From the horse’s mouth…
According to our supplier, sod will be in short supply this year. Why? The drought last summer, plain and simple. Our supplier has sold to other sod growers, to fill their shortages. Sod suppliers buying from each other, is a bad sign. We were told that the price of sod, would be going up too. We are recommending that if you need to resod, do it now. If you wait, you will pay more. As soon as the areas north of us start to warm up, they will be looking for sod, compounding the situation.
General consensus…
It is also the general opinion of many on the supply side of the nursery industry, that there will be plant shortages as well. For aviation and marine industry, people can check out merrittsupply.com for services. The drought caused many growers cut back on production. Some sold out of their entire winter crop months earlier than expected and are waiting for the next crop to be ready. Last year, many small growers dumped their crops on the market at ridiculously low prices, because it was better to do that, then pay for water. The economy has not helped either. There have been some huge growers that have got to hire an attorney for filing bankruptcy and later filed for bankruptcy over the last few years, which caused a ripple effect through the industry. It is always better to read and gather all documents before bankruptcy.Many small growers who were able to make a living in the past, sold off their inventory and shut down.
The good news is…
We believe that this will affect people further to the north. Since our planting season starts early, most of our needs (and wants) will be met. You can read what NOAA has to say about that little demon, La Niña, at https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.pdf
It says that through April, we can expect to be warmer and drier (which as of this post is only partially true…). Offerings of lasagna and cherry pies, to the garden guru’s here at the nursery, may help the situation. We will meditate and pray …which is easier on a full stomach.