Plug & Liner FAQ
What are plugs and liners?
Plugs are young plants, usually grown from seed. Liners are young plants, usually grown from cuttings or tissue culture.
How are plugs & liners used?
Plugs & liners are usually transplanted into packs, pots, or mixed containers for further growing on in a greenhouse. Larger plugs & liners may be transplanted directly into the field for cut flower, vegetable, container, and landscape applications.
What is a standard Tray?
Standard trays measure 11 x 22”, but the cell size and number of cells per tray varies. The more cells in a tray, the smaller the plants.
What is a “Strip” Tray?
These narrow strip trays range from 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 of a standard tray. Smaller trays sizes allow you to grow a larger selection of product in the quantities you need.
What is a Supernova® Tray?
These bud-initiated liners are grown to flower faster, develop better branching, and flower consistently, providing a blooming salable plant in a 4-6" container in four to six weeks. No pinching is needed, and they require less growth regulators. Supernovas are only available from Four Star.
What does Harris Seeds do as a plug & liner broker?
We act as the liaison between you and our 5 plug & liner grower specialists. We provide you with customer service from ordering to delivery, assisting you directly with issues and claims. Additionally, we exclusively offer 90 day pre-approved payment terms for plug and liner orders!
What do the plug & liner grower specialists do?
Upon receiving your order, our partnered grower specialists produce the product to your specifications and once ready, ship directly to you.
How can orders be placed?
Download/print or use mailed copies of pricelist(s) and fill out the included order form. Orders can be submitted via e-mail (plugdept@harrisseeds.com), fax (877-892-9197), or mail. Orders can also be submitted via phone by calling customer care (800-544-7938). For additional details, please see the How to Order Plugs & Liners document.
What is an early order discount (EOD)?
An EOD is available when an order is placed before each specific vendors’ deadlines. Harris always suggests placing orders as early as possible. Harris adds an additional 1% discount on top of the EOD available from each vendor! Not every vendor offers and EOD, but ordering early is advantageous either way. EOD dates for this season can be found on the grower calendar, vendor price lists, and the How to Order Plugs & Liners document.
What is a volume discount (VD)?
A VD is offered by a vendor based on the number of trays purchased in the previous season. Currently, Raker-Roberta’s is the only vendor offering a VD with Harris customers.
What is a ship week?
Ship weeks are used instead of specific delivery/shipping dates because vendors ship multiple days during the requested week. The week is designated by the Monday of the numbered week of the year. The grower calendar, in the Harris Seeds Ornamental Catalog, includes the numbered weeks and dates for your reference.
What should be considered when selecting a vendor?
Available products (including product lines like Proven Winners)
Distance (shipping cost)
Size of order (boxing, discounts)
Included items (pots and tags, where applicable)
What should be considered when selecting a ship week?
Lead time (time for vendor to grow product)
Finish time (time for product to grow to salable size)
Weather (extreme temperatures can cause shipping delays and/or damage)
Holidays (can cause shipping delays, can influence customer demand)
When should orders be placed?
Harris encourages orders to be placed as early as possible. Please take into consideration how much lead/grow time is needed (minimum 10 weeks) by the vendor, as well as the amount of finish/growing on time required for the items being ordered. Please also be sure to consider the time of year for shipping because weather and holiday closures can cause delays.
How many trays can be ordered?
You can order as many or as few trays as needed. Be aware that any orders with fewer than 4 trays will be subject to a $30 under/below minimum fee.
What is full boxing?
All vendors, except Raker-Roberta’s, have specific box sizes that fit a specific number of each tray size. It is recommended by the vendors to fill boxes, in order to maximize cost effectiveness and minimize the possibility of damage. Please refer to the first page of each vendors’ price list for more detailed information.
Does the boxing need to be ‘full’?
While it is not required for boxes to be filled for shipping, Harris and the vendors always recommend full boxing when possible. Minimizing the empty space in the box can lessen the possibility of damage during shipping. Additionally, if shipping is charged by the box, it is more cost effective to have a full box, instead of paying for empty space. Raker-Roberta’s charges shipping by the tray and does not have specific box sizes to fill. Please refer to the first page of each vendors’ price list for more detailed information.
How many ship weeks and vendors can be included on an order?
Each order can only include one vendor and one ship week.
When is payment due?
Payment is due within 24-48 hours of submitting an order. The order is not released to the vendor and trays are not reserved until the order has been paid in full. Please be sure to indicate how you would like to be notified of your balance on the order form.
Terms payment:
• Credit Terms – ideal/best option, most accommodating for grower changes, allows invoice(s) to be paid within 30 or 90 days of receiving plugs.
To apply for terms, please submit a completed application. Return form to credit@harrisseeds.com.
Starting the ’23 Season: Harris Seeds will no longer be booking credit cards or recording credit/debit card information on order forms, for your security. If you would like your order processed right away, and the option to pay for your order after it ships, please consider our 30 or 90 day Credit Terms, see link/above for details.
