Page 10 - Free State Spring 2023_WEB

THIS BUSINESS OF OURS (Continued)

I’m happy to say that an experiment I tried this winter
worked and was inexpensive to do. As we all know, a
good stiff wind can flatten a plot of three-gallon 3-foot-
tall arborvitae, pines, or hollies in an afternoon. How to
keep them upright easily and inexpensively is the hard
part. There are a number of products that will keep them
standing in varying degrees, and we have experimented
with them all. But the per unit cost is the big problem,
as well as having to consider the of ease of installation
and removal. In the past, I had tried putting the 3-gallon
plant container into a wider-based, slightly larger 4 to
6-gallon. This only worked to a small degree. Then one
day, I thought to use a sod staple to spike down the
holder container. I set up three rows of holder containers
using two staples on opposite sides. Then the rest of the
rows use just one staple near the center of the holder
container. Winds have come and gone since, and none of
the containers fell over. With thinner containers, you can
use a pole-like staple setter. That uses a magnet and a
groove to hold the staple so you can stab the staple into
the ground through the bottom of the pot. This worked
well when I laid out a plot of trade-gallon potted Green
Giant arborvitaes into full-gallon holder pots. We don’t time I see the words “Download the App.”
often use pot liners in full gallons, so we have many more We had already decided that as soon as possible, we will
of those in the bin. acquire a one, maybe two, stations potting machine this

In the case of thick-walled heavier containers, you will year because of the labor supply and its government-
have to drill holes for the staple to go through. Another mandated rapidly rising costs.
thing to remember is that if you use a 3-gallon container Flo and I took a wonderful, almost perfect 15-day cruise
in the same size holder, they will stick together. So, you will through the Panama Canal in February and early March.
be pulling the holder pot up every time you try to move The only horticultural part of it was small. When we toured
one. If it’s a retail customer, they will yank harder to get a nature preserve in Mexico, it was the only place where
everything up. Then it’s awkward having an 8-inch staple the Mexican crocodile exists. The Mexican government
hanging out of everything. Not perfect, but easy to install has the local indigenous people run it and make a living
and remove and cheap if you already own the holder off it. They charge, of course, for the tour as well as sell
pots. food and souvenirs. This is good because it makes the
As I mentioned in my last article, my son Larry and his son crocs a revenue source instead a protein source. At an
Robert are now running the nursery day to day. It’s going early point in the tour, we walked past a group of red
well. I asked him the other day what his ideas for the mangrove plants in what I call grow bags. This interested
future, possible expansion, and changes. Right now, his me more than the local animal lecture at that point, and
plans only include a small expansion that would be based I had to rush to catch up. I got the short answer that they
on large orders having to be delivered long distance. In were for planting where needed in the preserve. It seemed
other words, we are not going into the trucking business. the guide needed more interest and time to say more. It
As the only retail nursery left in Talbot County, we have looked very basic but was successful in growing what they
our niche here. One place they should move forward is needed. As for the canal, transit is totally fascinating and
using computers and smartphones to control irrigation. worth the experience, go if you get a chance.
However, I’ll leave that to them. My brain explodes every

10 SPRING 2023 • Free State News