General Instructions

The Prague Rock Garden Club provides its members with a seed exchange, where members offer plant seeds to their club colleagues. These seeds come from their own gardens/rock gardens or from natural collections (expeditions).
In order to streamline the entire process, i.e. to get the seeds from the donors to the end customers as quickly as possible, the data is processed electronically (we started this in 2025, and the methods and processes are still being fine-tuned, so we ask for your understanding and cooperation). Other activities related to seed exchange involve manual work. We would welcome your participation, for example, in bagging seeds (see below).

Seed Exchange Commission

The Commission ensures and coordinates activities related to seed exchange. In general, this involves keeping records of donors, lists of seeds from donors and their processing, publishing the Index seminum, processing delivered seeds and bagging them, printing labels, processing orders, distributing seeds, and creating selection packages for sale at KSP exhibitions on Karlovo náměstí.

Key roles in the committee
• Seed exchange manager – sets the rules for seed exchange after consulting with the Club committee (Jiří Berkovec)
• Webmaster – prepares texts, ensures their publication, including links on the KSP website (Eva Kolmanová)
• Data entry clerks – help enter data for seed donors or orderers who do not have computer equipment or the necessary skills (Jiří Kolman)
• Nomenclature specialist – corrects deficiencies in plant naming (Milan Halada)
If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact the seed exchange manager.

 Schedule
The exact dates for seed exchange will be set for each year and published in the autumn issue of SKALNIČKY magazine and on the KSP website.

Donors and seed lists
Plant seed donors (donors) are the backbone of seed exchange. The club greatly appreciates the work of donors and hopes that they will continue their efforts and that others will gradually join them. Any club member can become a donor. Donor registration is a one-time process – simply register using the Seed Donor Registration Form (the same form can be used to report any changes). The information provided is used solely for communication purposes related to seed exchange. Donors can ask the Matchmaker to register on their behalf (for those who do not have the necessary computer equipment or skills).
Registered donors are then sent a link to fill out the seed list each year (to the email address provided during registration). Completed items are saved online, i.e., the final list is not saved/sent. If you do not have email, please contact the Seed Exchange Manager by phone. They will send you a printed table to fill out, you will arrange a date for returning it by mail, and the Typecaller will enter the list you sent under your donor ID.
The list of plant seeds is checked/corrected by the Nomenclature Specialist according to available online registers and literature.
Once the donor has filled in their seed list, the link sent for the next year’s seed exchange will contain these items (some may change after correction) and the donor will only need to edit/add to them.

Index seminum
Index seminum contains a list of plant seeds for the given seed exchange year. It is created by combining individual donor lists (after they have been checked/corrected), sorting the items alphabetically, and making final adjustments to the Index for publication on the website www.skalnickari.cz in the Seed Exchange section.
Since 2025, the Index seminum has been published electronically only. The PDF file can be downloaded from the KSP website. You can request a printed copy of the Index seminum from the club treasurer for a fee of CZK 100 (printing and postage) – free of charge for seed donors.

Seeds and their processing
Donors send/deliver seeds to the seed exchange according to their capabilities within the deadlines for the given year. Sending seeds after the deadline is possible in justified cases and with prior agreement with the Seed Exchange Manager.
To motivate donors to send high-quality seeds, a credit system has been established, which is then taken into account when processing the donor’s order:

• 1 credit = donation of seeds only (bags with description, no list)
• 5 credits = sending of ready-made portions and communication via web interface
• 3 credits = sending ready-made portions and communication via paper lists or email
• 3 credits = sending undivided items and communication via the web interface
• 2 credits = sending undivided items and communication via paper lists or email

Bagging, i.e. dividing individual seeds into portions, takes place during the “Autumn Meeting” organized by the Alpinum Club Plzeň in their mini-botanical garden in the lecture hall (dining room) in Plzeň on Mikulášské náměstí. The event is open to members of both the Plzeň and Prague clubs. Participants will receive one set of seeds for their work.
We kindly ask those interested to register in advance with the Seed Exchange Manager and confirm their participation with him. For KSP members from outside Plzeň, travel expenses may be reimbursed by the club, but this must be agreed in advance with the club’s treasurer (group transport or a fully occupied car).

Ordering seeds
Seeds can be ordered using the order form. Please use the electronic form posted on the KSP website (at the same time as the Index seminum). In rare cases, orders can be sent by email or by post using a manually completed form (the PDF form for ordering seeds is available on the KSP website).

Rules for ordering seeds, including prices
1. KSP members who have paid their membership fees for the given year (e.g., for 2025 for the 2025/2026 seed exchange) and the seed exchange fee for the given year are eligible to receive seeds.

2. When placing an order, the customer must provide:
a) their KSP membership number (member donations are evaluated from the list of donors for the given year)
b) name and contact address for the purpose of sending seeds
c) basic, replacement, and supplementary sets ordered
Only the item numbers from the Index seminum (not names, cultivars, etc., or other characters) should be entered in the fields. The order is automatically processed in several rounds by lines (= the same item number in the set), so please enter items that are interchangeable from your point of view in the order line, in the order of your preference (do not sort them by serial number, as was previously required). NEW: items are unique in terms of their combination of data, i.e., one plant can be registered under multiple numbers, and you have the option to enter just one of them (representing, for example, a specific cultivar from a specific donor) or to enter multiple items representing that plant in the line.
d) Number of seeds ordered:
• Donors who have sent at least 10 types of seeds are entitled to 35 items in three columns (up to 70 items).
• Other customers re entitled to 20 items in three columns (up to< 40 items).
e) Number of seed sets ordered:
• 1 set (you pay CZK 200*): each row is intended to satisfy one item
• 2 sets (you pay CZK 300*): each row is intended to satisfy two items
* seeds, packaging material, handling fee, and postage
f) ordering labels (durable polyethylene stickers measuring 45×9 mm for name tags; includes the Index seminum number, Latin name, and event designation (year); if you specify in your order:
• NO: only the item number according to Index seminum is printed on the seed bags
• YES: ditto + labels for the items obtained are inserted into envelopes marked only with the item number
It is possible to order additional labels for specific items by making a direct request to the seed exchange manager. There is a fee for this service based on the number of labels requested, which is CZK 20 for every 50 pieces (including partial quantities) + postage corresponding to the size of the order; example: for a request for 5 items of 15 pieces each, this is a total of 75 labels, which is CZK 40 + postage corresponding to the size of the order

3. If a club member sends several orders, only the last one with the date it was sent is included in the processing.

Order processing
Once the deadline for accepting orders has passed, processing begins.
The basic criteria (paid order fee and paid membership fee for the given year) are necessary prerequisites for an order to be included in processing.
The order of orders for processing (donation + donor rating + new donor credit + order date) is the same in all three rounds. In each round, only one column of all orders is evaluated. The seeds obtained are then sorted according to the numbers in the Index, removed from storage, prepared for shipment (C5 envelopes), and sent by regular mail. NEW: Please do not send envelopes and/or stamps for sending seeds with your seeds or written order – to speed up the process, all orders are processed and shipped uniformly.

After the seed exchange has ended
After orders have been processed, the remaining seeds will be sold in individual bags for CZK 10 per bag (+ postage). The procedure for additional orders for club members will be published on the KSP website after the seed exchange has ended.
The packaged seeds are then offered/sold to visitors at the spring and May club exhibitions (individually or in collections).