When buying nursery plants, Cooperative Extension experts suggest checking plants carefully to make sure you don’t bring home insects, diseases or weeds.
Look at the general health and appearance of all plants at the nursery, not just the ones you want to buy. The plants should be healthy, well watered and pest-free. If an excessive number of plants are wilted, diseased, infested with insects or generally look bad, find another nursery.
When shopping for a tree, pay attention to the ratio between its height and caliper or trunk diameter. Avoid trees that are excessively tall in relation to their caliper. A tree with a proper ratio will more likely survive transplanting in your landscape.
Also, avoid plants with long, spindly growth, which indicates they are suffering from neglect or other malady.
Plants should have clean, healthy, lush foliage with excellent color. Leaf spots, burning on the edges, yellowing and wilting could be signs of pest damage, root rot, inadequate fertilizations or a host of other problems.
Look closely for insects or diseases. Carefully inspect leaves, especially their undersides, stems, flowers and the root system.