Landscaping Bulk Purchase Tips

If your green thumb is aching or if you're planning to create your dream landscape, the following tips can help you get the most from your purchase.

Landscaping Buying Tips

1. Price posting: When buying nursery stock items, ensure there is a price either on or near the items sold.
    
2. Know what you're buying: All packages are required to identify what the product is and a declaration of the weight, measure, or count of the product, as well as the packer information.
    
3. Check for holes: When buying fertilizer, seed, or any other bagged products, always check for holes in the bag, or you could be paying for lost products.
    
4. Have them reweigh packages if you think they're short-weight: Ask the store to reweigh them on a certified scale.
    
5. Know the expiration date of the seed before you buy it: According to the Arizona Department of Agriculture, you can determine the expiration date of the seed by adding nine months to the test date stated on the label.

Buying Sand & Gravel - Don't Let Your Rock Roll Your Checkbook!

The following are a few buying guidelines for sand, gravel, and rock.

1. Buy In Person. Go to the company's location when possible and observe their method of sale. Make sure the scale reads "0" before they weigh any product.
    
2. When buying in bulk, ensure the commodity is sold by the exact weight or cubic yard, not by the truckload, scoop, and/or approximation.
    
3. Beware of “split weighing,” IT’S ILLEGAL. Split weighing is when the truck and trailer are weighed separately. Companies must use a scale that accommodates the entire vehicle.
    
4. Get a receipt with the following information:
   • Name and address of the company
   • Date and quantity delivered
   • The quantity on which the price is based
   • Description of the product
   • Product price by exact weight or volume
   • The total price, including any delivery fees