Frequently Asked Questions
Online Sales
Can I purchase plants online? Generally Payless Plants does not do online sales, and ecommerce sales off this website has been disabled. Near all sales are onsite only. On a rare occasion we may do a sale remotely using eftpos and credit/debit card details supplied over the phone but it is not something we encourage. Our preference is for the customer to visit onsite, check availability of what is wanted, and the quality of the product is OK.
Freighting of Plants
Will you deliver plants? The transport of plants is the customers responsibility. While we can assist with delivering plants in close proximity to our nursery, we do not deliver over an extended distance, and have no means in place to commercially deliver stock. In our experience the delivery of stock to all corners of the country is difficult. The stock is perishable and easily damaged if mistreated. Many courier firms decline to freight plants for this reason, and if they do freight plants it can be expensive, often doubling (or more) the stock price.
Holding Plants
Will you hold plants to be collected on a future date? Sometimes we are asked to hold stock as a customer may not be ready, or cannot visit our site for a few days. Every request to hold stock will be assessed on its merits. Holding stock for a few days is not really a problem for a few plants. Our willingness to hold stock will decline with larger quantities, and/or for long time periods. In these situations a customer will need to purchase the stock and store it at their own site. However we may be more flexible holding plants if the plants are paid for at the time of order, a specific collection date is provided, or the customer (e.g. landscaper) has a good history with us.
Credit Sales
Can I buy plants on credit? If credit is required the best means is via a credit card. Sometimes Payless Plants will provide limited credit to specific customers but our approach will be conservative and cautious. Credit may be extended to government/local government agencies including parks and reserves departments, government controlled education entities, and retirement villages. We will not supply credit to someone unknown to us, and has no purchase order and identification with some other business. Where credit is supplied (a sale by invoice) the maximum credit term is 30 days but in most cases will be 10 days. Every requested credit sale will be assessed on its merits and the customer’s history with our business and the wider nursery industry.
Hedge Planting
How far apart to space plants for a hedge? It really depends on 2 factors. The choice of hedge to plant, and the required height of the mature hedge. A good guide is a 2:3 ratio – meaning for a given height divide the height by 3, and then multiply the number by 2. For example a hedge at 1.2 metres height might require plant spacing at 80cm (800mm). However this is a guide only but can help with estimating the cost. If hedge plants (or any planting job) is planted too close to each other then plants compete with each other, possibly for sunlight, and plants can elongate and deform loosing stem strength in their main trunk. At the least measure the distance for a proposed hedge and discuss with us at our site.
Cost Estimation
How many plants to plant up an area and the cost? The easiest estimation is 1 plant per 2.5 to 3 square metres. Multiply the estimated number of plants by $8 to get the estimated cost. The estimated number of plants and cost can be greatly influenced by plant selection. For example 1 Mexican Orange Blossum (Choisya ternata) may cover the same area as 3 lavander. The lavander costs less per plant compared to a Choisya, but the cost for the job would be 3 x $7.00 for the lavander, compared to 1 x $8.00 for the Choisya. Over a large area product choice can greatly influence cost.
Shady Areas
What can I plant in a shady area? You can try anything and see what works. Maybe you can observe a shady area nearby and see what is working. Perhaps do a google search and ask AI for ideas in the NZ context. Alternatively here are a couple of ideas you can follow as a broad guide- Avoid plants with micro leaves e.g. Coleonema. Avoid plants with coloured foliage e.g. Coleonema Sunset Gold, Nandina. While such plants will likely grow in semi shade, the plant is more likely to revert to plain green. Another thing to avoid is plants with silver, grey or blue foliage colour. Focus on plants naturally adapted to shade e.g. Ligularia, Azaleas, Camellias, Choisya, Gardenia, some Viburnums etc. Plants that are more suitable will have green foliage and generally bigger leaves.
Ground cover plants in shady areas can be a problem. And an even bigger problem if you want a NZ native groundcover. Consider Star jamine, Gardenia radicans, Zieria, Ajuga.
Hot and Dry Areas
What can I plant in a hot and dry area? This is like the opposite of a shady area. You can try anything and see what works. Maybe you can observe a hot and dry area nearby and see what is working. Perhaps do a google search and ask AI for ideas in the NZ context. Plants with silver, grey or blue foliage colour tend to be naturally adapted for heat and dry. e.g. Lavander, Convolvulus cnoreum. Plants with micro leaves may be OK, while plants with bigger leaves might be a problem. Plants native to Australia or South Africa might be OK. Just remember all plants require a drink (watering) occasionally.
Clay Banks
What can I plant on a clay bank? Believe it or not this is a common question. The question tends to follow a situation such as when a digger has excavated a driveway around the side of a hill for a vehicle access to a new build. It is also one of the most difficult questions to answer. The problems are – clay banks have a problem with water penetration, they tend to dry out like concrete in a dry summer, and have low fertility.
