Stonefruit, citrus, natives become scarce as nurseries struggle to meet demand

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With nurseries struggling to stock shelves, some within the industry are warning green thumbs to be patient after home owners rediscovered backyards during COVID lockdowns.

Signs posted around the business give shoppers a clue about the reasons for the lack of stock.

Propagating takes 12 to 14 weeks to have a plant ready for sale, while growing from tubestock is faster at six to eight weeks.But sourcing tubestock plants from wholesalers is also causing issues. It is a problem Bundaberg wholesale plant grower Denis Krek has also encountered over the past two years as he sells his stock at markets across Queensland's Wide Bay."Edibles was the first thing, but after that it didn't matter," Mr Krek says."So early on all my natives were gone and all I was doing was herbs because I couldn't get any tubestock for natives."

As it takes several years before a fruit tree is ready for sale, gardeners are being warned about the wait."Stone fruit are very rare at the moment," Mr Krek says."It's roughly two years to get a citrus ready for sale, two years for a stand, three years for a dwarf."Mr Krek expects the plant boom to slow down as disposable income shrinks due to rising interest rates and cost of living but believes the edible plants business should keep growing due to rising food costs.

 

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All these shortages appear to have a common link - an abused workforce to do the actual supply tasks. How about properly paying workers instead of whining?

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