About Us
Thanks for visiting us at Iron Ridge Farms.
We are a small propagation nursery in beautiful middle Tennessee. We sell starter plants wholesale into the nursery trade and online through this website. We allow anyone to purchase from us at these wholesale prices but please understand that we operate as a wholesaler, not a big online retailer. There are 2 main differences between us and the big online retailers. Please read below and understand before purchasing.
1. WE DON’T WARRANTY OUR PLANTS! Growers don’t warranty plants. We grow everything ourselves and they are healthy when they leave our farm. Once a plant is in your care, we have no control over the health of that plant.
2. WE ARE CHEAPER FOR A REASON! We grow these plants ourselves while most online nurseries are buying from growers like us. They are building in the price of having to order and ship a replacement when a plant dies. We have realized that it is better for everyone if we don’t build in that extra cost to the customer, for a warranty that 99% of you will never need.
Our bare-root shipping season starts around the 1st of December and ends around the 28th of February. Those dates can change slightly based on weather that year. We ship bare root starter plants that need to be planted, potted up or kept in cold, humid storage. We generally start shipping in the order we receive orders. If you want a specific ship date, please contact us via email before placing your order.
Our potted plants ship spring and fall, weather dependent. Again, we’d be happy to ship on a specific date if requested.
By purchasing from this website, you are agreeing to these terms.
Plant Sizes…..
RC = Rooted Cutting
A rooted cutting is going to be 6-10” tall with 1 or 2 ‘branches’ and a young but developed root system. We generally move our rooted cutting into 2.5” pots but they will also do well in 3”, 4”, 6” or even straight into trade gallon pots. We find that rooted cuttings tend to grow faster if we start them in smaller pots, but that also means you’ll be repotting them again within a few weeks. We don’t recommend planting rooted cuttings directly in the ground. It certainly can be done but success rate will be low with such an immature root system.
#1 = 1 year
A #1 size plant is going to be a 1 year old cutting that has been cut back once and grown out another half a season. These will have several branches and be ready to pot up into 1 gallons for spring/summer sales. #1 size plants can be planted directly in the ground, with caution. They are still young and will need plenty of water to get established.
#2 = 2 year
A #2 size plant is going to be a 2 year old plant that is ready to go into 2 or 3 gallon pots for spring/summer sales. These plants have been cut plants back several times and will have a nice branch structure and a solid root system. This is the best size plant if you plan to plant directly in the ground but will still require watering to get established. This is the largest size plant that we offer for shipping.
3" Pots
3" size plants will be in a 3" square pot. 3" size plants are typically 1 year old plants and ready to thrive in your garden or a larger container. This is the size we plant our rooted cuttings into for grow-out. Once they fill these 3" pots, they get moved into gallons. They are still a young plant so be sure to keep well watered while they adapt to their new home.
Gallon Pots
Gallon size plants will be in what is called a "trade gallon pot", which actually holds slightly less than a gallon. These plants will have a larger root system and much fuller size than the quart plants. They will still need water while adapting to their new homes but they will take less time to adapt and start growing again.
The look of live plants shipped can vary during the seasons. In the early spring they may just be coming out of dormancy and not have many leaves or growth on them yet. In the fall, they may be starting to go dormant meaning leaves may be yellowing and falling off. This is the life cycle of the plant and will have no effect on your plant in the future.
We will often cut back plants before shipping. This is to help the new plant take off and grow quickly. It will force the plants to grow more branches, creating a fuller looking plant with more foliage and flowers. People sometimes get upset to see small plants getting a trim, but it is an essential park of growing healthy, full plants and it absolutely needs to happen. Never be afraid to cut plants back when they are looking thin or leggy.