Banks vs Money senders : fees and exchange rates.

Banks are not transparent : they reveal a transfer fee but they also take money from the exchange rate. 

With a bank our client paid 6436.08 plus fee 15, plus Thai bank fee about 17 and transfer in 3 days

With TransferWise it would have been only 6276.68 fee included, no Thai bank fee, transfer in 24 hours 

PayPal takes even more, see on a real example : https://aleyagarden-hoya-list.blogspot.com/2019/11/using-paypal-our-client-today-had-to.html

The local charges that are included in the invoice of transport are :

The local charges that are included in the invoice of transport are ( Fevrier 2020 ) :

Our Araceae satisfy the requirements of the EU directive on plant import

Since June 2018 we ship to Europe our Araceae ( Philodendrons .. ) with roots as we are controlled every 2 months in accordance with the requirements of the EU directive on plant imports.

MICHELIA ALBA, MICHELIA ALBA ORANGE, MICHELIA CHAMPACA ( ORANGE )

Alba means white but the shape of the leaves of MICHELIA ALBA ORANGE, is the alba shape, this is why in the trade for easy identification when working together the partners use such " shortcuts " of language in Thailand as " ALBA ORANGE ".
MICHELIA " ALBA ORANGE " means the michelia that has the alba shape of its leaves but its flowers are orange.
If we said MICHELIA ORANGE this would confuse with the MICHELIA CHAMPACA that has orange flowers although the 2 are distinct, their leaves are different : please see on the pictures attached how MICHELIA CHAMPACA ( ORANGE ) and MICHELIA ALBA ORANGE differ in their leaves.

Then one more variety is MICHELIA ALBA ORANGE INDO, ( not in picture ) reported to originate from Indonesia, which are smaller plants with easier and more flowering and a darker orange color than MICHELIA ALBA ORANGE

Jasmine MALI PIKUL, Jasmine MALI CHAT, Arabian Jasmine

MALI PIKUL

This Jasmine on the left is called in Thai : MALI PIKUL. It has a typical conical shape, with space between the layers of petals. We could translate as the " mimosa like jasmine " . MALI stands for Jasmine.Some sites called it wrongly a variety of MALI CHAT.










A MALI CHAT is the Jasmine variety on the right below, there are many varieties of MALI CHAT.
They also have more or less conical shapes as opposed to the star shaped Jasmine varieties, such as the single flower Arabian Jasmine.

A variety of MALI CHAT

The Arabian Jasmine with the typical star shape of its single flowers

Xylella fastidiosa is one of the most dangerous plant bacteria worldwide

http://xylella.eu/en/

Xylella fastidiosa  is one of the most dangerous plant bacteria worldwide, causing a variety of diseases, with huge economic impact for agriculture.

The control strategy has to be focused on the insect vector and on the removal of infected plants that, if left on the field, can act as a reservoir for the bacterium inoculum.

For the control of the vector population, proper phytosanitary treatments are required, such as the removal of weeds needed for the accomplishment of the life cycle of the insect, but also the targeted use of plant protection products, especially prior to the removal of infected plants. Such treatments have to be jointly implemented, with appropriate agricultural practices.

It was reported for the first time in the Union territory by the Italian Authorities in October 2013, in the region of Apulia, affecting mainly olive groves. Based on official survey activities, the rest of the Italian territory is still considered to be free from the bacterium. Subsequently, in July 2015, the French Authorities reported the first outbreak of Xylella fastidiosa in their territory, in Corsica, and later in France mainland, in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, affecting mainly the myrtle-leaf milkwort.

EU plant health co-financing may be granted for the implementation of surveillance programmes and eradication/containment campaigns under Regulation (EU) No 652/2014. Under the same legal framework, the EU financial contribution for compensation to the owners for the value of the destroyed plants will be possible only from 2017 onwards.

 Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com 

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com

Plant packing : freshness, shade and aeration are important matters.

 Aleyagarden is a nursery under trees, close to the sea in Phang Nga, on a land reserved by law to agriculture.

It is a generally cloudy and always slightly windy area of Southern Thailand where forests and hills make it a fresh place. The air has a high moisture content, which alleviates the stress on the bare rooted plants while being packed.



March is the month of most plant shipments to the northern hemisphere and is also the month of the end of the dry and hot season. The start of the rainy season comes earlier in Phang Nga than in most other provinces of Thailand.  Meteo yearly data show that on average temperatures in Phang Nga are slighly lower than in Central Thailand.

So when Aleyagarden pack plants in March chances are high that they do it a cloudy day, if not a rainy one,  temperature is low and thanks to the high humidity of the air the bare root plants adjust slowly to their new environment in bags.

But they can't just count on the weather ! Aleyagarden has conceived an infrastructure on the site of a hevea plantation that generates shade ( see the packing place above ), low temperature and aeration.

Additionally these two refreshing fans in picture may be employed during the hottest days of the dry season, that could occur in the month of February ( but the chances are slim, this month is usually cold ).

Aleyagarden uses fans and trees instead of classical air conditionning device.

Aeration is guaranteed by the trees that have recovered their leaves before March when shipments are done.

Before they are put in cartons the plants have to get rid of excessive water : this is done under Aleyagarden house, on numerous large pallets. In this special place freshness, low light and aeration are always guaranteed.

Packing operations must be undergone fast : Aleyagarden is fortunate that many residents work in the very early morning ( they usually start at 3 am ) on their hevea plantations, so they still have time during the day for our ornamental plant packing. Aleyagarden is very grateful to them.

Hoya, Hoya seeds, Orchid seeds, Ferns, Fern spores and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com
Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com