I can agree! I passed up a lot of plants in plant shops because I was waiting for them to be in Home Depot and lowes for a cheaper price. Also their plants are fuller and worth the wait
@@toughcookiexo my Home Depot and Lowes don’t have any really cool plants!! At least nothing out of the ordinary! I did find a Global Green Photho at Walmart…
Plants should never be sold but trade. Plant lovers, just buy green to green-up your environment. Buy only the cheapies. Never buy an expensive houseplant. The beauty of houseplants is how you use it to decorate with them. You can make (propagate) all your pothos for example
@@floroma2820 Ideal world but it’s just an idea or a dream. Trade/ do exist, but not everywhere. There is still value associated with trade. I do find it ridiculous to see plants for sale for such high prices, some in $400-1600…crazy…but in a few years those prices for those plants WILL decrease as soon as those plants mature and more plants get on the market.
@@destaneewallace9222 I live in Arizona.. we have earned our mild winters!! I love the spring but I don’t mind it mostly being in the 70s and 80s here! It gets a bit chilly in the mornings.. 40s and 50s so we can wear long sleeves and jackets lol.
@@liskalangdon6576 I'm in Southern Georgia so its pretty weather...but this is my 1st real winter for houseplants (which are normally kept outdoors) but it doesn't get that cold,thankfully
@@destaneewallace9222 I have 140-150 inside plants and idk how many outdoor plants!! Mostly cactus and succulents with some flowers herbs veggies and regular houseplants throughout! I have a large covered porch and 2 covered carports. Then there’s the green house!!
100% agree. We are heading into a recession and spending less money, reaching our physical and mental limit for how many plants we can take care of, realizing which plants we actually love and appreciating the plants we have, and waiting for plant prices to come back down. Personally, I am trying to give my plants the best conditions possible right now to get them all big and beautiful… learning about PPFD, adding grow lights, remodelling my IKEA cabinets, etc.
I think a lot of people are probably starting to question staying in the hobby. Life is going more back to normal in some places. I enjoy selling plants locally at really affordable prices to pass on the good juju that I had when I got them at nice prices. I'm happy about the dip in interest because a dip in prices comes along with it too. And I've never been ok with the insanity of prices that happened last year. I was finally able to get one of my top wishlist plants last week because the prices have tanked so much on them. But I've noticed even locally I have to price things really well or else they won't sell.
Yes!! I was finally able to buy a Painted Lady for $27 in a pre sale. The Hoyas that I want are (mostly) attainable!! Some plants are still inflated.. but a lot are really coming down in price!
Yes. I just picked up a philodendron from a lady who was selling her Ikea green house for so cheap because they where overwhelmed with all the plants 😬
this comes to me as a shock because i STAY looking for plants and locally all our home depots and lowes are pretty much empty. youll see a few plants here and there but NOTHING compared to months ago when all the shelves were stocked. its gotten so bad, at walmart 2 days ago a good 85% of the little bit of plants they did have were dead. leaves crunchy and totally untaken care of. this saddens me because i personally don't want to buy them online so i am stuck to waiting and hoping locally they get it together.
I don’t buy much in fall/winter. Also, I can’t afford the high-end philodendrons/monsteras/anthuriums that people are spending $$$ on. I have nice plants to share if folks wanted basic peperomia, hoyas, spider plants, pothos, succulents etc. but people don’t seem to want those. I try to stay away from trends because they are just about the thrill of the find and not about the relationship with the plant. I want to focus more on making the plants I have as beautiful as they can be.
I think a lot of people are more about cultivating and focusing on the care of their collections. As far as trading I've noticed here in BC the same maybe there were so many going on the people got what they needed or were looking for? Many plant have become more easily available as well. I'm right there with you though I loved trading this year!
For me, I can tell you that winter has a lot to do with my buying habits. I am working so much harder to keep everyone warm, sunny, and happy here in Ohio so it's put a damper on buying this time of year. Also shipping can be tricky just because I worry, even with a heat pack, of it sitting too long especially around the holidays. It's always like this for me and I'm also pickier about what I buy because I've been doing this for a while now. I don't mind trading but I also don't mind sharing so if someone wants some of my plants, I just give the babies away to share the love
As for myself, I wouldn't trade my plants because I'm attached to them. I have watched them grow and change over time. I love them so much! I have enough... Don't need any more. Now, my focus is on pots, and soil as they mature. Great video!
I would have a hard time trading plants because I get attached as well. I bought the plant for a reason, because I loved and wanted it. I love buying small plants and watching them grow and mature.
For me, I’ve found my balance at about 125/130 plants. This number is comfortable for me in terms of the time/energy for their care and the level of “planty” that I want in my home. Honestly, there’s like 3-4 plants I would buy now right now but that’s it! I actually don’t really want to accumulate more plants right now! Im about to set up an ikea greenhouse and when I do, I’ll fill it up and hopefully my home will have less plants around. Not that I’m over the trend as I’ve been into houseplants for 8 years now but I’m totally in a different place in my life with kids and career as well as working on being more minimal with hobbies I have, including plants. As well, I want to save money 💰
I'm still buying plants!! Idk where you live but I'm buying... going to go look for another Chinese evergreen and a Hoya this week. I don't buy online plants. I like to see what I'm buying and touch them!!
I just opened a plant shop and people are definitely still buying them! I’ve never traded before so I don’t know much about this area. I am in a trade group tho, and the activity in there has definitely gone down.
I feel like there's been an oversaturation. In a 3 mile radius, I have multiple places for plant shopping. There's even more if I extend it to a 5-6 mile radius. Then you add in online options. I think most people have gotten most of the plants they want except for maybe the truly rare houseplants that can "justify" a "high" price. High is relative so that's why it's in quotes. Edit: I also agree with the folks citing Winter in the Northern hemisphere. I'm not buying any new ones until spring.
I totally 100% agree with you. I'm from Canada and I've noticed there have been a drastic decrease in sales on Facebook marketplace, hardly anyone is buying. Even going to plant stores and Greenhouses, hardly you'll see shoppers.
I am not surprised at this time of year. Just wait until Spring and it most likely will hop right onto the bandwagon again! Meeting people on our walks, yup, people are sick and tired of covid, preparing for Christmas, shopping etc. I bet stores have no problems selling poinsettias, greenery ……..so be patient! 😘
People are buying plants , maybe not in your circle, but people have been buying. Houseplants aren't a new trend, except on social media. Plus most of us are smart enough to wait for Costa Farms to crash this over priced hype caused by social media on pretty much a monthly basis.
