Comments on: Side Hustle #85: Plant Propagation 🌱

By: Jules

Jules — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:44:52 +0000

In reply to J. Awesome idea! I've been looking for an idea and this might be it!

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 22:05:39 +0000

In reply to J. Ahhhh this is so great, thank you!! I think next you need to add a beehive or two and make your own natural honey too :)

By: J

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 22:19:14 +0000

Personally, if I was doing this right now I would look to differentiate by focusing on natives. There is an increasing demand for natives vs non-natives, and many native nurseries had gone insolvent prior to this change in demand. In the past several years I have gotten VERY into gardening for pollinator gardening and gardening for wildlife. Local versions of milkweeds (monarch caterpillar host plant) are always a big item.
Examples: Swamp Milkweed – Asclepia Incarnata, Butterfly Milkweed – Asclepia Tuberosa, NOT tropical milkweed)
Buttonbush (Cephelanthis Occidentalis); Male and Female Spicebush (Lindera Benzoin), Foamflower for shade (Tiarella Cordifolia), Luna Red Hibiscus Masheuto, Little Bluestem Grass, Asters! (Symphotrycum), Goldenrod (Solidago), Bee Balm (Monarda), Sunflower (Helianthus) for annuals, Viburnam (Arrowwood Dentatum), Wax Myrtles (Myrica) for evergreens, Coral Honeysuckle for vines (Lonicera Sempervirens NOT Japonica=invasive species lists), etc.
Basically, anything that is listed on the Recommended Keystone Plant list from the National Wildlife Federation for your ecoregion.
[https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion]

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 11:51:20 +0000

In reply to Sarah. Thanks for the tip! I like the vegetables route - would be amazing to be able to eat what you grew :)

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 18:48:03 +0000

I am a flower farmer (another side hustle). One big thing left out of the above is SPACE. You will need a greenhouse in many climates to overwinter this many plants for a year or more. The photo above shows a high tunnel, landscaping fabric, and lots of soil, which is also not cheap. Plus, irrigation. I’m not saying this won’t work or isn’t a good business idea; but you need to evaluate your resources. If you want to start, growing vegetable or flower seedlings is much easier.

By: lauren

lauren — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 15:51:52 +0000

don’t forget the produce side! broccoli FTW :)

By: J. Money

J. Money — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 14:49:16 +0000

Super cool, Lauren!! Never heard of Neem oil before but now of course I have to google it, lol… Good to learn at least one new thing a day ;)

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 14:26:00 +0000

In reply to Lauren. Thats awesome Lauren, and you are so right, all states have different laws and regulations regarding a nursery license, thanks for bringing that up. Good luck with the succulent business, I'm sure you will do quite well with it!

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 13:20:09 +0000

I’m also working on a plant propagation business, although my focus is on succulents. I just love them so much, it seemed like a fun way to make money on the side. It’s worth mentioning that some states require you to have a nursery license before you can do something like this (I’m in Florida and I had to contact the Dept. of Agriculture and you also have to dig into maintenance techniques to deal with bugs. I’ve read alot about Neem oil and the like of late, these are both things I hadn’t considered before I started collecting plants. :)