Could someone outline exactly what one must do to ask for fig cuttings from the UCD collection. I have spent the last 20 minutes going round and round on their various pages and can find no clear easy to understand order form. I know the variety numbers I would like but just can't fiqure it out.
Perhaps a few links?
I understand that this season may be closed AND you must have a UPS or FedEx account.
Thanks
Rich

Rich i feel ya on that one. i have spent a few days looking over it all. found what i wanted. but like you i dont know what to do with it. when you figure it out let me know.

Rich,
    I believe the 2012 deadline is passed, but the application form can be obtained from their website by clicking on the "Plant Material Request Form" button.

i think request can still be sent in for summer cuttings, i may be wrong. how does that ups fedex thing work anyway.

Dave....you just go on line to the carrier of your choice UPS,etc.  and follow the prompts to open an account (it's free). Then add that account number to the UC Davis order form when you send it in.

They changed the way it works.  You now go to the GRIN Accession search page ( http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/acc/acc_queries.html ) and enter  Ficus carica in the text search box.  You'll get this window.  ( http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/swish/accboth?query=Ficus+carica&submit=Submit+Text+Query&si=0 )  Click on the variety you want.  If it's available it will have a link that says Request this germplasm.  Click on that and it'll show you a cart.  Go back to the fig varieties and keep doing this until you get all you want, then click on the Complete the germplasm request and order the material link at the bottom.  That takes you to a form that you have to fill out and submit.  Once you've submitted the form, you're done.

See this Link at Figs 4 Fun. It has links to the various varieties, to the USDA site, to ordering page, etc.

Everything is here, on the USDA page

Deadline USED to be Dec 1. NOW it is November 1.

You USED to order on a paper form. NOW it is done on line.

You DO need a UPS or FedEx account to cover shipping. Specify Ground shipping, which is cheaper. Their default is Overnight shipping which is more expensive.

The easiest way to order and one that they had encouraged us to use during tastings was an automated form.  If you go to http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/swish/accboth?query=ficus+carica&submit=Search!&sort=swishrank&si=0&.cgifields=si&.cgifields=reverse to do a query for Ficus carica, their are presently 197 accessions returned.  If you want a specific one you can change your query to "Fucus carica panachee" or whatever.  If you selected Panachee, you would be at http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/acc/display.pl?1000076 and under "Availability" you would read that it is available and you can click on the link to "Request this germplasm".

In the past, the deadline to request material was December 1st.  However, a few weeks ago I noticed that this year it had been changed to November 1st.  I was a bit surprised to see that since there was no mention of that when I went to the pomegranate tasting on November 3rd.

I have a FedEx account already and give that number when I submit my orders and they have always thanked me for that.  I think they ship orders to folks that don't supply a shipping account and I have been told previously that they have no means to actually collect funds to get reimbursed so I think it's best to get an account so that they can spend their budgeted funds for germplasm acquisition and preservation.

Thanks for the info. The links seemed to work with some effort although I didn't see where to put my UPS acct. but put it in the message box.

A lot of us were typing at the same time.  They still accept the old form.  I did it the old way last year because I requested some things which weren't in the database but which I had previously confirmed as being available.  The Punica data is a bit messed up with some varieties listed only by the plant ID number.