Here is my take. At least for me and mine. Many of us have gotten a lot of plants so obviously space has made it slow down. Also cost of mailing is an issue. And right now, the Holidays mean our income goes to gifts for our peeps. I am so proud that the this year I have both my daughter and daughter in law on the path of being houseplant people.
In the UK it gets really cold, so less planty activity happens generally over winter. It picks back up in spring when its safe to bring the plants back out in the open air. 😊 love your collection.
I don't trade at all, I don't like turning ppl down for what they have to offer. Plus it's xmas now, my money is spent on presents for others. Further, I really don't have the room for more, if I don't want a plant I would give it away or sell low to get it out of my collection ASAP - I don't have the space to babysit plants I don't like.
I think the 2020 houseplant insanity has finally calmed, and we're back to 2019 levels or so (which is kinda nice!). Also, every December is the lowest point for searches / sales on average! (cold+holiday season). Enjoyed the video! Good topic to discuss!
I'm in Central Europe and the market here is pretty quiet too. I have a few things online at the moment, either as trades or to sell and the only stuff that goes quickly is cheap, reasonably common stuff. All the "fancy" stuff is super cheap at the moment too. Parasio Verde cutting for 35€, monstera albo cutting for 20€, I saw a queen anthirium for 40€ yesterday. Everything is super cheap. It doesn't bother me too much. I've traded a lot to get what I really like and am generally pretty happy with my collection. Occasionally a new hoya or something but that I can usually either trade or sell a bunch of micans/syngonium albo cuttings and not have to spend too much of my actual money.
I work in the largest retail and whole sale nursery in the south west we also have stores in North Carolina and Georgia. House plants boomed during the pandemic, we had shortages and everything (for several reasons). I met alot of people who had taken the pandemic to learn about not just house plants, but all types of plants and landscaping projects. Right now prices have increased with plants as it had with most things, and we still have people spending mass amounts of money on plants, alot of the newer house plant people are more cautious because they bit off maybe a little more than they could chew and killed off a few rounds of plants and now they don't want to buy a 3rd 14" kentia palm at 250 dollars or another 8 inch trandscandia anouk at 40 dollars per 8". People are going slower realizing there are alot of species each have their own set of issues at different times of year, and it can be more work than they realized. So they're just going a little slower with accumulating plants. That's the feedback I get from my clients everyday, just thought I'd share. But the plant industry is still booming and during the pandemic we saw a huge boom. I also don't see as many people propagating their own plants even though if they knew how easy it could be they'd never purchase a plant from a nursery again. But maybe those types if people just are least likely to be shopping in a nursery like the one I work in.
I have a lot of succulents and multiple arrangements and I love taking them all apart and re arranging! Also I make my own moss poles and I’m currently in the process of DIYing my pots with paint! That keeps me busy and exited while not bringing anything new in $ wise. ❤️
I have been into houseplants for over 30 years on and off. I suspect the people who are no longer here in this community are pandemic collectors. They're returning their pandemic pets to the shelters. 😩 During the winter I slow down on getting new plants. I focus on keeping my plants alive. I'll try to be more conscious about what I add to my collection but it'll grow.
I don’t actively trade within the community simply because it’s a hassle and ppl get fussy about the exchange. I have thrips, mealybugs, and gnats in my collection-I manage them and that works for me-but I don’t see a feasible way to actually eradicate them which means…I could always infest someone else’s collection and that’s just a piss off for someone whose been diligent and kept a bug-free collection. I don’t want ppl to be like, “oh that’s the guy that caused my thrips infestation” I’m also picky about what I don’t want…so rather than potentially offending someone because I don’t want their discard, it’s just easier for me to stick to my collection and seek out the things I want. Honestly though, I think you hit the nail on the head-ppl are over anthuriums. They’re dramatic and a pain to grow 😂
I think a big thing is that people try to trade their plants at the market value they bought it at, which may no longer be at that price point. So people don’t think the trades are worth it. Like PPPs for example, they were in the triple digits last year and now they have drastically dropped- so they still try to trade with “high value” ticketed items, but the price margin just isn’t the same. If that makes sense anyway! Lol
The plant craze is winding down because the world is opening up and we are trying to return to real life while safely navigating a pandemic. Plus, it's Christmas. People are trying to put their money into seeing their loved ones or buying gifts. I went ham on plants in the summer and I want to tend to them in the winter.
I think we are all on the same page. I have enough. I had too many. I'm down to a little over 100. When I step back and think about that, it's still so much. I wish I could get down to 5 to 10 plants but I'm having a hard time deciding what I actually want to keep.
Winterization. Trying to find the right spot for plants away from a window and under grow lights, has definitely killed my collecting. Also, trying to get people to pick up the plants is difficult, personally, in my case at least. I have had interest just people not wanting to pick them up
I know for me and it being the holiday season I’ve definitely been holding off from buying new plants bc I need to save my money for gifts for other people
There has definitely been a turn around in the hobby. I see sellers that used to sell immediately now reducing their prices and the plants are still not selling. I got cuttings of hoya wilbur Graves, Bella Luis Boi and krohniana black today for $80. All small but rooted.
I'm in the GTA as well and have noticed trading calming down a lot too. But I do still feel really fortunate to live in a place where the plant community is big enough/engaged enough to support lots of plant-related small businesses and events like BotanicalTO, the Toronto Craft and Botanical Market, etc.
I think everyone one went nuts over the same plants and so we all have the same things to trade. I’m still loving my anthurium so I’m willing to trade them. But most people want to trade a plant that is rehab for similar value of what they paid a year ago.
In my area, trades aren’t as popular now. In my experience, they want to trade what the value of the plant was when they bought it. Which is unrealistic.
For me at least at this point the plant I have that people want are just not big enough to cut. My more common ones are BIG but everyone has them already. Also it is winter 🥶 and I don’t ship plants in the winter.
GIRL YES! Anthurium ARE DIFFICULT !! And for those planty people that don’t have greenhouse cabinets…man! These Anthurium are kicking our booty! Also…it’s winter where I am right now and last year I continued to buy plants online during the winter but not this year-lost too many! It’s crazy how the plant community is shifting…everything shifts, but it is more dramatically and I’m kind of in limbo with it too! I appreciate you making this content still! I love all of your videos and your energy…ALWAYS !
