I think it is the classic economics of supply and demand. There was not enough supply this past year to satiate demand for basically everything fruit related, so any smart nursery would increase prices to account for the uptick in demand, so their profit margins improve on the limited stock they have available.
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Agreed, and let’s not forget that retail nurseries are also all competing for the same wholesale stock (both rootstock and finished plants), and the prices set at the wholesale level necessitate markups at retail. Also, the nursery trade has to anticipate demand 1-3 years out, but it’s hard to gauge where things will go these days. On top of all that, there have been supply and labor bottlenecks across a multitude of industries, etc., and these things are going to take a while to reach a new equilibrium. Expect prices to swing up and down on a lot of things over the next few years.
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Well I’m glad the nursery’s aren’t hurting and that they’re using this opportunity to pad their bottom lines, so that the trades stay in business in the long run.
I’ll use this time to up my grafting game and let more well off individuals pay to stabilize the market.
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I asked the same question here a few weeks ago to a few months ago and did the same with a facebook group for my state. Some nursery owners chimed into the discussion on the facebook group. I asked about fruit trees and I guess the issue is because there has been so much demand for fruit trees nurseries are having a hard time even getting trees from vendors. The nursery owners said they really don’t see things equalizing until 2024 as well which does not sound good. Raintree went from around 31 dollars for a cherry tree to 50 which I would say is a little more than a 25% increase.
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Raintree was the straw the broke my silence and the reason I wrote this thread.
But Cummins and ToA did the same just not as shocking
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The guide I put together of all the other great threads started here should help you out. For under $100, you can get buddy tape from sumo bonsai supply, a zenport style tool from ali express, temflex and a box cutter knife from home depot, and a pair of stainless steel scissors from harbor freight to cut the temflex into smaller strips. I’ve also been using masking tape, a sharpie/pen, and a book to take notes for keeping track of grafts. Assuming you already have a few of the things I mentioned, you should be in good shape to send out a wants list for new scion cultivars and start searching for rootstock sources to line up next year.
Setting yourself up with an initial investment of time and money on grafting will pay for itself many times over versus buying retail, as long as you are the kind of person who has the patience and drive to DIY. I know some prefer other people to do the dirty work and that is OK too. I find grafting to be almost therapeutic now that I have a bunch under my belt.
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I have to say it. I do not believe this shortage and price increase of fruit trees is a simple matter of supply and demand. I of course could be wrong, but I have a feeling there is purposeful manipulation in the market occurring, and I would very much like to see how much of the shortage in supply and resulting price increase is due to large corporate interest buying up the stock. The price increase of lumber, as far as I know, has had little to due with increased demand, but rather just huge price increases at the large mill level. Likewise, the shortage of residential real-estate and price increase is, as far as I know, directly caused by a major private entity purchasing as much as possible at above premium prices to use as rental properties. There are openly published agendas (which are simultaneously treated as not real )that fit very well with what we see happening, and include the aim to greatly reduce single family home ownership, eliminate small/family farms, and that treat self reliance ( such as growing your own food ( fruit trees) as bad ))
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I could not agree more
100% therapeutic and like a truly fulfilling hobby
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Let’s be real too that the extreme weather events will have cost many growers some stock as well as increasing the demand due to end-user losses.
I am not even close to surprised about those kinds of increases because it was predictable more than a year ago.
This is going to get worse so I’m trying to up my propagation game.
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I’m with @BlueBerry, I would describe inflation as an increase in the supply of money. It’s not that trees have gotten more expensive, it’s that the value(purchasing power) of our money has decreased.
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I ordered an apricot tree last October from Raintree for spring 2021 delivery. Then they had entire crop failure of all their apricot trees. So on July 1, I saw they raised their prices. Makes me think they are recouping their crop loss with their new prices.
In any case, I’ll order my apricot tree from Bay Laurel in September to get the myrobalan 29C rootstock.
This topic has been flagged for moderation. We are currently looking into this.
