seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

i wonder petpitcher.net may setup its own seed bank as ICPS do. This may benefits all forummers in always getting viable seeds. Seed exchange maybe available as well.

What do you guys say?

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Great idea. I think it should be Asia Pacific seeds bark.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

support since it gather all seeds of different nep, make it easy for purchasing since the forum market wasn't that active:1thumbup:

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Hmm... this is an interesting idea! Why not? But for this to work, we will need member's support. Also it would be best for this to be a seed bank for all CP species, not just Nepenthes.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

This is a very interesting suggestion. Actually, how did ICPS organize, run and maintain this?? As far as I know, seed particularly the nepenthes seeds have very short viability period...

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

i just went thru how ICPS does for their seed bank. I think we can do the same way but only limit the offer to malaysia or certain south east asia countries... we might have problem to send the seeds into some countries without declaring them.

I suggest we may fine tune the seed bank rules from time to time to get the best result. I believe that some forummers some time do nothing when thier NEP produce seeds, or maybe they are not utilising the seeds in 100%, why not we share the seeds thru the seed bank, this is a way to spread this hobby, yet producing great plants.

just my 2 cents

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

A good idea but it does take quite a lot of time to manage. My suggestion would be to base it on a system that allows members of the forum to purchase a certain number of packets per year (perhaps on calender year), but to allow additional packets to be 'traded' for donations. An example would be to allow the purchase of 5 packets per year and then to be allowed to either purchase or receive free seeds for seed donations. For the later exchange I am thinking that for every 3 packets of seed you donate you get 1 packet from the seed bank.

The idea behind this is that it encourages people to donate seed and doesn't rely as heavily on a few people consistently donating to maintain the seed bank.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Good thoughts and suggestions Adam. I agree with you... and I also agree that it will take alot of time to manage. Will need some sort of database to keep track of member's seed donation and the amount of seeds they've received within the calendar year.

We can charge a minimal amount (below market price) for the seeds plus postage costs. Those who donate do not need to purchase the seeds or pay for postage. ICPS is also not charging those who donate seeds but I think they still charge postage fees.

I think it can work if we do not charge postage fees as well for those who donate seeds. Since we are collecting some funds from those who did not donate. We can use that fund to pay for the envelope and postage for those who donate to the seed bank.

Perhaps charge those who did not donate RM1.00 per packet? This amount would not discourage members from purchasing the seeds since it is very minimal. If you donate 3 packets of seeds and get one packet free, the seed bank would have RM2 from the sale of the other 2 packets. This would be able to cover the cost of packing and posting the one packet to the person who donates the seeds. It can work!

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I have many extra byblis seeds and drosera seeds to share. I hope petpitcher can really have its own seedbank

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

i have some penang red albomarginata seeds to donate as well... let's all make this happen.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Before we get too carried away someone has to be responsible for maintaining the seed bank. Please be aware that whoever it is should be in for at least a couple of years of work to get it off the ground. It would be a little difficult to have the seed bank changing hands too often due to the fact that the users/members of the forum are decentralized.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I have moved this thread here as it is more applicable to this board/category.


Back to the seedbank...

I think I am crazy but I'll do it!

I'll can also come up with a draft of the Terms and Conditions from what we discuss here. Once it is done and everyone agrees with it, we can start enjoying the benefits of the seedbank.

Unless, you guys think otherwise or have a better idea, I'll create a specific board or webpage for this to list the available seeds real time. The accounts will be kept since money is collected and used.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I'll discuss with the Administrative Members and Advisors on this and get back to all of you.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

we may start drafting the term and conditions.. i think suggestions are welcomed but the admin should have the sole right to decide in the final version of term and conditions.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

why not do the same thing for pollen as well?:smile:

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Oh..late...Wouldn't be petpitcher's own shop better?y'know...we can always buy those media and stuff........and get it quickly!

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Not sure what you mean here. Can you explain please.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

An online shop!Some forum has them....er like terraforum.Then the members can buy from the shop and they get their orders quickly.Or some other member in the forum couldn't go other place to get what they want they can simply order from the shop.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Terraforum is actually run by the shop. The shop happened first and the forum is a good way to promote the shop.

The trouble with an online store is that it increases the time and space needed to operate. You would need to stock items and bags of peat and sphagnum take a lot of room. You also need the capital to buy the stock initially. I don't think this is viable inline with the seedbank. This would be a totally different proposition.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Okay :)

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

We will leave the online shop out as this is a seedbank. It's purpose and objective is entirely different.

Off topic: Actually, PetPitcher have an online shop (Little Shop of Horrors) on the main homepage but the payment and shopping cart has not been incorporated yet. I am promoting Stewart's books there.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Off topic also:But they only sell books.Psst...David...when are you going to add plants?