It's winter and honestly, I don't want to deal with plants that need too much attention. I'm not willing to buy/setup "indoor greenhouses", so I'm sticking with plants that won't need too much time or attention.
Sometimes, I think that the lack of purchasing is related to light access. For those in apartments and condos, there is often only one wall with natural light and those windows are often small, especially if it’s an older development.
Your eye makeup is beautiful! I think like any hobby, some people fizzle out. But I have slowed down mainly because I have 200 plants and I just cant care for more lol. I'm more choosy with my purchases I guess.
I think there’s just less trading because it’s not good for your plants to be chopping and propping in winter or even going into winter. I only prop spring and summer when the plants are really growing strongly.
I think it also depends on what type of plant it is...some people are really into hoyas or begonias or aroids and always will be. I see interest in in plants that are more statement pieces, too. That being said, I haven't really seen a slow down
I'm into caudiforms and succulents and lophophora, ariocarpus and other cactus without needles like astrophytums. I'm moving to the north east next year so I'm going to have to slow down on my rare Madagascar caudiforms and South Texas cacti for some confiers. I love bonsai so I just started so hinoki cypress bonsai starts while my adeniums are in hibernation. I'm not really a tropical house plant person personally, but i have nothing against them. I also work for the largest wholesale and retail nursery in the south west and we also have locations on the east coast. We haven't seen a slow down from the pandemic yet. Prices have gone up, but it has more to do with propagation materials, cost of transportation and utilities to grow them going up not so much because there has been bigger interest since the pandemic. Also pottery is up partly because of the factory shutdowns in Asia in 2020 and the back ups at the port of LA/Long Beach.
@@HaniyaRae I don't HAVE to slow down, but I will be switching over to lophophora propagation and collecting once i get back east. I adore the one i have right now and I don't want to get rid of my adeniums, It's also a huge task to transport hundreds of plants 2,000 miles away along with my other belongings so I'm keeping 10 of my plans and my partner is keeping 4 of his, they will need to be sent through the mail. Hopefully we will have an extra room for plants and grow lights and I'll be able to get more dorstenias, adenium arabicums, and that's where I'll start my lophophora propagation on a larger scale, but I have about 9 months before the move so I'm searching for some lop seeds to start come end of January or early Feb. I found one guy that will send me 150 seeds for 200 dollars, id expect a minimum of 30 percent germ rate and getting them through their first year since i wont have an entire set up and ive never used his seeds before 50% would be on the high end.. Those will ride in the car shotgun with me 😃
I believe it's because all these "uncommon " plants are now in most people's collections. There's less plants people want and already have. On top of that I think people are done spending lots of money on plants as well. A lot of people in my community are downsizing as well. I personally got rid of all the plants I could live without.
I would love to be more savvy! I love the “fuss” over plant care and anthuriums are perfect for me! I think it’s something about the mix of the creative and science mix of it.
I mean right now, everyone is waiting for 2022 releases and buying in the spring is a notoriously winning strategy for indoor plants especially because of the year round light afterword
I don’t really think people “stopped” buying, I just think that the majority of plants that people had wanted before- they got. So, either they don’t have the plants that people want to trade- or people are becoming more particular with what they bring home. Also, I know a lot of people found “their group” as in those who they trade back and forth with, or the shops/people they buy from mainly. There are so many scammers (buyers and sellers) that people have become more cautious with their purchases or sales. I do agree the community has died down some, but mainly I see it dying down from the people who just got into for the hype, not a crisply enjoying the plants. It’s not easy to care for a lot of plants, and I saw a lot of people got completely overwhelmed. However, there is usually dips like this over the years. And I think it depends on your area. I will not buy or trade plants right now- because it is below 20 and the holidays. It’s kind of silly to even consider shipping/ordering if you’re in a colder climate even with a heat pack, especially with the holidays (hence why many plant shops/nurseries shut down this time of the year). I still see a lot of activity on an array of pages, especially the “top” sellers. Their plants go quick! However, I’ll take the less activities because that means lower prices! And I am A-OK with that! Lol I really do think it has a lot to do with where you are at too, each place is so drastically different. -coming from someone in the states. ❤️ Keep sharing and voicing your opinions- it’s always nice to hear what others think! Much love!!
Maybe its the season? I tend to hold off on trades and purchases until spring. Anytime I aquire a plant during the cold months they don't acclimate as well.
It's winter, not the right time to ship plants. I think a lot of people struggle to keep the interest of their plants up in the winter. I neclect my plants way more in winter than the rest of the year anyway. The market for plants should start again in mid to late March or April.
I'm in the GTA and would love to trade, but I don't have anything you would want lol just getting started into my rare plants, so a lot of what I have is still too small to prop. Which may be the case for a lot of other people too. Unfortunately unless you are willing to trade a full plant, you have to wait for it to grow! And winter is not good for growing quickly!
I don't trade because I find the community intimidating. People tend to over-inflate the prices or value, and then I feel I don't have anything of equal value. I've noticed a lot of people more interested in selling propagations to make a profit than trading, as well.
Iz winterr, we don't want to watch our new plants decline! Though in SF, it's probably by summer in a few weeks. Then winter. Then Spring. Then Fall. The weather here is ...odd even sans climate change.
I recently was gifted my dream plant by my husband, and since then I haven’t really seen anything to pique my interest, because I’m too busy trying to keep it alive & happy 😂. I’m really happy with my current collection!
Hey there! Your plants are beautiful! And I'd sounds like you answered your own question. If you got either 50 or 50% of your plant collection from the folks who started collecting plants around the same time as you, perhaps many of them are simply burnt out with accumulating in plants; whether they get them from purchases or trades. I have been collecting house plant for many years but I am new to the online plant community, (and armet we all?). This medium did not exist even a few short years ago. Anyway, in this short time I have noticed much of what feels like a competition to accumulate as many plant as possible; especially now that there is a huge show of collections on Instagram. Maybe some collectors who got off the block running at full speed imply need time to sit back and regroup concerning houseplants? Did they dig too deep into their pockets for plants? Did they not consider if they actually have the time and temperament to take care of so many plants? Did they get emotionally caught up in the plant -collecting trend? Do they have a lot less time now that they have returned to working outside of the home since things have somewhat calmed down with the pandemic? Are they simply bored with their plants and have moved on to new hobbies? There could be a myriad of reasons. Like anything, it is sometimes healthy to take a break and reconsider some things that we have been on an emotional treadmill about; even something as wonderful as plant collecting and growing.