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You are correct. How the monetary system works. Most are clueless as to how our system works. Which I would fault our education system. It’s only going to get worse with the current policies in place. You get what you vote for. Not picking on one side or the other as the policies are about the same for both sides when it comes to stimulating inflation. This house of cards will fall if it continues.
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Well, chinook, nobody seems to want to hear the truth. But, since somebody objected and they took my post down, you’ll have to repost it yourself. Lots of ostriches in the world anymore.
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I took the post down because it was flagged and mentioned the government response to the pandemic, which is borderline political.
When posts refer to a government response, it invites political debate because then someone wants to jump in to “defend” the government response.
Historically speaking, rapid increases in money supply can result in inflation. So there possibly could be a valid discussion from that perspective. But it can easily stray into the political which almost always ends up with harsh words, which just leaves members hurt and/or frustrated.
The goal is not to censor content. As an admin, I wish there was no reason at all to delete content. The goal of the forum is to have a welcoming format where people can share fruit growing ideas and experiences with other like minded individuals. When posted content strays into the political it has proven to be antithetical to the goal of the forum.
Like many people, I have passionate political views. I just don’t share them on the fruit forum. It’s not the place to do it.
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Thanks. As I see it some ask leading questions, and a truthful response IS what some consider political. So, if only one side of an argument is able to be posted…then what value does that have?
Be it evolution or COVID 19 or ‘climate change’…if those with opposing opinions cannot comment, then the topic itself must also be considered “political” I should think.
There is no other way to get the point across that I know to answer the reasons for price inflation without mentioning the government. If the real issue is danced around, then why have the discussion, period?
bb
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What you might consider a truthful response, others might find misleading or false.
I don’t think only 1 side of the argument is being posted. The mods decided the political “argument” should not take place on this forum.
And if you think some one is posting political standpoints, instead of responding and starting a political discussion on a fruit growing forum. You could flag them.
I think the topic, (25% price increase in nursery catalogs) is not that political and quite relevant to a fruit (tree) growing forum.
you could comment on that, that a possible cause might be inflation. And still keep it non political. I have seen no evidence of 25% inflation however, so to me it seems like something else is going on.
Quite often people here start making political points. And then for the rest of us the dilemma occurs,
-will we respond to those (in our eye’s) false claims. And devolve in a political discussion on a fruit growing forum.
-or will we leave it “alone” and keep up only the standpoint of those starting the political discussion and voicing their emotions.
I think the moderators came to the best option, when deciding to just keep it completely politics free.
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thanks for that excellent topic.
I think the best “solution” to the price increase might be growing your own.
To me it seems like 3-5 tree’s is the break even point for grafting your own. If you only need 3 tree’s the price increase although inconvenient, is likely manageable.
And if you need more than only a few tree’s. Growing them yourself will now save you even more money.
If i had “only” 100$ to spend. Id probably get an
-opinel (#6) carbon or similar ~10$
-sharpening stone 20-40$
-parafilm M or buddy tape ~20$ or use cut up freezer/soil bags.
And spend the rest on a rootstocks only order. To make stoolbeds to propagate my own rootstocks.
Once you have those up and running, you can basically make tree’s for free. Or just the time you put into making them.
Depending on shipping and rootstock prices, you might go under or above the 100$ but it can be done for around that price.
You make stoolbeds by either planting the rootstock relatively horizontally, and burring it. So the shoots growing from the stock go trough soil and root. You unbury in dormant season, and cut those rooted shoots off as rootstock.
Or you can also plant them upright, prune them low. And put a plant pot or bucket without bottom over it, and fill that with soil or sawdust or some media that promotes root formation.
Again in dormant season, remove the bucket/soil and prune off the rooted shoots as rootstock.
It is best to not graft on those shoots before you prune them off your stoolbed. Otherwise you’ll accumulate/infect your rootstocks with virus’s.
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Thanks so much for those suggestions! I’m definitely going to take the step of making a stoolbed over the course of next year
I’d thought about doing it a while back but your recommendations sealed the deal.
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That’s for the posh version. A sharp razor blade, some wax tape, a pot from the pile you probably have already, and you are in business. Rootstocks can be found cheap and donor wood can often be had by just asking.
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