‘Cash’ payments:
• Credit/debit cards must be charged – charged at the time order is placed. Must be refunded and charged again if there are any grower changes.
• Check – cannot be used for Availability orders. The order will be submitted to the vendor once the check is received.
Why choose credit terms?
• Pay after you sell the product (90 days terms, means your product can be sold before you pay!
• Access to online ordering for most vendors
• Access to availability ordering for all vendors
• No delays for order processing
• No refunding and recharging for vendor changes and substitutions.
View more details on credit terms and discounts. To apply for terms, please submit a completed application. Return form to credit@harrisseeds.com.
Why is sales tax charged?
Sales tax is charged by state based on current Nexus guidelines. Sales Tax Exempt documentation is required annually. Please refer to the tax-exempt information for more details.
What if another item needs to be added to an order?
Once an order has been processed and submitted to the vendor, the vendor requests no changes. If additional trays are required, and the order has ample time before the trays are sown, Harris is happy to request the addition. Please take boxing into consideration when requesting additional trays. Please be aware that this does not guarantee that the change can be made. Please also note, Availability/At-once orders cannot be adjusted due to their quick nature.
Harris suggests taking the time to consider all options and needs before placing orders, to avoid the possibility of items being missed or forgotten. Under extreme circumstances/emergencies, we are always willing to assist as best we can. Harris can request changes be made, but the final decision always resides with the vendor. For additional details, please see the How to Order Plugs & Liners document.
What if a ship week needs to be changed?
Once an order has been processed and submitted to the vendor, usually no changes can be made. Some ship week changes can be requested if the change is being requested while the order is still being processed, and the new request ship week is 1 week before or after the current request ship week. For this reason, we suggest taking the time to consider all options and needs before placing orders. Under extreme circumstances/emergencies, Harris is always willing to assist as best we can. We can request changes be made, but the final decision always resides with the vendor. For additional details, please see the How to Order Plugs & Liners document.
What if an item needs to be removed from an order?
Once an order has been processed and submitted to the vendor, the vendor requests no changes. Under extreme circumstances/emergencies Harris is always willing to assist as best we can. Please note, Harris can request the change, but the final decision resides with the vendor. Please take boxing into consideration when requesting changes. Lastly, please note, EOD orders with adjustments to more than 10% of the order, may forfeit their Early Order Discount and be subject to full pricing. If a change is vendor-initiated, substitutions are always permitted.
Why might freight be adjusted after the initial estimate?
Freight (shipping cost) is estimated at the time the order is placed. This estimate is calculated based on the cost estimate information provided by the vendors at the beginning of the season. Shipping and handling costs fluctuate throughout the season, which can result in adjustments.
Why do cancellations and backorders occur?
Trays may be cancelled or backordered by the vendor for multiple reasons. As plugs and liners are live plant material, it is possible for crop failures, cutting/seed delivery delays, or stunted growth to occur. For additional details, please see the How to Order Plugs & Liners document.
How much finish time is needed after plants are delivered?
Finish time for those newly delivered little plants depends on:
Type/variety of plant
Size of plug/liner
Size of pot to be filled
View the Bedding Plant Cultural Guide.
How many plugs should be planted in a pot?
3 to 4 plugs in 8 to 10 inch pots
4 to 6 plugs in 12 to 14 inch pots
6 to 8 plugs in 16 to 20 inch pots
Etc.
Are additional resources available about growing and culture?
All of our vendors have additional cultural information in their catalogs and on their websites. These details can be helpful when choosing and caring for products. The Harris website also has a sizable collection of helpful guides.
When are tags sent?
For the products that tags are included with, the tags are either sent before the plant shipment, with the plant shipment, or even after the plant shipment. Always be sure to check the entire box at delivery, as the tags may have shifted in transit. If a few days have passed since order delivery and the designated included tags have not arrived, please contact Harris right away. Information on which vendors and plants include tags is listed on the price lists and in vendor catalogs.
What is the PW Complete Package Program?
The complete Package Program is as it sates – the complete package! Proven Winners provides branded pots, shuttle trays, and tags, everything but the soil that you need to sell you plant material for single pot production. This season – choose the pot size(s) you need and order them by the case, to arrive on the ship week of your choosing. Please note, pots are no longer included in the price of the plant material. Shuttle trays are optional, and 4.25” pots will not be automatically added to your order. Pots are still required for single pot production. *Pots are not required for Combos/hanging baskets/planters/landscape/Proven Selections.
When does the Plug & Liner Spring Season begin? (When can I submit my Spring order?)
Harris announces the start to each new season by sending loyal customers their ‘Order Recaps’ from the previous season, along with applicable price lists, a plug brochure, and pertinent information for the new season. Order Recaps begin mailing in early to mid-September. At this time the digital copies of the Harris Plug & Liner vendor price lists are uploaded to the website and order forms can also be downloaded and submitted digitally. If you did not order with us in the previous season and would like to download or have a paper price list mailed to you, please see 2023 Harris Seeds Plug & Liner Price Lists (FREE) or contact a customer care specialist at 800-544-7938.