I think you’ll see things stabilize more. Like with most of the at home projects, people are now leaving their home to get back to normal. Just take the price of wood, it was outrageous for a while. This may mean people are leaving the plant community. Also thing do slow down in the winter, so spring back in the spring? And for the US, that stimmy definitely gave a boom to a lot of industries each time they came out. I noticed trades and sale went up as they were being sent out. Another large part is the economy as a whole, poverty has risen, a lot of these smaller stores and restaurants haven’t not made it through the past two years and if your choice is between a plant or food, you’re going to choose food. This has also given time for home sellers, they’ve had time to prop and grow their plants to sell to help add a little extra income. That effects the market being flooded bringing more competition and better pricing?
I’ve noticed less people interested in trades lately too. Like you the majority of my collection has come through trades so it’s a hard adjustment to not being able to easily trade anymore. Not sure the reason other then it seems people want to downsize collections and just sell their propagations instead of trading for more.
It’s probably due to winter! I want so many plants, and would absolutely die to trade, but I’m in Eastern KY area and I can’t even find Facebook groups for the area. Plus the fact that I pretty much have only common plants like Pothos, Snake plant, Raven ZZ, and Heartleaf philodendron. I have others, but yeah. I’m struggling.
Well I think a lot of it is the big boom of new houseplant owners starting during covid. And now the market is balancing itself again. Same thing happens with stocks. During better economic times, the volume of people buying stocks increases A LOT. Then eventually it balances itself back down to the average number
I think many people have collected most of what they want and may be only looking for super-specific things now and also with the weather cooling, I'm not buying any plants that have to ship until the springtime.
To me it does not make sense that you said no one wants to buy plants which is affecting the market negatively for people who do not want to spend much money on plants. I think if no one wants to buy, prices go down..? Bcs we saw the opposite just in the last two years, everyone wanted plants and so prices went up
@@lisatietze9369 I do believe prices are going down. I saw a RUclipsr bought a philodendron squamiferum at lowes yesterday for $20.... and I believe it was in an 8inch pot with at least 3 nice bushy plants in it
I would love to start trading plants. I haven’t done this yet but it would be a great way to build my collection. I live in the north and it’s far too cold to ship anything or receive any plants by mail right now. I’m propagating the plants I want to trade to prepare for Spring. Can I have ideas from everyone on where and how to start trading?
I’ve seen so many plant purges in my local fb groups. So many people are going back to normal life, and realizing plants are more stress then they were previously. I also sold lots of plants on fb marketplace a year ago. I’m not selling anymore, I tried to offload some plants in September and it took weeks to sell them. It’s not worth me cutting and propping my plants if I’m not making a profit. Although, the home depots here have been getting dragon scale alocasia, and you have 5 minutes to get there before they’re gone, so the collector mentality is still there.
I think people would prefer to keep the plants they have and just buy a new plant, considering prices are super cheap right now. Also, it’s winter and people are less likely to want to put plants in the maip
It's nearly all pandemic-related. While everyone was staying home, many people had time to care for plants, but since things have opened back up, people go back to work and plants become as attractive as they were to them before the pandemic, which for most people isn't that attractive, because let's be real, plants are time-consuming. There were several new plant parents while people were staying at home, driving up the demand. But now, there's less of a demand for new plants and a much higher supply. That is good news for collectors now, because prices are coming back down. Though now locally, people have to price their plants extremely well for them to sell. I feel bad for all the businesses that opened up during the craze or the independent collectors that acquired most of their plants during the craze. Plants are like any hobby, so I do get irked when people say plants should never be sold. You don't need a philodendron joepii at all. If you want to strictly decorate with them, then decorate with inexpensive houseplants. I do think it has gotten a bit crazy when I see plants exceed $1000, but I know that that is simply not a plant I will get any time soon. There's another taboo in the plant community, that if you give/sell/trade your plant away, you don't actually love them and are not a real plant parent. But who cares? Why hold onto a plant that is now turning your hobby into more of a chore when a different plant parent will take just as good care of it and love having it.
I’ve really gotten into Hoyas. There are a lot of them that aren’t too too expensive… I still have some room to grow my collection.. I may have to make the rest of my collection smaller.. I have between 140-150 plants .. about 30 or so are Hoyas… I’ll have to find a balance… I’ve never traded expensive plants. I’ve have given away a lot of cuttings to friends and received the like… but just regular plants.
Where are you finding theses trades. Facebook market ? People from the discord ? I’m just not sure how and I guess my collection is growing to the point of where I could maybe start trading
Honestly, where I am, trading with people is always a risk. I’ve gotten so many infested plants, even buying them, so I just haven’t done any trades or even buying from anyone that isn’t a grower/producer of mass plant quantities. Which is so unfortunate.
For me, while I'm not new to plants, my collection is still on the small side as i only started collecting again this year. I'd love to be able to trade more, plant prices can get ridiculous. Also there's not much of a plant community in the north
I think alot of people over paid for their houseplants last year and now it clicked to stop. For instance, Costa Farms will come out with the Thai Constellation next year. So why bother paying $400-600 when you can pay $50 next year?
I find no one has anything interesting to trade. I will have lots of silver satin scindapsus and maybe adansonii. Nobody wants more pothos. I know I don't want more vines with the exception of fancy syngoniums. My steal this years was a $15 hanging basket of cebu blue (Costa farms). I'll be doing another trim late February. I plan to get some exotics to grow and share in the spring. The more I interesting plants don't grow as fast and take a while to get to propagation stage as I buy them as plugs or juveniles. I don't want to cut anything til I see aerial roots and loads of offshoots. Like syngonium will send out aerial roots and show me its time. I'm looking to obtain fast growing plants that aren't as common to trade with when I get back to buying. This hobby is also for profit.
I think it's a regional thing. It's still booming in AZ. I think buying slowed a bit only because of the holidays and buying gifts. I think trading has slowed because pests. At least for me. We have plant swaps locally and I traded cool plants and ended up receiving plants with pests. Now I'm terrified. I also think rare plants have slowed because things are getting over saturated. The people who don't have them don't have fair trades.. so it's kinda stuck. This is my guess. Lol
I have what I can handle for now. Our economy in the US is so frightening and getting worse unfortunately. For me, it’s financial caution, social unrest, and it’s just time to slow down during this uncertainty. I still love my plants but it just needs to slow down.
