Reorganizing the BX

M Gastil-Buhl gastil.buhl@gmail.com
Mon, 21 Oct 2019 09:06:24 PDT
First, thank you to Albert for running the BX and SX. I value the PBS BX
for varied reasons. First, I feel it connects us as a Society, as I am a
firmly rooted plant person who does not travel myself but I like to connect
with other plant people all over the globe. I put the seed or bulb donor's
initials on the labels. Thank you all of you who have donated to the BX and
SX. Secondly, I cannot bear to throw out seeds or cormels and my neighbors
have no interest in waiting years to see a bloom. Thank you all who have
given the little I sent to the BX a new home. I cannot imagine how much
work it must be to run a BX! I can barely keep track of my own repotting
and seed cleaning, record keeping and labeling.


1.1. Do you participate in the BX frequently, occasionally, or never?


Occasionally


2.2. If you never participate, why not?

3.3. If you do participate, what problems, if any, have you had with the BX?


I was discouraged how much longer it took for bulblets to arrive, in one
case at the end of its growing season. The turn-around time to see
donations appear in a BX seems long. But this is in comparison to the Dell
era, so my expectations were skewed.


4.4. Do you obtain bulbs, seeds, or both from the BX?


Both. More seeds than bulbs.


5.5. Do you pay your BX shipping charges promptly upon receiving the
material?


Promptly, same or next day usually.


6.6. If you donate to the BX, at what time(s) of year do you send items?


I seldom donate, only once in 2019, bulbs and seed. The time was determined
by dormancy of that bulb species, which has not yet appeared on a BX.


7.7. If the BX occurred at a few specific times of year, what times
would best suit your needs?


July/Aug/Sep or late summer early autumn in N. hemisphere in time for fall
planting of the winter rainfall growers here. I do not grow summer-rain
species. November at the latest. For non-perishable seeds of course timing
is more flexible. But for short-lived seeds I appreciated the freshness of
frequent SX in the past.


8.8. Do you donate plant material to the BX that cannot be held in
storage for more than a week or two? If so, what kind of material?


Never before, but had planned to send some Nerine filifolia seeds ripening
now. These are easy growers for me so I can sow here and send next year's
crop. I also considered sending some seed of my white Amaryllis belladonna
mystery cross because of the recent discussion.


9.9. If you specialize in plants that cannot be held in storage, are you
willing to exchange them directly with other members rather than going
through the BX?


No. I do not expect I could handle the logistics. And I do not specialize
in those.


10.10. Do you think that donors should have priority in having their
orders filled? If not, why not?


I do not expect that would push me to donate more. The limiting factor is
seed-cleaning patience and time, not motivation. And others made a good
point about first-timers needing some early success. I think one of the
other societies does give donors priority so perhaps that helps encourage
donations.


I agree as others mentioned that transparency and accountability will
increase trust in the BX program. That would encourage me to donate more
than priority or postage credit. Perhaps the new system could include a
Wish List feature. If I saw folks were eager to receive my material that
would motivate me. Perhaps not person-specific, but an aggregated list. If
I saw 10 people wished for a species with hard-to-clean seed but 0 people
wished for yet more Dierama, I would prioritize accordingly. Of course a
Wish List feature is of lower priority than turning over donations rapidly.


If there were a place to send un-cleaned seed pods instead of clean seed, I
would send more.


I do suggest the BX/SX should still require PBS membership.


Gastil
_______________________________________________
pbs mailing list
pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net
http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…


More information about the pbs mailing list