There are various possible explanations for this. The trees may have been provided by two different wholesalers who are charging differently for their stock and that is reflected in the price difference. Or, despite the similar appearance, the tree in the smaller pot may be older/more mature than the one in the larger and one usually pays more for more age :-) Or they may be two different varieties, with one less common/more desirable than the other. Or it may just be a pricing whim at the nursery itself.

The only way you will know for sure why the discrepancy exists is to ask at the nursery. And they may or may not have a valid answer for you :-)

Thanks Gardengal. The nursery told me it is based on the diameter of the trunk but I don't remember seeing any noticeable difference.

or.. like a tree farm near me .... one is priced for next year .... etc ...

most potted trees.. were row grown ... and bare rooted.. or ball and burlapped.. before going in the pot ...

so it might tell you a lot ... if you think about the bigger tree being in the smaller pot... that means .. or could mean ... that MORE roots were cut off.. the larger ...

with trees.. IMHO ... there is never any instant gratification ... go smaller.. save money ... and take the time to grow the root mass .. so the tree will follow ...

i have bought 3 and 5 footers.. and moved them up to 8 feet ... a vast majority of the time... the 3 footer ... will out grow the larger.. as it gets its roots going.. and the mass gets larger... faster.. so it gets back to its normal annual growth rate ... as compared to the much larger transplant... IMHO

ken

Watch for circling roots which ever pot you end up buying, mainegard. Numerous very poor-quality plants being offered in that format. I don't mean that the parts of the plant you can see are poor quality. I'm talking root system....and that matters!

+oM

Good point