Home Depot trees

Hi there,

For the first time in my life I am buying trees, specifically fruit and probably citrus.

Is Home Depot any good for this? There are a number of terrific nurseries around here but it is a matter of time not money, if there is even a difference. I am not sure. I was kind of caught by surprise here.

What do you all say?

Take care, Julie in SFBA

Reply to
julie
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I don't know about the SFBA, but the Home Depot's around the Dallas, Tx area only sell fruit trees in the spring. Their trees are fine, but you may find a limited selection of varieties. I've bought peach , pears and figs from HD and they have always been fine. But now you have me curious.....it's a matter of time and not money? What's the rush? (if you care to elaborate)

Reply to
Thos

I might buy tools, fertilizers, and other supplies at a hardware store or lumber yard; but I alway buy my plants from a nursery. Hardware stores and lumber yards generally fail to give live plants proper care while waiting to sell them. In fact, few such stores even employ people who know how to care for live plants.

If "SFBA" means San Francisco Bay area, forget the citrus. It will grow and thrive, but you are unlikely to get enough heat to ripen the fruit properly.

If you are buying deciduous fruit trees, wait until they are available bare root (about January). Bare root trees generally adapt to your native soil better than canned trees. (The same is true with roses, but few (if any) nurseries sell bare root roses any more.)

Also, be sure that the varieties that you buy is indeed suitable for your climate. Commercial varieties of apple, pear, and the stone fruits (e.g., peaches) generally need more winter chill than is found in much of the Bay area. However, non-commercial varieties of many fruits -- often better tasting -- are available for mild-winter areas.

Reply to
David E. Ross

I can relate one experience of mine. Two years ago, I purchased what was labeled as a Belle of Georgia Peach. It soon developed fruit, but the flesh was yellow, instead of white. My guess is that it is a Elberta Peach. Out of curiosity, I tried to trace this tree from Home Depot. It seems like this tree went through about two or three levels before Home Depot sold it. The exact identity of the tree could not be verified. It is a healthy tree, just not what I was expecting. True, you can get some bargains at Home Depot and other big box stores, but be aware of the risks involved.

That was probably the last tree I will purchase from a big box. When I was first getting into growing fruit, I purchased five trees from Frank's Nursery, who went out of business in my area. A few of them survived, but some grew larger than I wanted.

As I got more into fruit trees, I discovered the best and most reliable trees were orderable on the internet as young whips. These trees grow rapidly and catch up in a year or two to the ones you see sold in local nurseries and big box stores. There are several good suppliers, like Raintree Nursery and Tree's of Antiquity out there. The advantage of ordering from them is they carry many uncommon varieties not found locally. They grow their own trees, with no middle men involved. You can be almost certain that the better ones of these nurseries are accurate on the rootstock (determines final size of the tree). If you were expecting a tree to grow to 10 or so feet, you won't be surprised when it grows many feet higher. I grow mostly semi-dwarfs on rootstock like Bud 9 that produces apple trees about 12 feet high. If I had to do it over again, I would have bought the very small trees on M27 that grow about 6 feet tall. You don't get as much fruit on a dwarf, but maintenance is much easier, and the trees yield fruit sooner than a full size tree. There are some nurseries that I avoid simply because they do not specify their rootstock, just calling it a dwarf of semi-dwarf. Starks and Millers are two of these that come to mind. They plant their own stock, but on an assembly line basis, so they cannot track each tree.

If you want to grow some unusual and very tasty fruit that you can't find in your supermarket, look at these heritage fruits. Visit a fruit fair in your area where you can taste these unusual fruits and be sure to pick one that is compatible with your climate zone.

Sherwin

Reply to
sherwin dubren

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Really? My six citrus (Mandarin orange, Valencia orange, Tangelo, both Meyer lemons, and the Star Ruby grapefruit), and every neighbor I see with citrus trees in their front yards, disprove this every season.

I'll also include my nectarine, pear, apple, and persimmon but I understand that those aren't citrus.

All the saplings came from Home Despost but I've forgotten when I purchased them; fall I think when they pack 'em in like sardines in their nursery areas. They've been amazingly hardy, were all on sale when I purchased them, and came from a variety of sources.

The Ranger SFBA Zone 9

Reply to
The Ranger

I've bought from Raintree Nursery and their fruit trees have grown have grown 2-3 feet this summer. The nursery is in my state so I knew they would grow well here. That, I think, makes a huge difference in how well fruit trees grow. They're semi-dwarf apple and cherry. I had blossoms on them this year but they didn't develop. Next year? Maybe one will!

Donna in WA

Reply to
DEM

I thought that fall was the best time to plant trees? The fruit trees are hitting Orchard Supply now, too.

