Question 1

What does it mean for a plant to be sun light sensitive?

Accepted Answer

Some plants are not able to tolerate the sun specially at higher temperatures like we experience here in Arizona. Anytime you see the "sun image" displayed on a plant, be aware that plant is sun light sensitive in our area. Keep in mind, these plants may not be sun light sensitive in area where temperatures are NOT extreme and have higher humidity levels during summer. Grafted loquats would be a good example of a sun light sensitive in our area.

Question 2

What does it mean for a plant to be heat sensitive?

Accepted Answer

Some plants may take damage even in the shade from the heat. Shade alone will NOT help these types of plants. A cooler micro-climate is required for these plants to thrive in our area. As these plants become established, they tend to be able to tolerate the heat better. This will usually take 1 to 2 years in ground. Grafted avocado plants are one of our most heat sensitive plants. With the right micro-climate though, they are able to tolerate the heat as they get older. Keep radiant heat sources away from these plants. More water will not help these plants. Think of it this way, these plants can't sweat fast enough to cool off in the heat. As a result, they get heat stroke and die. Areas with higher humidity levels during hot weather tend to NOT experience this problem.

Question 3

What is a frost sensitive plant?

Accepted Answer

Some plants are able to tolerate colder temperatures but will NOT tolerate frost. A frost sensitive plant in our area will require cover but the ambient temperature will not be a problem as long as you protect it from the cold wind and ice forming on the plant. Check out our "growing tips" section for a video explaining in details on how to frost protect your plants.

Question 4

What is a cold sensitive plant?

Accepted Answer

Some plants even with a cover on during winter will take damage from the ambient temperatures. How cold? every plant is different even ones within the same cultivar. It's not about the temperature but more about how long it stays at those temperatures. There are only 2 ways to protect a cold sensitive plant: 1-Warm micro-climate and 2-Artifically creating a warm micro-climate. To learn more about cold protection, watch our "how to protect a cold sensitive plant video". Video can be found in our growing tips section.
 
Mango trees are a good example of a cold sensitive plant. Grafted varieties seem to be more cold sensitive than those grown from seed. Remember, every tree is different and there is no such thing as a cold hardy mango tree.

Question 5

What is a wind sensitive plant?

Accepted Answer

These types of plants suffer more damage from the wind than non-wind sensitive plants. Most of these plants tend to have soft wood and break easy in any amount of wind. Other plants tend to defoliate at the first glance of wind. Star fruit trees would be a wind sensitive plant we carry here at the nursery. Planting among other plants or structures will help these types of plants.

Question 6

What is a PH sensitive plant?

Accepted Answer

Our soil plays a big factor on how a plant may grow. Some plants require neutral to acidic ph while others require alkaline (higher) ph. Blue berry plants are one of those ph sensitive plants. PH issues don't manifest for months if not years after you've planted your tree in ground. At the ground PH, many of these plants are unable to absorb the nutrients from the soil. This is why it takes a very long time for you to see any ph issues.

Question 7

Do you ship plants?

Accepted Answer

Yes we do. Currently, we're only shipping 4" starter size plants and 1 gallon. Check out our shop to see what plants are available in those sizes.

Question 8

Why don't you guarantee your plants, every multi-million dollar store does so, why don't you!"

Accepted Answer

Plants are living beings just like you and I. If you don't water them, they will die. if you don't meet their specific requirements such as sun, shade, frost, or cold protection, they will die. While legally plants are considered property, in our eyes they are just as important as your kids or pets are to you. When you have a new kid, do you get a guarantee on them?. This is how we feel about this subject.
 
A little truth about the 1 year guarantee you see at these multi-million dollar stores. A grower has to agree to this 1 year return policy in order for them to be able to sell their plants through  these stores. These stores "allow" them to sell their plants through them. They don't directly pay for the plants but rather take a commission for every sale. When you return a plant, that money comes out of the grower's account, not the store's account. In the end, the store loses nothing. This is why you have these 1 year guarantees...
 
We're a small home based nursery. While we grow plants for the fun of it, they're still not free. We know how hard it is to grow many of our plants and how easy it is to kill them. We don't have millions of dollars and honestly even if we did, we would still not offer a guarantee. We love all our plants and we will try our best to educate you so, you can be successful.
 
We lose many sales because we're simply honest. We would rather not make any $ than to see you walk out with a plant we know won't fit your lifestyle or micro-climate.

Question 9

What fertilizers do you use on your plants?

Accepted Answer

Container plants we use a slow release fertilizer. Numbers are irrelevant. If you want foliage, make sure the first number is higher than the other two numbers. If you want flowers, make sure the first number is lower than the other two numbers. Simple.
 
In ground, we simply use compost and mulch. Compost has everything ALL plants need to survive.

Question 10

How often to water plants?

Accepted Answer

Video coming soon but you water as often as they need water. Sounds simple but it's not... To better help you understand this you must understand how plants use water. Most of the water you give your plants, they use through transpiration. Transpiration is just another word for sweating. They sweat for the same reasons you do. The more they sweat, they more water they will drink, the faster the soil will dry. This is why nobody can tell you exactly how often to water your plants. This would be like asking you how often do you drink water? see, the asnwer is not that simple. But to give you a quick tip:
 
Container plants: For most plants, let pot dry 50-75%. How ever time that takes, that's how often you water.
 
In ground plants: First summer let soil dry about 6-12 inches. However long that takes, that's exactly how often. 
 
There are some exceptions. Some of these are guavas, Jaboticaba, Miracle fruit trees, loquats, Star fruits, etc. These plants you must keep moist to wet especially during extreme heat.

Question 11

How long to water plants?

Accepted Answer

Until the potting mix or soil is fully saturated. Especially during the growing season.
 
There are always exceptions: Bananas, succulents, Cacti, Plumeria, Decidous plants, any plant that holds water. These plants you must either not water at all during cold weather or when you do water, do not over saturate it. Don't you worry, we will always tell you what your plant needs at our nursery. But in the even you forget, check us out on social media or send us a message.

Question 12

Veteran grown plants, what's that?"

Accepted Answer

I'm a veteran and I grow plants. Veteran grown plants :). Are these veteran grown plants better than anyone else's?. In my opinion, yes they are. i grow plants because they allow me to connect with society. They give me purpose. I view plants as living beings and treat them as such. If you're a veteran looking for purpose and would like to learn how plants can do just that, let me know.

Question 13

I don't have a green thumb, what do I do?"

Accepted Answer

The color of your thumb is irrelevant when growing plants. What matters is how you take care of your plants. Treat your plants like you treat your kids, animals or what matters most to you. The minute you do that, you will be successful at growing anything you set your mind to.

Question 14

Why do my plants keep dying?

Accepted Answer

2 reasons most plants die:
 
1- Lack of water
2- Damage to the root system: Either physical or chemical.
 
After growing a few thousand plants we can honestly tell you "over watering" and/or "lack of nutrients" are some of the -last- reasons why your plants are dying. We have a video on this topic, check it out in the growing tips section.

Question 15

How do I make my plants grow faster?

Accepted Answer

There is no magical fertilizers or juices you can use to make your plants grow faster. There are 5 main ingredients plants need in order to grow: light, temperature, food, water and time. If you're missing 1, your plant may not grow as well, if you're missing several, then you know why your plant is not growing. Be patient and as long as your plants have these 5 ingredients, just simply wait and it will grow as fast as its genetics allow it to.

Frequently asked questions