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Home » Tools

Review of the NorthStar High-Pressure Tow Behind Tree/Orchard Sprayer — 21-Gallon Capacity, 2 GPM, 12 Volt

Published : April 22, 2017

12 Comments

NorthStar High pressure tree/orchard sprayer.

I purchased this NorthStar High Pressure Tree and Orchard Sprayer to use around the nursery for spraying and watering plants in remote areas where there is no easy way to get water to them.  I’ll pull it behind the ATV. There are a lot of other pull behind sprayers on the market, some sold locally… Click here to read more…

How to Separate Used Nursery Containers (pots) Easily.

Published : April 20, 2017

9 Comments

Separating "stuck" used nursery containers (pots) the easy way.

This question comes up a lot in Our Members Area because a lot of members, including myself, recycle used nursery pots.  Why?  Because it’s crazy not to!  These plastic nursery containers have no business in our landfills if small backyard growers like us can recycle them, make good use of them, and keep them out… Click here to read more…

A Review of the Field Tuff ATV Cultivator.

Updated : April 20, 2017

2 Comments

Side view of the Field Tuff ATV Cultivator.

Recently I purchased the Field Tuff ATV Cultivator to keep a small field as weed free as possible.  In this brief review of this product I will tell you exactly what I like and dislike about this piece of equipment. When I unpacked the parts of this cultivator I found that many of the components… Click here to read more…

Putting up a Building in Five Hours!

Updated : January 1, 2017

3 Comments

From the inside looking out.

We were running out of room at the nursery and decided to add an extra storage building that we intend to Use to Pack and Ship Small Plants, Liners and Rooted Cuttings. We have a local company run by an Amish Family that builds all kinds of outdoor storage buildings and this is the second… Click here to read more…

Free Pruning Shears, Free Memberships!

Updated : January 9, 2017
Free Pruning Shears!

We are having two Drawings. Details on how to enter the contest are at the bottom of the page. On January 3rd, 2017 we’ll draw two names for the pruning shears.  We are giving away two pair of these Corona Pruning Shears.  These are the exact shears that we use a Mike’s Plant Farm to… Click here to read more…

The Magic Candy Dish

Published : December 4, 2016

4 Comments

The Magic Candy Dish

How to sell hundreds if not thousands of plants with “The Magic Candy Dish”. Crazy right? Crazy like a fox.  Follow along. I am actually doing this blog post for Our Members, not really interested in showing it to the general public, but putting it here is the easiest way for me to convey my… Click here to read more…

It’s all about Arithmetic and Believing in You.

Published : May 27, 2016

16 Comments

A note to my backyard growers. Here’s something to think about. We are all here, in this group, growing plants, because about 20 years ago some blue collar knucklehead took a chance and bought a personal computer when almost nobody had one.  He didn’t know how to use a computer. Then the brazen jerk decided… Click here to read more…

Easy Way to Sharpen Pruning Shears.

Updated : April 20, 2021

80 Comments

Mike McGroarty's Favorite Pruning Shears.

Before we dig into the nitty-gritty of this article, let’s have a chat about which pruning shears are best.  The answer to that is simple, it really depends on what you like.  I will give you my opinion and why, but others will argue telling that they like another brand for a lot of different… Click here to read more…

Proper Nursery Plant Tagging.

Updated : April 4, 2018

31 Comments

Hand written aluminum plant tags.

Even Fergus knows how important proper plant tagging is.  Lately we’ve been sticking thousands of hardwood cuttings right along the Donkey Fence and let’s face it, right now they all look like sticks so making sure they are properly tagged is extremely important. There are a couple of things you need to know about tagging… Click here to read more…

The Art of Stacking Plants in a Truck.

Updated : December 30, 2015

16 Comments

One gallon plants stacked in a truck.

What???  Why would anybody want to do that or need to know that? Legitimate question for sure. The reason that I decided that this was a post worthy of putting on my blog is because when I mentioned In Our Members Area that I purchased 400 one gallon Lilacs for my sale last spring at… Click here to read more…

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Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Ice Plant, delosperma

Ice Plant, delosperma

How pretty is that? And it's a ground hugging perennial that comes back year and year. These plants were new to our nursery last year so Pam and I planted three of them in our landscape at home. Not only did they do really well last year but they wintered … Read Full Article

Electric Red Dianthus

‘Electric Red’ Dianthus

I've been working on my perennial bed at the nursery and this Electric Red Dianthus caught my eye and was screaming "make my picture". So I did! Dianthus in general are great perennials for your garden. They are super winter hardy even here in cold … Read Full Article

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