I see the prices of plants in US and I get overwhelmed even if I live in Europe! 😅 I live in the NL, so we are kinda the biggest producers of plants in Europe, prices here are relatively low so is not so hard to invest. An example is pink princess philodendron, I was watching a video a couple of days back somewhere in us and the price was around 350 dollars...I bought mine for 20 euros (so 22-23 dollars). I think the market will go up and down every few months, but certainly the hype of buying like 300 plants I don't know if it will stay up, is anyway unsustainable from any perspective!
![Digital Circus Episode 4 [TRAILER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/abZtsmMUbJo/mqdefault.jpg)
I think most of us are waiting on costa farms to mass produce the plants that are now considered as uncommon for more affordable prices 🤔
I can agree! I passed up a lot of plants in plant shops because I was waiting for them to be in Home Depot and lowes for a cheaper price. Also their plants are fuller and worth the wait
@@toughcookiexo my Home Depot and Lowes don’t have any really cool plants!! At least nothing out of the ordinary! I did find a Global Green Photho at Walmart…
Plants should never be sold but trade. Plant lovers, just buy green to green-up your environment. Buy only the cheapies. Never buy an expensive houseplant. The beauty of houseplants is how you use it to decorate with them. You can make (propagate) all your pothos for example
@@floroma2820 this is so very true
@@floroma2820 Ideal world but it’s just an idea or a dream. Trade/ do exist, but not everywhere. There is still value associated with trade. I do find it ridiculous to see plants for sale for such high prices, some in $400-1600…crazy…but in a few years those prices for those plants WILL decrease as soon as those plants mature and more plants get on the market.
I feel like it’s just a weather thing. Same thing kinda happened around this time last year. I think in the spring it should pick back up (:
I agree with this--especially for all of us up north (I'm near Seattle). I'm just not that excited about going out in the cold rain these days.
Agreed!!! Can't wait for spring!
@@destaneewallace9222 I live in Arizona.. we have earned our mild winters!! I love the spring but I don’t mind it mostly being in the 70s and 80s here! It gets a bit chilly in the mornings.. 40s and 50s so we can wear long sleeves and jackets lol.
@@liskalangdon6576 I'm in Southern Georgia so its pretty weather...but this is my 1st real winter for houseplants (which are normally kept outdoors) but it doesn't get that cold,thankfully
@@destaneewallace9222 I have 140-150 inside plants and idk how many outdoor plants!! Mostly cactus and succulents with some flowers herbs veggies and regular houseplants throughout! I have a large covered porch and 2 covered carports. Then there’s the green house!!
100% agree. We are heading into a recession and spending less money, reaching our physical and mental limit for how many plants we can take care of, realizing which plants we actually love and appreciating the plants we have, and waiting for plant prices to come back down.
Personally, I am trying to give my plants the best conditions possible right now to get them all big and beautiful… learning about PPFD, adding grow lights, remodelling my IKEA cabinets, etc.
I think a lot of people are probably starting to question staying in the hobby. Life is going more back to normal in some places. I enjoy selling plants locally at really affordable prices to pass on the good juju that I had when I got them at nice prices. I'm happy about the dip in interest because a dip in prices comes along with it too. And I've never been ok with the insanity of prices that happened last year. I was finally able to get one of my top wishlist plants last week because the prices have tanked so much on them. But I've noticed even locally I have to price things really well or else they won't sell.
Yes!! I was finally able to buy a Painted Lady for $27 in a pre sale. The Hoyas that I want are (mostly) attainable!! Some plants are still inflated.. but a lot are really coming down in price!
Yes. I just picked up a philodendron from a lady who was selling her Ikea green house for so cheap because they where overwhelmed with all the plants 😬
This!
Right on plant person!!!
I’ve been into houseplants since1965. I’ve seen fads come and go but my interest has never waned.
this comes to me as a shock because i STAY looking for plants and locally all our home depots and lowes are pretty much empty. youll see a few plants here and there but NOTHING compared to months ago when all the shelves were stocked. its gotten so bad, at walmart 2 days ago a good 85% of the little bit of plants they did have were dead. leaves crunchy and totally untaken care of. this saddens me because i personally don't want to buy them online so i am stuck to waiting and hoping locally they get it together.
I don’t buy much in fall/winter. Also, I can’t afford the high-end philodendrons/monsteras/anthuriums that people are spending $$$ on. I have nice plants to share if folks wanted basic peperomia, hoyas, spider plants, pothos, succulents etc. but people don’t seem to want those. I try to stay away from trends because they are just about the thrill of the find and not about the relationship with the plant. I want to focus more on making the plants I have as beautiful as they can be.
I think a lot of people are more about cultivating and focusing on the care of their collections. As far as trading I've noticed here in BC the same maybe there were so many going on the people got what they needed or were looking for? Many plant have become more easily available as well. I'm right there with you though I loved trading this year!
Sooo nobody is gonna address the fact alot followed a trend instead of doing it because it's a true passion.
For me, I can tell you that winter has a lot to do with my buying habits. I am working so much harder to keep everyone warm, sunny, and happy here in Ohio so it's put a damper on buying this time of year. Also shipping can be tricky just because I worry, even with a heat pack, of it sitting too long especially around the holidays. It's always like this for me and I'm also pickier about what I buy because I've been doing this for a while now. I don't mind trading but I also don't mind sharing so if someone wants some of my plants, I just give the babies away to share the love
As for myself, I wouldn't trade my plants because I'm attached to them. I have watched them grow and change over time. I love them so much! I have enough... Don't need any more. Now, my focus is on pots, and soil as they mature. Great video!
I would have a hard time trading plants because I get attached as well. I bought the plant for a reason, because I loved and wanted it. I love buying small plants and watching them grow and mature.
Could you grow cuttings or divisions to trade, or gift?
For me, I’ve found my balance at about 125/130 plants. This number is comfortable for me in terms of the time/energy for their care and the level of “planty” that I want in my home. Honestly, there’s like 3-4 plants I would buy now right now but that’s it! I actually don’t really want to accumulate more plants right now! Im about to set up an ikea greenhouse and when I do, I’ll fill it up and hopefully my home will have less plants around. Not that I’m over the trend as I’ve been into houseplants for 8 years now but I’m totally in a different place in my life with kids and career as well as working on being more minimal with hobbies I have, including plants. As well, I want to save money 💰
I'm at the same level now!
