Frequency Asked Questions
How do we purchase your plants?
Pirtle Nursery Inc. is a wholesale only business. This means we cannot sell directly to the public. We sale our products to retailers who sell to the general public.
What items are for sale?
Our wholesale catalog is updated yearly and available by request. Our current availability changes daily. If you are wholesaler please reach out to our sales staff during office hours, Monday thru Friday 7am-4pm CT.
What plants will grow in my area?
Please refer to the USDA Hardiness Zone chart to determine the zone range of where the tree will be planted.
What does #1, #2, #3, #5, #6 & #7 mean when referring to plant size?
These numbers refer to the size of the plant. For example, within our industry it is common to refer to a #5 plant as a “5 gallon” tree; however, this is not a true gallon size. The chart below
#1 size pot is equal to 2.5 Quarts/2.37 Liters
#2 size pot is equal to 1.5 gallons/5.68 Liters
#3 size pot is equal to 2.929 gallons/11.090 Liters
#5 size pot is equal to 3.740 gallons/14.165 Liters
#6 size pot is equal to 6.06 gallons/22.94 Liters
#7 size pot is equal to 6.093 gallons/23.067 Liters
How long will it take fruit to bear on my tree?
Fruit trees and plants can take 4-5 years before they bear fruit. Our #5 size trees are grown for 2-3 years prior to sale. Therefore, it can take an additional 2-3 years before your plants bear fruit after purchase.
Does my plant need a pollinator?
Plant description will identify if a plant requires a pollinator or refer to pollination charts we have listed here.
What are chill hours?
Chill hours are an approximation of how many hours of weather between 32 degrees and 45 degrees a plant requires to properly go dormant so it can wake up and blossom and/or set fruit. For plants to thrive in your area, please pay attention to the Plant Hardiness Zone compatibility with the optimum chill hours.
What is my soil type?
The best way to identify your soil type is to collect a sample and submit to your local extension agent for testing at your cost. Knowing your soil type will help determine strength and weaknesses.
Clay soil lacks drainage because of their wet, sticky nature. They do have natural nutrients but this type of soil would need to be amended by adding more nutrients to make it less dense to grow.
Sandy soil is good for growing because it has good drainage and warms up well. Unlike clay soil, it does not hold nutrients, so you would need to add nutrients throughout season.
Peaty soil is good for plants that like acidic soil like blueberries. This soil tends to be darker, heavier and damp without a ton of nutrients. Peaty soil is common in bog or marsh areas.
Silty soil typically contains a lot of nutrients because it comes from river sediments. This is a common soil type and lots of plants do well in silty soil. A precaution is that you might have to work on drainage to achieve the best results.
Chalky soil has a chunky, powdery texture and is found in rock or limestone areas. Small rocks can help with drainage, but this soil requires added nutrients and amendments for lawns and gardens.
Loamy soil is usually a mix of other soils, including sand, silt and clay. It has good nutrients and drainage, which is great for growing.
When is the best time to plant?
Spring or fall season are the ideal times for planting due to milder weather. You do not want to plant in extremely hot or cold temperatures.
Do you treat your plants with pesticides and fertilizers?
We try to limit the amount of chemicals and pesticides used during the growing process whenever possible. In order to meet customer expectations concerning quality of product, some chemical intervention is necessary. We do only utilize #1 pesticides, and avoid hard pesticides which are referred to as #3.
We do routinely use time release fertilizer with our plants, that help provide nutrients for 8-9 months.
Are your trees organic?
We are not organic certified. Organic certification generally applies to fruit production rather than tree production. After your tree has been in their final location for up to one season, which is the minimum for crop production, the impact of any prior chemical treatment would be gone.
Are your trees safe for honeybees to forage?
Yes. We do not spray with imidacloprids.
What type of rootstock is used?
Apples are grafted onto M106 or M111 apple root stock. This helps with disease resistant, helps with pollination and makes the trees semi-dwarf.
Cherries are grafted onto mazzard root stock.
Figs are rooted, not grafted.
Peaches and Plums are grafted onto Halford or Guardian (K-8223-16) root stock.
Pears, both fruit and flowering, are grafted onto Calleryana root stock. Fruiting pear is semi-dwarf.
What is the difference between dwarf, semi-dwarf and standard sizes?
Standard size trees grow to their full size. Semi-dwarf trees will grow to reach 50-80% of their standard size, while dwarf trees are usually a third of the size of a standard. We do our best to provide a growing range under item descriptions to give the consumer an idea of mature size.
Do you offer a product guarantee?
We would hope the customer receives their plants from retailers in excellent condition and no issues arise. Unless the retailer purchases an extended warranty from Pirtle Nursery Inc., our warranty ends at purchase by retailer. We would suggest you contact the company you purchased from to discuss satisfactory options.
Wholesalers can find the full details of our conditions of sale within our current wholesale catalog.
