​Best Nursery Supplies To Get Plants Off To A Good Start

While winter is approaching in many parts of the country, that certainly doesn’t mean that growers aren’t in need of nursery supplies. The warmer parts of the country are always planting and growing something. Some nurseries are growing their plants indoors to plant them outside in spring. And, thankfully, spring will always be here before you know it throughout our land. What we’re saying is, nursery supplies and orchard supplies are needed throughout the year, not just in the spring as many northern gardeners might think.

Today’s trees and plants can grow when left to their own devices, but the fact is that the way they grow isn’t always the way that humans want them to grow. Sometimes they grow too slowly for our liking, are too susceptible to frost, or wilt because they’re getting too much sun! Here are some of the supplies that help to get plants off to a good start.

Tree T Pees

The Tree T Pee is one of the most amazing items we carry, despite how simple it is. These small cones (also known as a Tree Tee Pee, Tree Teepee, Tree Tepee, or Tree Tipi) protect young nursery plants and actually help them grow faster. You see, the black cone-shaped coverings trap heat at the base of the tree and create a little “tree sauna” that keeps the roots warm. (This also helps protects plants from frost.) The setup also means that nurseries and orchards reduce fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, and water usage, because all of these can be delivered directly to the tree base without runoff or evaporation.

Tree T Pees are one of our favorite items, because we know how much money and how many resources a nursery or orchard owner can save. Read more about all of their advantages right here!

Frost Blankets For Plants

It just makes sense: Getting a plant into the ground sooner means that it’s going to be larger than any that are put in the ground later. But the problem with putting plants out sooner is that they are susceptible to frost, and the younger and more tender a plant is, the more likely it is to die due to the frost.

How do you protect plants from frost? Frost blankets, frost covers, and row covers from Frostproof Growers Supply. We carry frost protection for plants in a huge variety of sizes, from single plant covers to row covers that are 1000 feet long by 36 feet wide! These can be left on during inclement weather, and then be removed when the sun is out. It’s not much work to be able to get your plants in the ground — and to market — sooner than everyone else.

Shade Cloth

You’d hope that protecting plants from the cold would be enough, but it’s also important to protect some plants from the heat. Some new plants (and even some mature plants) prefer less direct sun, and some will even die if they are in direct sun for too long. That’s where shade cloth comes in. Shade cloth knocks down the level of sun that plants get, basically preventing them from getting overheated and wilting. Not only can this save your plants, but it can also reduce the amount of water you use to keep them growing.

At Frostproof Growers Supply, we carry a wide variety of shade cloth, both knitted and woven. Our cloth can reduce the amount of sun your plants are getting from 30-percent all the way down to 90-percent. We also have the accessories you’ll need to keep it in place, such as zip ties and dedicated shade cloth fasteners.

Plant Stakes and Ties

Giving a tree support is one way that it can grow up straight and tall, because having it slouching over can prevent all sides from getting the right amount of sunlight. It can also keep them from getting ground-borne bacteria on their leaves. Here at Frostproof Growers Supply, we can help trees get off to a good start with tree stakes and ties that support a plant but also don’t get in their way.

Watering Tools

New plants don’t yet have established root systems, which means that they are able to get water from only a small area of the soil. That’s why you need the best means of getting water to them, and the watering tools we carry can deliver water in the most efficient way possible.

At Frostproof Growers Supply, we carry watering tools for both homeowners and nursery managers. These include the best garden hoses and reels, spray nozzles and wands, water timers, and hose-end sprinklers. We also have garden hose connectors when you have plants at the edge of the property and need to connect more than one hose to another. Of course, we also have high-end root watering tools to get the water deep in the ground, which helps to reduce both evaporation and runoff.

Weed Fabric

Speaking of water, when plants are young, they’re fighting for resources. Because their root system isn’t established, they have to compete with weeds to get water and food that they absorb from the ground.

Weed fabric is an excellent way to make sure that the weeds aren’t stealing the good stuff from your new plants. If weeds can’t get sun, they can’t grow, and that means a healthier — and nicer looking — environment for your plants.

Grafting Tools and Supplies

Sometimes a new plant isn’t really new, but is instead a grafted plant made from two mature parts. But maybe that makes it a new plant after all!

Whenever you graft a tree, you want to get it off to the right start with the right tree grafting tools. That means having a professional grafting knife that will give your trees a clean cut every time so that there is as little chance of infection as possible. It’s also a good idea to use grafting wax, which helps to keep bacteria, viruses, and insects out of the wound (because, technically, you are wounding the tree) with grafting wax. Finally, be sure to keep both the rootstock and the scion touching and secure by using dedicated grafting tape, which is waterproof and biodegrades so that you don’t have to return to the tree and remove it after the tree has accepted the graft.

We’ll Help You Help Your Plants

Here at Frostproof Growers Supply, we love plants and want to see them flourish. But they never will unless they make it past their seedling state. We’re here to make sure that your plants grow big and healthy with our nursery supplies, whether it’s a tree or bush, fruit or vegetable. Click those links above to find exactly what you’re looking for!