I'm still buying plants!! Idk where you live but I'm buying... going to go look for another Chinese evergreen and a Hoya this week. I don't buy online plants. I like to see what I'm buying and touch them!!
I just opened a plant shop and people are definitely still buying them! I’ve never traded before so I don’t know much about this area. I am in a trade group tho, and the activity in there has definitely gone down.
I feel like there's been an oversaturation. In a 3 mile radius, I have multiple places for plant shopping. There's even more if I extend it to a 5-6 mile radius. Then you add in online options. I think most people have gotten most of the plants they want except for maybe the truly rare houseplants that can "justify" a "high" price. High is relative so that's why it's in quotes. Edit: I also agree with the folks citing Winter in the Northern hemisphere. I'm not buying any new ones until spring.
I totally 100% agree with you. I'm from Canada and I've noticed there have been a drastic decrease in sales on Facebook marketplace, hardly anyone is buying. Even going to plant stores and Greenhouses, hardly you'll see shoppers.
I think the reason is no money and it's Winter.
I am not surprised at this time of year. Just wait until Spring and it most likely will hop right onto the bandwagon again! Meeting people on our walks, yup, people are sick and tired of covid, preparing for Christmas, shopping etc. I bet stores have no problems selling poinsettias, greenery ……..so be patient! 😘
I think it’s cool that other people do it but I get so attached to my plants, I don’t think I could ever trade my babies. 😬
Orchid have become a huge thing. I was into houseplants then discovered that exotic orchids can easily be purchased and grown in a home
Get your house girl- I just bought a new property with room to build a proper greenhouse. It’s what ya gotta do.
I think some new plant hobbyists may be hesitant to ship in cold weather. Trades are tough because there are risks to send and to receive rare plants.
People are buying plants , maybe not in your circle, but people have been buying. Houseplants aren't a new trend, except on social media. Plus most of us are smart enough to wait for Costa Farms to crash this over priced hype caused by social media on pretty much a monthly basis.
Here is my take. At least for me and mine. Many of us have gotten a lot of plants so obviously space has made it slow down.
Also cost of mailing is an issue. And right now, the Holidays mean our income goes to gifts for our peeps. I am so proud that the this year I have both my daughter and daughter in law on the path of being houseplant people.
In the UK it gets really cold, so less planty activity happens generally over winter. It picks back up in spring when its safe to bring the plants back out in the open air. 😊 love your collection.
I think most of the people by now figured out what are they favorite plants and /or had trade enough to get all the plants they wanted.
I don't trade at all, I don't like turning ppl down for what they have to offer. Plus it's xmas now, my money is spent on presents for others. Further, I really don't have the room for more, if I don't want a plant I would give it away or sell low to get it out of my collection ASAP - I don't have the space to babysit plants I don't like.
I think the 2020 houseplant insanity has finally calmed, and we're back to 2019 levels or so (which is kinda nice!). Also, every December is the lowest point for searches / sales on average! (cold+holiday season). Enjoyed the video! Good topic to discuss!
I'm in Central Europe and the market here is pretty quiet too. I have a few things online at the moment, either as trades or to sell and the only stuff that goes quickly is cheap, reasonably common stuff.
All the "fancy" stuff is super cheap at the moment too. Parasio Verde cutting for 35€, monstera albo cutting for 20€, I saw a queen anthirium for 40€ yesterday. Everything is super cheap.
It doesn't bother me too much. I've traded a lot to get what I really like and am generally pretty happy with my collection. Occasionally a new hoya or something but that I can usually either trade or sell a bunch of micans/syngonium albo cuttings and not have to spend too much of my actual money.
I work in the largest retail and whole sale nursery in the south west we also have stores in North Carolina and Georgia. House plants boomed during the pandemic, we had shortages and everything (for several reasons). I met alot of people who had taken the pandemic to learn about not just house plants, but all types of plants and landscaping projects. Right now prices have increased with plants as it had with most things, and we still have people spending mass amounts of money on plants, alot of the newer house plant people are more cautious because they bit off maybe a little more than they could chew and killed off a few rounds of plants and now they don't want to buy a 3rd 14" kentia palm at 250 dollars or another 8 inch trandscandia anouk at 40 dollars per 8". People are going slower realizing there are alot of species each have their own set of issues at different times of year, and it can be more work than they realized. So they're just going a little slower with accumulating plants. That's the feedback I get from my clients everyday, just thought I'd share. But the plant industry is still booming and during the pandemic we saw a huge boom. I also don't see as many people propagating their own plants even though if they knew how easy it could be they'd never purchase a plant from a nursery again. But maybe those types if people just are least likely to be shopping in a nursery like the one I work in.
Side note, I absolutely love how you did your makeup.
I'm always looking for anthurium.
I'm wary of shipping/ weather delays this winter. I'd love to trade, but with the post office it's kinda a headache.
I have a lot of succulents and multiple arrangements and I love taking them all apart and re arranging! Also I make my own moss poles and I’m currently in the process of DIYing my pots with paint! That keeps me busy and exited while not bringing anything new in $ wise. ❤️
I LOVE my succulents but am terrified of a moss pole.. I'm a chronic underwater
I have been into houseplants for over 30 years on and off. I suspect the people who are no longer here in this community are pandemic collectors. They're returning their pandemic pets to the shelters. 😩
During the winter I slow down on getting new plants. I focus on keeping my plants alive. I'll try to be more conscious about what I add to my collection but it'll grow.
I have definitely scaled back my purchasing because of shipping in the colder weather.
I don’t actively trade within the community simply because it’s a hassle and ppl get fussy about the exchange. I have thrips, mealybugs, and gnats in my collection-I manage them and that works for me-but I don’t see a feasible way to actually eradicate them which means…I could always infest someone else’s collection and that’s just a piss off for someone whose been diligent and kept a bug-free collection. I don’t want ppl to be like, “oh that’s the guy that caused my thrips infestation”
I’m also picky about what I don’t want…so rather than potentially offending someone because I don’t want their discard, it’s just easier for me to stick to my collection and seek out the things I want.
Honestly though, I think you hit the nail on the head-ppl are over anthuriums. They’re dramatic and a pain to grow 😂
Hahaha great to see you over here! I COMPLETELY understand what you’re saying and that’s super noble of you!
@@LulusLeaves - oh yeah, I watch a lot of your content. Don't comment much, but love your perspectives and enjoy listening :)
@@HerebutNot I really appreciate it!!
