is on them when the deer comes to eat them.A lot of times it rains at night and washes it off, then the deer is here eating them before I can spray again, but, luck has been here so far this year,and it hasn't rained at night but a few times,and I was lucky the deer stayed away. Jean

RFG, I must admit that I need the support for my tall Sans due to the fact that they get old (40 yrs.) and start to droop. Just like us we need support when we get older. Also they are overcrowded and in half the year in poor light. Just no place to overwinter them. Not all of the talls are that old just 2 pots of them. Anyway I found them to be easy to transport and store while in there cages. I recently took the cage off my Silver Laurentii and a big section fell over, which I later cut off and repotted up. Stush