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Rant: I compared buying plants at the big box store versus a local nursery and the difference was night and day
Last month I needed some new perennials for my front garden. I grabbed a few from the hardware store for $12 each just because it was convenient. They looked fine in the pots but after 3 weeks two of them died and the others barely grew. So I went to a local nursery about 15 minutes away and paid $14 per plant. Same type of plants. Those things took off within days and now they are huge and healthy. The soil quality and root systems were just way better. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just unlucky with the big store stuff?
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young.kim25d ago
Ugh that is so frustrating when you lose plants like that, I really feel you. My whole first batch of lavender from the orange store died too, it's like they're already half dead in the pot but they still look okay enough to trick you. Glad the nursery ones took off for you though, makes the extra drive totally worth it.
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elliot_patel26d ago
Those things took off within days" - yep that sounds about right actually. My buddy Matt bought a bunch of basil and tomato plants from the home improvement store last spring and like half of them just flopped over and died within a week. He's not the best gardener but he watered them the same as everything else. Then he went to this small place out in the county and paid maybe a dollar or two more and those plants are still going strong even now. The dirt was good and the roots weren't all tangled up in a mess. I think the big stores just keep them in those tiny pots too long and they get stressed out before you even bring them home.
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