I think a big thing is that people try to trade their plants at the market value they bought it at, which may no longer be at that price point. So people don’t think the trades are worth it. Like PPPs for example, they were in the triple digits last year and now they have drastically dropped- so they still try to trade with “high value” ticketed items, but the price margin just isn’t the same. If that makes sense anyway! Lol
Your makeup always looks lovely but I think it is absolutely stunning in this video!!💖
The plant craze is winding down because the world is opening up and we are trying to return to real life while safely navigating a pandemic. Plus, it's Christmas. People are trying to put their money into seeing their loved ones or buying gifts. I went ham on plants in the summer and I want to tend to them in the winter.
I’m in a weird spot where I have nothing “cool” to trade with and no money to buy the “cool” plants so I can trade. I’m just stuck
I think we are all on the same page. I have enough. I had too many. I'm down to a little over 100. When I step back and think about that, it's still so much. I wish I could get down to 5 to 10 plants but I'm having a hard time deciding what I actually want to keep.
Winterization. Trying to find the right spot for plants away from a window and under grow lights, has definitely killed my collecting.
Also, trying to get people to pick up the plants is difficult, personally, in my case at least.
I have had interest just people not wanting to pick them up
I know for me and it being the holiday season I’ve definitely been holding off from buying new plants bc I need to save my money for gifts for other people
Houseplants are expensive and then you have to deal with pests. The pest can be overwhelming.
There has definitely been a turn around in the hobby. I see sellers that used to sell immediately now reducing their prices and the plants are still not selling. I got cuttings of hoya wilbur Graves, Bella Luis Boi and krohniana black today for $80. All small but rooted.
...over the summer we hoard and collect...now its time (for me) to reflect...💚 (❄)
I'm in the GTA as well and have noticed trading calming down a lot too. But I do still feel really fortunate to live in a place where the plant community is big enough/engaged enough to support lots of plant-related small businesses and events like BotanicalTO, the Toronto Craft and Botanical Market, etc.
I think everyone one went nuts over the same plants and so we all have the same things to trade. I’m still loving my anthurium so I’m willing to trade them. But most people want to trade a plant that is rehab for similar value of what they paid a year ago.
In my area, trades aren’t as popular now. In my experience, they want to trade what the value of the plant was when they bought it. Which is unrealistic.
For me at least at this point the plant I have that people want are just not big enough to cut. My more common ones are BIG but everyone has them already. Also it is winter 🥶 and I don’t ship plants in the winter.
Oh and I have a home remodel coming up.
GIRL YES! Anthurium ARE DIFFICULT !! And for those planty people that don’t have greenhouse cabinets…man! These Anthurium are kicking our booty! Also…it’s winter where I am right now and last year I continued to buy plants online during the winter but not this year-lost too many!
It’s crazy how the plant community is shifting…everything shifts, but it is more dramatically and I’m kind of in limbo with it too! I appreciate you making this content still! I love all of your videos and your energy…ALWAYS !
It's winter and honestly, I don't want to deal with plants that need too much attention. I'm not willing to buy/setup "indoor greenhouses", so I'm sticking with plants that won't need too much time or attention.
Sometimes, I think that the lack of purchasing is related to light access. For those in apartments and condos, there is often only one wall with natural light and those windows are often small, especially if it’s an older development.
Your eye makeup is beautiful! I think like any hobby, some people fizzle out. But I have slowed down mainly because I have 200 plants and I just cant care for more lol. I'm more choosy with my purchases I guess.
I think there’s just less trading because it’s not good for your plants to be chopping and propping in winter or even going into winter. I only prop spring and summer when the plants are really growing strongly.
I think it also depends on what type of plant it is...some people are really into hoyas or begonias or aroids and always will be. I see interest in in plants that are more statement pieces, too. That being said, I haven't really seen a slow down
I'm into caudiforms and succulents and lophophora, ariocarpus and other cactus without needles like astrophytums. I'm moving to the north east next year so I'm going to have to slow down on my rare Madagascar caudiforms and South Texas cacti for some confiers. I love bonsai so I just started so hinoki cypress bonsai starts while my adeniums are in hibernation. I'm not really a tropical house plant person personally, but i have nothing against them. I also work for the largest wholesale and retail nursery in the south west and we also have locations on the east coast. We haven't seen a slow down from the pandemic yet. Prices have gone up, but it has more to do with propagation materials, cost of transportation and utilities to grow them going up not so much because there has been bigger interest since the pandemic. Also pottery is up partly because of the factory shutdowns in Asia in 2020 and the back ups at the port of LA/Long Beach.
@@ryansabstractart3518 why do you have to slow down? haha i keep all mine indoors and they seem to do okay!
@@ryansabstractart3518 also really into caudiciforms and have a collection of south african plants :)))
@@HaniyaRae I don't HAVE to slow down, but I will be switching over to lophophora propagation and collecting once i get back east. I adore the one i have right now and I don't want to get rid of my adeniums, It's also a huge task to transport hundreds of plants 2,000 miles away along with my other belongings so I'm keeping 10 of my plans and my partner is keeping 4 of his, they will need to be sent through the mail. Hopefully we will have an extra room for plants and grow lights and I'll be able to get more dorstenias, adenium arabicums, and that's where I'll start my lophophora propagation on a larger scale, but I have about 9 months before the move so I'm searching for some lop seeds to start come end of January or early Feb. I found one guy that will send me 150 seeds for 200 dollars, id expect a minimum of 30 percent germ rate and getting them through their first year since i wont have an entire set up and ive never used his seeds before 50% would be on the high end.. Those will ride in the car shotgun with me 😃
I believe it's because all these "uncommon " plants are now in most people's collections. There's less plants people want and already have. On top of that I think people are done spending lots of money on plants as well. A lot of people in my community are downsizing as well. I personally got rid of all the plants I could live without.
I would love to be more savvy! I love the “fuss” over plant care and anthuriums are perfect for me! I think it’s something about the mix of the creative and science mix of it.
I mean right now, everyone is waiting for 2022 releases and buying in the spring is a notoriously winning strategy for indoor plants especially because of the year round light afterword
I don’t really think people “stopped” buying, I just think that the majority of plants that people had wanted before- they got. So, either they don’t have the plants that people want to trade- or people are becoming more particular with what they bring home. Also, I know a lot of people found “their group” as in those who they trade back and forth with, or the shops/people they buy from mainly. There are so many scammers (buyers and sellers) that people have become more cautious with their purchases or sales.