If a clay bank is covered in weed mat the problems can increase. Rain washes off weed mat diminishing water penetration even more. Top mulch such as bark can also wash off more readily. The black color of weed mat can cook the clay and plant roots under the weed mat in hot summer conditions.
There are no perfect answers. In some situations you may be able to dig a bigger (wider) hole for a plant and replace some clay with topsoil.
Some plants that tend to do OK are ground cover Grevilleas such as G. Gaudi Chaudi, G. Mt Tamborithe, and G. Bronze Rambler. Another idea is Australian Lomandra grasses of which a range of varieties are available in garden centres.
Pruning Ornamental Grasses
When should I prune my ornamental grasses? If you need to prune ornamental grasses because they have grown too big or tall, then you have planted the wrong plant. The growth height of grasses can range from 50 mm to over 2 m depending on the variety. While you can prune grasses anytime you like, consider changing the chosen variety.
Some grasses such as Carex Frosted Curls improve with a light trim once a year. Pull the grass foliage up like a persons hair, and clip the end 100 to 150 mm off the grass leaves, and then let them cascade down again. Most other grasses do not require this treatment.
When to Plant
When should I plant? Any time of the year. Whenever you feel like it. The only thing is newly planted plants in the middle of summer may require an occasional water until some rain arrives.
Watering Plants
When should I water my garden? When a plant is first planted, give it a drink no matter the time of year, if only to settle the topsoil around the roots. Plants in the ground should not require regular watering, especially if they have been planted for several weeks/months. As much as possible let the rain do it. Dry surface dirt does not mean the soil below around the roots is also dry. It does not need to be wet – just slightly moist. Plants in the ground do not require a drink with a water hose every day.
The key with watering plants is you cannot over water plants in a single watering, though you may waste water. You can however cause significant damage through watering too often. It is the frequency of watering which matters, not the quantity. Watering too often can cause root rot, and buildup of soil pathogens such as mealy bug. If newly planted plants need a drink like in the peak of summer, then a good drink no more often than every 5 days should be sufficient. In winter – no watering.
Plants in pots or tubs may require a drink once per day or possibly every second or third day depending on the size of the pot. No watering should be required in winter.
Reasons for Failure with Plants
Failures do happen with plants. Generally for every 100 plants planted expect 1 or 2 to die or at least to not perform properly. 1 or 2 plants per 100 (1-2%) would be a normal attrition rate, but if the number is greater something else is involved.
Failure can happen for a range of reasons – something wrong with a new plant, or something wrong with the environment, or something wrong with plant care.
If there is something wrong with the environment, it might show as a cluster e.g. several plants together in a hedgerow. Environmental problems can be any form of contamination e.g. diesel spillage on the ground, through to no topsoil on a property in a new residential development. Cats, dogs, weed eaters, lawn mowers, vehicles, pedestrian traffic, vandalism, can all create problems.
A major cause of failure is people trying too hard. Newbies can literally love their plants to death – too much water too often, too much fertilizer too often, and applied the wrong way, too much weed spray not applied properly. A good idea is to plant a new plant, give it a drink, and leave it alone so it can settle in and adapt to its new home. Generally plants are resilient, and if left alone will mostly sort themselves out.
Fertilizer
Should I fertilize my plants? Mostly no, ornamental plants growing in reasonable quality topsoil do not require supplementary fertilizer. The reason is rainfall. Rainfall pulls nutrients as cations out of the atmosphere and holds them in solution in raindrops. When the rain hits the topsoil and soaks in, many of the cations are held attached to soil particles and made available for plant growth – especially nitrogen.
The ability of topsoil to hold cations is called the CEC rating – or cation exchange capacity. Quality topsoil as found in the Waikato has a high CEC rating. Pumice soils such as pumice based volcanic soils (think of the Taupo region) have a lower CEC rating. Calcareous soils have a limestone base, tend to exist in dryer climates, and have a lower CEC rating with nutrient deficiencies of iron, zinc, and manganese. Clay and sand has a low to near non-existent CEC rating. Artificial media such as bark, wood chip, and sawdust has a low CEC rating.
If you do want to fertilize your plants, then some rules apply. 1. A little amount semi regularly is much better than a lot at once. 2. Avoid applying fertilizer on the foliage (exceptions are grass/lawns and foliar sprays such as seaweed). 3. The safest fertilizer is organic based e.g. seaweed, blood and bone, pig\sheep\chicken manure, fish based. Such fertilizer can be freely applied. 4. For NPK fertilizers apply on the soil surface, in the drip zone, and let the rain wash it in. 5. If using fertilizer tablets use your thumb to push the tablet 3-4cm into the soil surface in the drip zone. For small plants break a tablet into smaller bits.
For commercial type fertilizers used on a farm, seek advice before applying them to ornamental plants. If used – only half a teaspoon applied to the soil surface per small plant.
Specialty fertilizers exist for some plants e.g. Grevilleas, Hydrangeas, Citrus.