How to Choose the Right Size and Type of Plant at Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery

Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery lists each plant with several purchase options, and the choice you make changes both the price and how soon you get fruit. On a product page you will typically see a pot volume (for example 2L or 0.75L), a plant height (for example 40–50cm or 10–20cm), and a propagation method such as grafted or cutting. Larger, grafted plants cost more but usually establish and crop sooner; smaller cutting-grown plants cost less but take longer. Match the option to your space, climate and patience rather than defaulting to the cheapest or largest.

What the options on a product page actually mean

Using the Grape - Sultana H5 listing as a worked example, the page shows four variants side by side:

The page also applies a quantity discount: buying two or more drops the price to $24.00 each for the 2L grafted plant and $17.90 each for the 0.75L cutting. So the "usually" price and the "buy 2+" price are different numbers, and the discount is per plant, not per order.

Pot volume and height

Pot volume tells you how much root system and growing medium the plant arrives with. A 2L pot holds roughly two and a half times the volume of a 0.75L pot, which generally means a more developed root ball and less transplant shock. Height is a rough guide to top growth: 40–50cm versus 10–20cm is a meaningful difference in how much plant you receive, though it varies by species and season.

Propagation method: grafted vs cutting

This is the attribute most buyers overlook. A grafted plant has a fruiting variety joined onto a rootstock, which typically controls size and can speed up cropping. A cutting is a piece of the parent plant rooted on its own roots. For the Sultana grape, the grafted 2L option is the larger, pricier plant and the cutting is the smaller, cheaper one. Neither is "wrong" — they suit different budgets and timelines.

How to decide for your situation

Work through these in order:

1. Check the climate note on the listing. The Sultana H5 description states it "prefers hot dry climate free of humidity." If your area is humid, that variety may struggle regardless of which size you buy. Read the description before the price.
2. Match pot size to your planting plan. If you are planting straight into the ground and can water regularly, a smaller cutting can catch up. If you want a head start, or you are growing in a container, the larger pot is the safer choice.
3. Decide whether you need fruit sooner. Grafted plants generally crop earlier than cuttings of the same variety. If time-to-harvest matters, pay for the grafted option.
4. Check stock before you commit. The Sultana listing shows availability counts per variant (for example In Stock(228) for one option and In Stock(40) for another). A variant can sell out while the others remain, so confirm the specific size you want is available.
5. Use the quantity discount deliberately. If you want two or more of the same plant, the buy-2+ price applies. Compare the total against buying one larger plant instead of two smaller ones.

A note on sexed vs unsexed seedlings

Not every listing gives you a simple size choice. The Bayberry - Chinese Red Seedling ($59.00–$129.00 depending on size) is described as an evergreen dioecious tree with separate male and female plants, and the page states the seedlings are not sexed. That means you cannot tell from the listing whether a seedling will fruit. For dioecious species, a cheaper seedling carries the risk of a non-fruiting male, so factor that into your decision rather than assuming the price reflects the only trade-off.

Common pitfalls

• Assuming the cheapest option is the same plant, just smaller. Grafted and cutting plants can differ in vigour, rootstock behaviour and cropping time, not only in size.
• Ignoring the climate line. A plant that suits your space but not your humidity or cold tolerance will underperform at any size.
• Missing the per-plant discount. The buy-2+ price is applied per plant, so the saving only appears when you add the qualifying quantity.
• Overlooking unsexed seedlings. For species like bayberry, buy a named or grafted variety if reliable fruiting matters to you.

If you are unsure, start with the listing description for climate and propagation notes, then pick the smallest option you can realistically grow on — and size up only when you want a faster start or are planting into a container.