Karen

Reply to
Karen

I have a few of their trees and they do very well here in my part of the Midwest(zone 5, Chicago area)

Make sure you have the proper pollinators for the apple and cherry. I don't think buying locally in your case has given much of an advantage. California also has varying climate zones, so I think the soil they were grown in would be a bigger factor.

Anyone interested in finding a good nursery should check references from Nafex (North American Fruit Explorers) or Midfex (Midwest Fruit Explorer,

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where you find recommended vendors.

Sherwin

Reply to
sherwin dubren

Reply to
Patty Winter

Whoops, sorry, hit the "send" key too soon.

I was going to say that we here in the Bay Area have a different sense of planting seasons than people in many other parts of the country. :-) I, too, am getting ready to do some planting--just as my friends in Michigan are putting away their garden tools for the next few months.

Patty

Reply to
Patty Winter

Thanks, everyone, for all your helpful advice. I took it all to heart as we searched for trees to plant. Look for new post on what we ended up with. Thanks again, Julie in SFBA

Reply to
julie

You better know what you are doing because the staff at these big box stores are less than usefel.

In Menards today, the clerk told me that most peach trees need another polinator, whereas apples are mostly self fertile. She got things backwards.

She also mentioned that apples could be pollinated by pears, plums, etc. She better go back to fruit trees 101 before she gives out false information like that.

Sherwin

Reply to
sherwin dubren

sherwin dubren wrote:

How does time come into play... same time to plant stock from one nursery or another... and of course money comes into play, who do you think you're fooling, that's the main reason for buying anything from big box stores, it costs less. And what surprise?!?!?

You had best know what you're doing before buying nursery stock anywhere... there is no chance that the staff at any retail nursery is more useful than at another unless one has had personal experience with a particular staff member's expertise... except that in my experience I've found the staff at the big box store nurseries to be far more accomodating with schlepping and loading. I don't necessarily rely on retail nursery worker's plant expertise, that's my responsibility to learn prior to shopping.

Why would a clerk come out of nowhere with that kind of information, and if you already know the answers to your questions that makes you grossly disingenuous. Your story is not believeable, it sounds like something made up by someone with a grudge against the big box emporiums. Plants would be labeled with planting instructions and typically fruit tree tags list pollinating requirements. Someone with a degree in horticulture wouldn't be schlepping plants around any retail nursery. Anyone considering growing fruit should educate themselves about what to plant and how before ever visiting any plant nursery. Folks don't go to Lowes to learn horticulture anymore than they do to learn heating and cooling... occasionally one will by pure accident encounter an employee with expert knowlege but at the wages paid at any retail nursery I'd not count on it... one can learn all they need to know about fruit trees on the net. Folks shop at big box stores to save money regardless what they buy, they should have already armed themselves with the knowlege required for what to choose. If one is too lazy to do research on their own they can always go to the dedicated plant nurseries where they'll pay twice as much and still will be just as likely to receive incorrect information, probably more likely, becaue places that charge more are more likely to not admit not knowing so would dispense BS instead. In my experience the help at the big box nurseries have no more horticultural knowlege than what anyone can read on the plant tag, anytime I've asked a more technical question they've said I don't know... can't get more honest. Retail plant nurseries pay little more than minimum wage... no education is required to schlepp plants, bales of planting medium, and watering hoses about. However the nursery stock at either is exactly the same, comes from the same local wholesalers/growers. Also the big box stores don't hassle folks about returns whereas the independant nurseries typically institute all sorts of escape clauses for not replacing plants or returning full purchase price. Another point to consider is that the typical independant retail nursery buys all their stock in one fell swoop in order to take advantage of bulk discounts... that same stock sits in what is virtually a parking lot the entire season hoping for a buyer, it gets sun, it hopefully gets watered regularly, it gets knocked about by folks looking, and the nicest specimens are sold right away and not replaced... what's left doesn't go into the ground until someone buys and plants it. Whereas the big box stores are gigantic accounts, they get freshly dug shipments weekly, even daily. It's pretty silly not to shop the big box nurseries first, especially for newbies like the OP who really have no business purchasing the more costly less common plants until they gain some experience, at least enough experience not to need to ask the nursery help about pollinating.

There is lots of info available about fruit trees but it's best to research ones own area.

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Reply to
brooklyn1

We were discussing various topics about prices of trees at different stores. She volunteered the information about pollination requirements. I merely corrected her.

You are an idiot.

Your story is not believeable, it sounds like

Oh sure. I'm on a real vendetta against big box sellers. Again, you are a big idiot.

Plants would be labeled with planting instructions and

What planet are you on?

Someone with

I shop at big box stores for items I think are a good value. Fruit trees are something I think people should be aware of the possibility of getting something they didn't expect.

they should have

Much less likely since nursery people are dedicated to that business and they don't hire temporary workers, as a general rule.

