Making Money with Trees

Do you like working outside? Do you need a little extra income? Trees are your answer. For a small investment of time and money you can make as much as you want to make by buying and potting bareroot trees and shrubs. You are probably saying that you don't want to take the time to grow a tree, but you don;t have to grow the trees. All you have to do is to pot them. When they show their first leaves, they sell.

Bareroot trees and shrubs are widely available and reasonably inexpensive. If you have ever gone to WalMart in the spring, you have seen fruit trees for 17-20 dollars each. These trees, on average cost 3-4 dollars each bareroot and have only been in the pots that they are in for a matter of weeks. The producers that sell them to Walmart and the other chain stores get them from the same sources that I am going to recommend in this article. They make thousands with their trees and you can too.

THE FIRST STEP

To trade in trees you will need several things. You'll need containers. These can be obtained from wholesale nursery suppliers or you can call local landscapers and buy their used pots at a better price. A three gallon pot, which is commonly used to pot a 6-8 foot tree costs an average of 55 cents new or 29 cents used.

You will need a soil/bark mix. You can buy bark mix, which is sand and finely ground bark from just about any landscaper, or sawmill. They usually sell it by the yard and it costs between 15 and 20 dollars a cubic yard. Five yards will plant over a hundred trees in three gallon pots. Many of the bareroot shrubs like althea,crepe myrtles, mock orange and weigelia can be potted and sold in 1 or 2 gallon pots. Bareroot raspberries, blueberries and blackberries can be sold in 1 gallon pots

You will need fertilizer. A good choice is sta-green nursery special. It costs around $22.00 per bag and one bag will fertilize hundreds of trees.

After you have found your sources for your soil mix and containers it is time to shop for the trees. I use North Alabama Nursery in Joplin Alabama for fruit trees and berries. I use B&B Nursery in McMinville , Tennessee for ornamental trees and shrubs. North Alabama Nursery has the prettiest bareroot fruit trees in the industry and they almost always give you more size than you paid for. B&B has a large variety of ornamental trees like red maples, bradford pears and flowering cherries at extremely reasonable prices. Many very popular varieties of trees and shrubs start at a cost of less than a dollar each.

Your next step is to decide how many trees you think you can sell and what you will sell them for. On average you can triple your cost and still be cheaper than Walmart or one of the big chain stores. Remember that most bareroot wholesalers require that you buy the trees in bundles of ten. When you have decided what the best varieties for your area are, order your trees.

The nurseries that I have named don't dig the trees until they are ordered, so you can expect the shipping to take 1-2 weeks depending on the size of your order.
When you get the trees and shrubs, they will come either in bundles wrapped in plastic and burlap, or in boxes insulated with plastic and burlap. The reason for this is that the tree roots are exposed and they need to be kept moist until planted. Remember when you price your trees to include the cost of frieght in your calculations.

After your trees arrive, they should be potted as soon as possible. If you cannot plant them immediately, be sure to kep the roots moist. You can do this in several ways. You can bank them which means that you lay them down on the soil pile and cover the roots with a light 3-4" layer of soil. When you do this be sure to moisten the soil covering the roots and keep it moist until you have a chance to pot them. You can also keep them in the original packaging and keep the burlap moist until you have the time to pot them. Either way, do not allow the roots to dry out before potting.

Now it's time to pot your trees.

Most people, when they see a bareroot tree, are shocked. Most of the trees have been root pruned for shipment and they have two or three root leaders at the base of the tree. They think "this will never grow" but they do and you'll be surprised at how quickly they will produce leaves after you have potted them.

The best and easiest way to pot a bareroot tree is to "pot around" it. We generally take the tree and stick the root mass into the pot when it is still empty. We hold the tree at the height in the pot that we want it to be and fill around it. As we fill we bounce the pot several times to make sure that the soil surrounds the roots thoroughly and that there are no air pockets. This method is best for bigger trees and plants that have large roots. On occasion, you'll have to trim the roots to fit the pot. This usually happens with apple and pear trees and as long as you leave 5-6 inches of root you should have no problems with the trees. After the trees are in the pots, water them thoroughly and you're done.

Remember that unless it is very hot outside, the trees won't need a lot of water. Watch your pots and water thoroughly before the pots dry out. After several days, you'll notice that many of your trees and shrubs have begun to produce leaves and flowers. All they were doing was waiting for you to pot them. Everybody loves trees and you'll be amazed at how quickly they sell. and how much money you will make for a few days work. For more information, email annebryant@prodigy.net