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

well...why not come out with some guide line like who is going to handle the seed, collection of seed, max packet of seed per week/month/year, etc to start of with since it is way too large to start a discussion that base on 1 general topic?

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Please check the Seed Bank and see if anyone has further suggestions to improve it.
The Seed Bank link is located at the main homepage on the left verticle navigation bar under the title "PetPitcher Seed Bank". The direct link is...

https://archive.petpitcher.net/petpitcher-seed-bank

Members may also start donating seeds/pollen to fill up the Seed Bank so that we can start distribution soon. :laugh:

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Eh...can only pay by pay-pal?Then I'm out zzzz MAybe I can donate some Sarra seeds :D

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I understand as you do not have a credit card yet. Hmm... Perhaps I can allow money trasfer via ATM to my bank account. It would be a little hassle as the money will be separated in two places when I want to trasfer the money or monitor it. I guess it still can be done but there might be additional bank charges if I need to transfer money. I will also need to monitor money coming in from two source.

Let me think about it. Perhaps I'll also allow cheques and cash. But in the case of cash, the money has to be hand delivered to me and not mailed to me. Thives are very smart in detecting money in envelopes these days.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Ya....

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I would like everyone to enjoy the Seed Bank. So... Ok! I've added the following payment methods for now. Will see how it goes and whether I can manage. Below are the 4 payment options:

- PayPal
- Cheques
- Money Transfer
- Cash

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

After receiving some feedback, here are the changes to the Seed Bank:

The Seed Bank shall only offer seeds. The viability of pollen is more fragile as compared to seeds. Having them mailed from the donor to the Seed Bank and then to members would affect the viability of the pollen and the percentage of the pollen becoming spoil is very high. As such the Seed Bank shall not offer pollen.

Also the number of seed packets you may request will now be linked to the number of posts you have on the forum. This is to avoid a situation where visitors register as members just to get seeds. It would be unfair for members who have been supporting the forum and contributing. Below is the structure:

05-20 posts = 2 packets
21-40 posts = 4 packets
41-60 posts = 6 packets
61-80 posts = 8 packets
Above 80 posts = 10 packets per year

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

david..

shall we limit certain seeds according to the user's experience ? i mean newbies should get more hardy species instead of those "hard to survive" one.

how many pcs of seeds per packet is reasonable ? 50 ?

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I think we should not be limiting the hard-to-survive seeds to only "expert" growers. The purpose of the seed bank is to spread seeds around and especially those hard to get ones, which most of the time are also hard-to-survive ones. Let them try even if they are newbies. That's how we all started anyway ya? This will encourage member’s interest and enjoyment of these amazing plants which is the purpose of this project. Another part of the purpose of this project is to make available/affordable carnivorous plant seeds to more enthusiasts.

The number of seeds will be enough just for your personal use and will depend on how difficult to obtain. It can also be based on the stocks received. If the seed bank only receive very little of a species, I may have fewer seeds in each packet so that more members can enjoy the seeds.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

hi david, why not storing information of user(who and what type) who want to donate seeds and then post it to the website, then inform the user of who is requesting for the seeds rather than posting all seeds to you as the more the distributing channel, the higher the cost and risk will be:smile:

just my little opinion

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Thanks for your opinion. Just to clarify, do you mean having donors keep the seeds and distributing it to members directly? We post their names and seeds on the forum for member's viewing and selection?

I think it will be a little messy for me handling the accounts like this. If I am to receive all payment, I'll need to bank in money to each donors when they send out seeds. Or if members bank money directly to the donors, I will have to go to each donor to collect the extra money that is left for conservation efforts. Cost would increase as banks would charge a fee for money transfer etc. and this will take up more of my time.

Also, if a donor have to do all that, packing seeds, liaising with members on their orders and sending out seeds to members, or if they have to go out their way to bank the extra money to me, they may not be keen to donate seeds to the seed bank at all.

At the moment donors send the seeds to the seed bank at their own cost. So the cost to the Seed Bank is only a one time cost of mailing the seeds out to members. Because donors mail seeds to the Seed Bank at their own cost we are giving them special privileges... 1 free packet of seeds for a donation of 3 packets of seeds. They can select the genus/species/hybrid seeds of their choice for the free seed. This free seed to donors also include packing and postage cost. They do not need to reach the quota of 5 posts on the forum to receive the free seeds. Occasionally, donors will also be offered the first choice to request for rare and limited seeds. This cost cannot be remove as we need to give incentive to members to donate. Without donation, the seed bank cannot work.