, probably more likely, becaue places that charge more are

I don't shop at local nurseries for plants I can buy on the web for much less money. The nursery people are not experts, but they know a lot more than the big box people.

However the nursery

Strange, I recall you toting the advantage of buying big trees from your local nursery. Sounds like you have some problems with one of them.

Another point to consider is that the typical

I did not ask for help on pollination, but tried to correct some statements made by a big box clerk. I think the care issues you mentioned apply equally to nurseries and big box. I have seen tree stock from big box stores that looked pretty sad and eventually was put on sale at the end of the season, to clear it out.

nurseries and big box stores. I think the best choice is a reliable out of town nursery. The selection is way bigger when you deal with the whole country. I find for reliable tagging, that can only be found at specific nurseries where they grow their own trees from scratch. The better nurseries can tell you exactly what rootstocks you are getting, not some ambiguous label like semi-dwarf. Sure, you can get a better deal at a big box store, but you can never be sure about what you are buying. Most of the nurseries in my area (Chicago) are way too expensive. I buy whips or benchmark trees that arrive in great shape and adopt nicely to my backyard.

Sherwin

Reply to
sherwin dubren

Find a local nursery who can advise you on what varieties grow best in your particular microclimate.

But...most importantly, if you are planting stone fruit - WAIT. Bare root season is right around the corner and you can get trees much cheaper then. Starting in December, the nursery will be filled with bare root fruit trees. If the local nursery that you find has helpful employees, they will order the varieties you want as bare root stock.

The Sunset garden book has listings of different cultivars if you don't already have a favorite. You *do* have a Sunset garden book, don't you?

Good luck, Susan B.

Reply to
sueb

=A0

What you don't know or are misinformed about retail nurseries is rather astonishing!!

Many retail nurseries and garden centers pride themselves on having well-educated and highly trained personnel on staff. In fact, many state nursery and landscape professional associations offer professional certfication programs that require knowledge and training equivalent to a 2 year hort degree that a great many retail garden centers and nurseries take advantage of. I actually teach classes for this certfication program in my area. We graduate several dozen CPH's (Certified Professional Horticulturists) each session, the bulk of which are nursery employees. And minimum wages are paid only to seasonal part time staff, those who do the unloading of trucks, schlepping of plants to cars and hauling sacks of soil amendments. We don't even let these folks - generally high school or college students looking for a summer job - water plants, as that takes knowledge and a skill level these guys don't have.

Having been in both the retail and wholesale nursery industry for many years, I think I can speak to the buying habits of retail nurseries, at least the ones here on the west coast..... I was a buyer for a number of years. They DO NOT bring in all their stock at once. Weekly delivers from various vendors occur throughout the season but some plant offerings - like many fruit trees - tend to be very seasonal and the bulk are brought in very early in the season, often when dormant. As they are sold off, they are replaced with fresh stock, if that stock is still available. And the care plants receive at retail nurseries far exceeds what is provided at any box store - unless you purchase something at a box that is within days of its arrival, it is very likley to be drought stressed or otherwise neglected. And they do not necessarily offer the same stock from the same vendors - many of the largest wholesale vendors offer grades of product: premium grades go to the plant retailers/nurseries; lesser grades to the discounters and box stores. And some vendors simply do not sell to any discounters or box stores, period.

btw, I am a degreed horticulturist as well as professionally certified. I have worked in the nursery industry consistently for nearly 20 years but as a second and much more rewarding and satisfying career. I started out at quite a bit more than minimum wage and make as much now as I did when I left my corporate banking career. It's not a huge salary but it is faaaar more than minimum wage.

Reply to
gardengal

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[snip]

If you want to see how truly misinformed Sheldumb is to visit rfc. A more obnoxious, louder-braying, north-end-of-a-southbound-mule there isn't. Shelly will happily piss himself just to prove his nonexistent points of view. It's best to simply filter/kf his posts, unless you like banging your head against the wall. His favorite reply to an informed post of the quality you provided is to pull some ad hominen starting with your sexual tastes, mixing in some ethnic slurs, and finally closing with an exploit or two about his alternative lifestyle.

The Ranger

Reply to
The Ranger

Obviously, the sales people I encounter in my area big box stores have not taken your classes.

The fruit tree stock may be fresh, but it is often misslabled. When I checked on a misslabled tree recently, I discovered it had gone through at least three sources from initial grower to distributor to the final seller. It was impossible to trace the variety.

Sherwin

Reply to
sherwin dubren

First of all dummy, get my name right.

What in the world are you talking about? You obviously have a hard__ for me. That's your problem. You get the prize for obnoxious name calling, which reflects your adolescent mentality.

Sherwin

Reply to
sherwin dubren

OMG....thanks for the bellybusting laugh.

Believe it or not, Sherwin, you made my day. LOL

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie

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