Spending money on plants

We can’t deny the drastic change of the plant market since Covid-19 and it might get worst short-term especially for the U.K. because of Brexit. The prices has shot up not only here in the U.K., E.U., U.S., for example but in Asia, where most plants are being imported from — the price has gone a bit mad as well (aka. cost price for sellers who are importing has to go up). I can only speak for Thailand as that’s home for me, but prices of some plants have doubled/tripled and some, matches the U.K./E.U. market.

Before entering the plant community, if someone said, I’ve spent £120 on a plant, I would just think — well… that’s absolutely insane?! I’d rather buy clothes or go out for one/two nice meals, or that’s a big chunk I can use for my rent. But all of a sudden, it’s been normalised in my brain that it’s not that much. Please keep in mind I’m not buying a £1k-£2k plant every month or multiple times a month, so money threshold should be dependent on a) the amount of plants you buy per month and b) the average cost of the plant you buy. But there’s definitely a few things to consider before spending your hard earned money on a plant (or your parents…or your partners lol) and make sure they have the best chance of surviving.

So as the prices are going up, what are some things that should be considered when buying?

Price

Take your time to explore the market (plant shops, Ebay, Etsy, Facebook, trade websites), even if they’re sold out, you can still get a grasp of how much specific plants are going for in your country. The price may have gone up, but knowing you’re not paying a ridiculous amount for something that’s not worth that much is a good start.

Quality

When I say quality, I mean root system, size of the plant and packaging. Some plant shops don’t take pictures of every individual plants, so this may be extremely difficult to know what you’re receiving.

Root system: From experience, the root system determines the plants health through transit and adapting in the new home. I know a lot of ‘wetsticks’ (unrooted stem cuttings) have been circulating the market too. I understand that it is a cheaper alternative, but I wouldn’t suggest it. Unless you and the seller are in the same country and the parcel will arrive the next day — check the temperature and do research how difficult it is to root that particular plant. If you are a more experienced grower and you’re confident that it is fine then I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t give it a go! Just make sure you’re not paying a ludicrous amount for it!

Seller

There’s wonderful sellers on the market, they are out there, it is about being patient and sourcing a plant from someone reputable. But in every market, there are also horrible sellers. They may flip an import and not acclimatise plants, plants may not look like the pictures, plants come full of pests which can put your collection at risk of an infestation, wrong ID plants, poaching, bad packaging or bad communication when a problem arises.

There are a few ways around this which include asking people for their opinion and experience, ask on Facebook on Plant Groups (don’t be scared to ask, but once you’ve been warned, don’t be tempted to get a plant from a shit seller, it’s really not worth it!), Miranda @piertjjpplants also has shop reviews on her highlights, and some shops do have reviews on their website but I’m still surprised some don’t. If the seller is off Ebay, make sure to check their ratings and if on Facebook, just ask for someone to vouch for the seller in the comments section!

For instagram, I normally check their Instagram tagged photos section for customer tags or sometimes they will have a reposted highlights of customer unpacking and feedbacks. Again, ask around the community, I’m sure everyone will be happy to give you feedback.

*Please also keep in mind that some sellers may have different prices as some may have to import and the shipping fees, custom fees, inspection fees do add up.