The cost of each packet of seeds is RM3 (within Malaysia) and RM4 (overseas). This cost includes packing and mailing. This is a very low cost for seeds. If you buy seeds from nurseries... lets say a nursery in UK for example, the costs are as follows:

N. ampullaria "red" - 3.00 GBP (UK Pounds) / 30 seeds
N. macfarlanei "Genting Highlands" - 2.50 GBP (UK Pounds) / 5 seeds
Dionaea muscipula "red dragon" - 3.00 GBP (UK Pounds) / 10 seeds
D. capillaris - 2.00 GBP (UK Pounds) / 10 seeds

If we convert pounds to ringgit Malaysia, 3.00 GBP (Pounds) = RM16.50. That's the cost of the seeds only without postage cost included. So, it may come up to RM20.00 ++ just to mail to Malaysia from UK. If you take the VFT red dragon seeds, it translates to RM20.00 ++ just for 10 seeds. I am not saying that commercial sellers charge exorbitant prices. They are a business and need to survive, and that is the market value of CP seeds. What I am trying to point out is that the cost of seeds proposed by the Seed Bank is already very low.

If we find that the amount charge is insufficient to cover cost and have a little more for conservation, we will increase the amount of each packet of seed. I think we still have a huge gap to play around before we are at par with commercial sellers (which we will not as this is a non profit project).

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

david, i have sent out albo seeds to u today..there shud be around 150-200pcs seeds inside..

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

this is really an amazing project. i hope lots of people would donate seeds
to help this project succeed. This project has my support 100%

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I fully support this project.
Can't wait to have my plant start producing seeds for donation...:smile:

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Glad that you guys are as excited about this as I am. A few donations including cbkhoon's albo seeds will be sent to me soon from a few members. :)

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

BBBRRR!!!So excited for whats in store for everyone!!

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

hi david, is this seed bank for cp of all sort or just nep? I've got some drosera seeds lately, pls pm me how to pack and send them if you consider them, tq:smile:

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

sooxiwei,

Yes, the Seed Bank is for all species of CPs. All other information you need can be found on the Seed Bank pages. Just read through the pages in the Seed Bank. Everything is explained there.

To access the Seed Bank pages, as mentioned in my earlier post go to the main PetPicther homepage at archive.petpitcher.net and look for the link "Seed Bank" at the laft verticle navigation bar. Anyway, here's the direct link... https://archive.petpitcher.net/petpitcher-seed-bank

Thanks in advance for donating to the Seed Bank. We need member's support for donations to get this started. It is always a little more difficult to strat something at the begining but once we pass this phase, things will get smoother.

To other members, check out the "Donate Seeds" page. There are privileges and benefits being a seed donor as listed there. We need your donation to make this work. The Seed Bank cannot work without your donation of seeds.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

David,
Would you be interested in Platycerium spores. I have some p.coronarium and local herb seeds.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Since we have a non-CP forum as well, sure... why not! Send them in and I will post it on the Seed Bank. This will also give donors more choice to choose from. In turn it will encourage more members to donate.

However, I am not so familier with storing non CP seeds. Any advise on the species you are sending will be appreciated.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

it would be nice if other seeds are also available.. I am interested in adenium seeds too.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

I have sent out 12 packets Platycerium Coronarium spores to you today. Hope you received them soon.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Ok, I have uploaded the first batch of seeds today.

Please note that I may have further changes to the Seed Bank as we go along. We will run ir for a while and adjust as issues comes up.

Also, After myherb Platy spores I will not be receiving non CP seeds/spores at the moment since I do not have the expertise on how to treat the seeds. I would like to start with CPs first and get some experience before extending.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Some updates on the Seed Bank.

The Seed Request Post Quota has been changed. Member's can request for the maximum packets of seeds per year after they reach 5 post on the forum. I have removed the other levels of quota.

I have also created a "Seed Request Status Report" on the Seed Bank so that members can check their requests/orders to see if it has been mailed out from the Seed Bank. This would save time for members so that they do not have to wait and keep checking for my PM to them to see if the seeds have been mailed out.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Thank you David for the massive work to make this project happen.. :1thumbup:

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

You guys are most welcome. Just hope members enjoy it and fully utilise it. I can't wait for the day when we would have enough funds from the Seed Bank to donate to a conservation effort. It would be the first time we, as a group here at PetPitcher do something to help conserve our beloved CPs. I am excited!

By the way, please read the benefits for donors. I have reworded the text a little as the earlier version wasn't clear and it could mean donors can request for a few packets of the same species in an order. All members and donors can only request for 1 packet of the same species in each order. You can request for the same species again after one month. This is to allow other members the opportunity to get the seeds and anyway the Seed Bank is for you to start your personal collection. It is not for you to to have extra to exchange other seeds with enthusiasts and sell them for profit.

Besides that, the text of each page in the Seed Bank has been improved and edited a little here and there. There is just something to reword each time I look at it. But, this is good! It means it's improving.

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Hi david....SMS you..Hope you undderstand ya....

Re: seed bank for petpitcher.net
 

Thanks for taking the initiative, David. :smile: