pactnews

by Tom Olliver

Growing Potted Plants That Sell

GROWING POTTED PLANTS THAT SELL 

There is a market for potted plants if you you’re going to engage in this lucrative business whether as full-time or just merely a sideline. 

What is only important is your passion to do the dirty work of gardening. Like any other business, however, you have to produce plants that are in demand. Plants that are high ticket in price, and high quality, that is they are disease-free, robust, and are of the right size. 

Looking for in demand potted plants 

In this scenario, you have to be observant. You have to look around. Visit some plant nurseries, plant shops or you can ask homeowners what type of plants they need. 

You can also inquire from landscapers what plants they are looking for in big numbers. Or else, you can attend some garden shows to find out which plants are hot sellers. 

You’ll noticed that potted plants are used for various purposes. Some are used indoors in the home, in business offices, hotels, restaurants, or walkways in residential homes. 

Potted plants are also used for planting in the garden, along highways, parks, subdivisions and they like. 

Producing fairly priced potted plants 

Producing your priced potted plants will depend on your efficient way of producing them and by propagating your own plants fast and at a low cost. 

Ways of propagating your potted plants  By seed Marcotting Cutting Division Grafting Steps in producing high quality potted plants Grow them in the right container. Not so big and not so small either. A very big container will be costly. It would also require plenty of potting soil which will add to the high cost. Over potting could also result in too moist condition that may be detrimental to the plant. Provide the right potting medium. Most plants require something that is easily drained and fairly rich soil. It should not be too heavy so it is easy to carry.  Fertilize your plant regularly. Every week if necessary.  Don’t overcrowd plants. Plants that are crowded are lanky and weak. There won’t be adequate air circulation so the plants are more susceptible to rot or some other disease organisms. Overcrowded plants also harbor a lot of pests.  Make sure the plants are watered regularly. Don’t allow plants to wither, otherwise their leaves would be irreparably damaged.  Repot plants as necessary. Usually, potted plants should be repotted evey six months or so, depending on the species.  Provide the right lighting. Some plants love full sunlight. Others will only thrive in the shade. Make the right provision for the plants you have chosen to grow.  Prune the plants as necessary. Well shaped plants sell more easily and at a better price.  Provide a finishing area where the plants are groomed and readied for market.  Marketing your potted plants 

Selling potted plants is easy if you know where to find your target market. You can only make money if you can sell what you produce for profit.

Where to locate your target market?

At the very beginning of your potted plant business, you should know who are your clients. Buyers of your potted plans are; individual end-users, plant shop owners, traders, landscapers, nursery operators, business establishments (especially mall owners), and others. 

Your buyers may come from your barangay, your town, province, the entire country, and abroad. 

Strategies to be known by your target market Post signs along the highway where passersby will notice your message. In your message, you should be specific potted plants are available. For instance, you could say in your message that rare ornamental plants are available in your nursery. Include in your sign to tell where your nursery could be found.  Send letters to other nursery owners, landscapers, nursery operators, known plant lovers mall owners, telling them what you have I stock. You can quote your prices so they’ll know beforehand your selling price.  Participate in garden shows or plant sales. In this show, you’ll not only sell your plants, but you’ll meet a lot of plant lovers and fellow plant growers who could be your potential buyers in the days to come.  Advertise your plants in the radio or television and newspapers. Issue a press release or paid ads about what plants are available in your nursery. You can feature stories about you and your plants.  Learn to be a landscaper. When you become proficient with the trade, and you have plenty of clients, you can use your own plants in the projects.  Conduct an open house. You can invite buyers in this event to buy your plants at a discounted prices plus giveaways.  Sell your potted plants by whole. You produce plenty of one kind of plant and when you’re ready you can invite buyers to take all the stocks at a very attractive price.  Grow plants for certain occasions. Anytime of the year there are special occasions being celebrated, such as; Christmas, Valentines Day, Wedding, Birthdays, Flores de Mayo, and many more. You can prepare special plants for such occasions to have a continuous supply the whole year round. 

These are just some ideas you can sell the plants you grow. There could be other ways. Just let your imagination wander and your eyes open for some money making opportunities on potted plants. 

Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”,  also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses  at: www.crisramasasa.com

by Mike_tn

Plant Propagation – What it Is and How to Do It

Imagine you have a plant you really enjoy and you’d love to have more plant just like it, for instance, a rose.  Or, you have grown some really brilliant variety of tomato in your hydroponic or in-ground garden and you want to grow more exactly the same.  You have a herb you cook with frequently and need to have a constant supply.  What do you do? You use the method called cloning.  Its very ease to do in a plant propagation or cloning machine, even for woody plant propagation.

In biological terms, you want to participate in the process of developing similar producing populations of genetically identical individuals. Simply put – cloning is the process where you use plant propagation to make copies of a whole plant from a piece of an existing plant.   You do this every time you take a cutting and place it in water which works well for some plants.  In fact, some plants propagate this way in nature rather easily- take strawberries and their runners, for example.

Plant propagation works really well in a hydroponic plant propagation cloning machine. People with hydroponic systems use this method of increasing the number of plants they have to grow for a variety of reasons,  using plant propagation cloning machines to make this process easy and stress free.The plant clones are given all the moisture, nutrients and humidity they need to induce healthy root growth.

Here’s how to get started with your plant propagation. The “parent” plant should be at least 2 months old and healthy.  To start a clone, cut a short piece of a growing stem with a few branch points on it at what is called a terminal growing point. A terminal growing point is where a leaf is attached to a stem. Some people advocate taking the cutting first, then making a 45 degree cut under water, ending at the terminal point.  Remove the lower leaves. Prepare your cloning chamber.

At this step, there are a couple of things to think about based on the type of plant you are propagating. You may need different cloning powder/gel/liquid depending on what type of plant you are cloning and what methods you use but most plant propagating aids work for the majority of plants. From what I have seen, the major differences are the concentration of hormone which promotes root growth and the method of cloning. Do not use an absorbent type of foam to hold the cuttings as this can and will promote disease. The cutting or clone should be placed about 1/2″ deep in your growing medium in your plant propagation machine. For a plant propagation machine, the best idea is to place the hormone directly into the cloner water as gels can and will wash off in most plant propagation machines with constant exposure.  Just be aware of the volume of hormone to water – don’t over do it.

You need adequate light for proper and quick growth rate and a well-ventilated, cool location. This is to be found in a plant propagation machine. The temperature should be around 21- 23oC (70 -75 oF). The base should be a little warmer, about 26-27 o C (about 80 oF), since bottom heat encourages root growth.  The humidity should be around 90% in the plant propagation machine. Remember, if you can grow it – you can use plant propagation to clone it. Please visit Plant Propagation to see a good selection of Plant Propagtion Cloning Machines.