Pirtle Nursery Inc. is a wholesale only business. This means we cannot sell directly to the public. We sale our products to retailers who sell to the general public.
What items are for sale?
Our wholesale catalog is updated yearly and available by request. Our current availability changes daily. If you are wholesaler please reach out to our sales staff during office hours, Monday thru Friday 7am-4pm CT.
What plants will grow in my area?
Please refer to the USDA Hardiness Zone chart to determine the zone range of where the tree will be planted.
What does #1, #2, #3, #5, #6 & #7 mean when referring to plant size?
These numbers refer to the size of the plant. For example, within our industry it is common to refer to a #5 plant as a “5 gallon” tree; however, this is not a true gallon size. The chart below
#1 size pot is equal to 2.5 Quarts/2.37 Liters
#2 size pot is equal to 1.5 gallons/5.68 Liters
#3 size pot is equal to 2.929 gallons/11.090 Liters
#5 size pot is equal to 3.740 gallons/14.165 Liters
#6 size pot is equal to 6.06 gallons/22.94 Liters
#7 size pot is equal to 6.093 gallons/23.067 Liters
How long will it take fruit to bear on my tree?
Fruit trees and plants can take 4-5 years before they bear fruit. Our #5 size trees are grown for 2-3 years prior to sale. Therefore, it can take an additional 2-3 years before your plants bear fruit after purchase.
Does my plant need a pollinator?
Plant description will identify if a plant requires a pollinator or refer to pollination charts we have listed here.
What are chill hours?
Chill hours are an approximation of how many hours of weather between 32 degrees and 45 degrees a plant requires to properly go dormant so it can wake up and blossom and/or set fruit. For plants to thrive in your area, please pay attention to the Plant Hardiness Zone compatibility with the optimum chill hours.
What is my soil type?
The best way to identify your soil type is to collect a sample and submit to your local extension agent for testing at your cost. Knowing your soil type will help determine strength and weaknesses.
Clay soil lacks drainage because of their wet, sticky nature. They do have natural nutrients but this type of soil would need to be amended by adding more nutrients to make it less dense to grow.
Sandy soil is good for growing because it has good drainage and warms up well. Unlike clay soil, it does not hold nutrients, so you would need to add nutrients throughout season.
Peaty soil is good for plants that like acidic soil like blueberries. This soil tends to be darker, heavier and damp without a ton of nutrients. Peaty soil is common in bog or marsh areas.
Silty soil typically contains a lot of nutrients because it comes from river sediments. This is a common soil type and lots of plants do well in silty soil. A precaution is that you might have to work on drainage to achieve the best results.
Chalky soil has a chunky, powdery texture and is found in rock or limestone areas. Small rocks can help with drainage, but this soil requires added nutrients and amendments for lawns and gardens.
Loamy soil is usually a mix of other soils, including sand, silt and clay. It has good nutrients and drainage, which is great for growing.
When is the best time to plant?
Spring or fall season are the ideal times for planting due to milder weather. You do not want to plant in extremely hot or cold temperatures.
Do you treat your plants with pesticides and fertilizers?
We try to limit the amount of chemicals and pesticides used during the growing process whenever possible. In order to meet customer expectations concerning quality of product, some chemical intervention is necessary. We do only utilize #1 pesticides, and avoid hard pesticides which are referred to as #3.
We do routinely use time release fertilizer with our plants, that help provide nutrients for 8-9 months.
Are your trees organic?
We are not organic certified. Organic certification generally applies to fruit production rather than tree production. After your tree has been in their final location for up to one season, which is the minimum for crop production, the impact of any prior chemical treatment would be gone.
Are your trees safe for honeybees to forage?
Yes. We do not spray with imidacloprids.
What type of rootstock is used?
Apples are grafted onto M106 or M111 apple root stock. This helps with disease resistant, helps with pollination and makes the trees semi-dwarf.
Cherries are grafted onto mazzard root stock.
Figs are rooted, not grafted.
Peaches and Plums are grafted onto Halford or Guardian (K-8223-16) root stock.
Pears, both fruit and flowering, are grafted onto Calleryana root stock. Fruiting pear is semi-dwarf.
What is the difference between dwarf, semi-dwarf and standard sizes?
Standard size trees grow to their full size. Semi-dwarf trees will grow to reach 50-80% of their standard size, while dwarf trees are usually a third of the size of a standard. We do our best to provide a growing range under item descriptions to give the consumer an idea of mature size.
Do you offer a product guarantee?
We would hope the customer receives their plants from retailers in excellent condition and no issues arise. Unless the retailer purchases an extended warranty from Pirtle Nursery Inc., our warranty ends at purchase by retailer. We would suggest you contact the company you purchased from to discuss satisfactory options.
Wholesalers can find the full details of our conditions of sale within our current wholesale catalog.