I do agree the community has died down some, but mainly I see it dying down from the people who just got into for the hype, not a crisply enjoying the plants. It’s not easy to care for a lot of plants, and I saw a lot of people got completely overwhelmed.
However, there is usually dips like this over the years. And I think it depends on your area. I will not buy or trade plants right now- because it is below 20 and the holidays. It’s kind of silly to even consider shipping/ordering if you’re in a colder climate even with a heat pack, especially with the holidays (hence why many plant shops/nurseries shut down this time of the year).
I still see a lot of activity on an array of pages, especially the “top” sellers. Their plants go quick! However, I’ll take the less activities because that means lower prices! And I am A-OK with that! Lol I really do think it has a lot to do with where you are at too, each place is so drastically different.
-coming from someone in the states. ❤️
Keep sharing and voicing your opinions- it’s always nice to hear what others think! Much love!!
I’m happy with the plants I currently have. I have a wish list but currently things are tight so I can indulge in the expensive ones right now.
Maybe its the season? I tend to hold off on trades and purchases until spring. Anytime I aquire a plant during the cold months they don't acclimate as well.
It's winter, not the right time to ship plants. I think a lot of people struggle to keep the interest of their plants up in the winter. I neclect my plants way more in winter than the rest of the year anyway. The market for plants should start again in mid to late March or April.
I'm in the GTA and would love to trade, but I don't have anything you would want lol just getting started into my rare plants, so a lot of what I have is still too small to prop. Which may be the case for a lot of other people too. Unfortunately unless you are willing to trade a full plant, you have to wait for it to grow! And winter is not good for growing quickly!
I don't trade because I find the community intimidating. People tend to over-inflate the prices or value, and then I feel I don't have anything of equal value. I've noticed a lot of people more interested in selling propagations to make a profit than trading, as well.
Iz winterr, we don't want to watch our new plants decline!
Though in SF, it's probably by summer in a few weeks. Then winter. Then Spring. Then Fall. The weather here is ...odd even sans climate change.
I recently was gifted my dream plant by my husband, and since then I haven’t really seen anything to pique my interest, because I’m too busy trying to keep it alive & happy 😂. I’m really happy with my current collection!
What was your dream plant? I had the same thing. My dream plant was a philodendron Gloriosum.
@@gloriaclark7445 I love the Gloriosum! My dream plant was a monstera albo. 🥰
Hey there! Your plants are beautiful! And I'd sounds like you answered your own question. If you got either 50 or 50% of your plant collection from the folks who started collecting plants around the same time as you, perhaps many of them are simply burnt out with accumulating in plants; whether they get them from purchases or trades. I have been collecting house plant for many years but I am new to the online plant community, (and armet we all?). This medium did not exist even a few short years ago.
Anyway, in this short time I have noticed much of what feels like a competition to accumulate as many plant as possible; especially now that there is a huge show of collections on Instagram. Maybe some collectors who got off the block running at full speed imply need time to sit back and regroup concerning houseplants? Did they dig too deep into their pockets for plants? Did they not consider if they actually have the time and temperament to take care of so many plants? Did they get emotionally caught up in the plant -collecting trend? Do they have a lot less time now that they have returned to working outside of the home since things have somewhat calmed down with the pandemic? Are they simply bored with their plants and have moved on to new hobbies? There could be a myriad of reasons.
Like anything, it is sometimes healthy to take a break and reconsider some things that we have been on an emotional treadmill about; even something as wonderful as plant collecting and growing.
uhg girl I hear ya, saving for a house in Southern Ontario is totally bonkers. I'm in the exact same boat right now.
I think you’ll see things stabilize more. Like with most of the at home projects, people are now leaving their home to get back to normal. Just take the price of wood, it was outrageous for a while. This may mean people are leaving the plant community.
Also thing do slow down in the winter, so spring back in the spring?
And for the US, that stimmy definitely gave a boom to a lot of industries each time they came out. I noticed trades and sale went up as they were being sent out.
Another large part is the economy as a whole, poverty has risen, a lot of these smaller stores and restaurants haven’t not made it through the past two years and if your choice is between a plant or food, you’re going to choose food.
This has also given time for home sellers, they’ve had time to prop and grow their plants to sell to help add a little extra income. That effects the market being flooded bringing more competition and better pricing?
I’ve noticed less people interested in trades lately too. Like you the majority of my collection has come through trades so it’s a hard adjustment to not being able to easily trade anymore. Not sure the reason other then it seems people want to downsize collections and just sell their propagations instead of trading for more.
It’s probably due to winter! I want so many plants, and would absolutely die to trade, but I’m in Eastern KY area and I can’t even find Facebook groups for the area. Plus the fact that I pretty much have only common plants like Pothos, Snake plant, Raven ZZ, and Heartleaf philodendron. I have others, but yeah. I’m struggling.
What's KY?
@@kateoc8 Kentucky. USA
@@coldmoonmountain3148 it’s pretty far. I wish though!
how much are u selling that 3 leaves syngonium ?
What Anthrium do you have your not into and do you still have the sport monstera ? Still interested if so
Well I think a lot of it is the big boom of new houseplant owners starting during covid. And now the market is balancing itself again. Same thing happens with stocks. During better economic times, the volume of people buying stocks increases A LOT. Then eventually it balances itself back down to the average number
I think many people have collected most of what they want and may be only looking for super-specific things now and also with the weather cooling, I'm not buying any plants that have to ship until the springtime.
To me it does not make sense that you said no one wants to buy plants which is affecting the market negatively for people who do not want to spend much money on plants. I think if no one wants to buy, prices go down..? Bcs we saw the opposite just in the last two years, everyone wanted plants and so prices went up
Sorry I more so mean no one wants to trade which is affecting people who don’t want to spend on plants!
@@LulusLeaves I see!
I agree. It’s also wintertime. I typically buy plants online and don't want to risk having any die from frost.
@@lisatietze9369 I do believe prices are going down. I saw a RUclipsr bought a philodendron squamiferum at lowes yesterday for $20.... and I believe it was in an 8inch pot with at least 3 nice bushy plants in it
Get your house! And build your very own greenhouse in the back! 🤗 Also, your makeup is on point! 👍🏽
I would love to start trading plants. I haven’t done this yet but it would be a great way to build my collection. I live in the north and it’s far too cold to ship anything or receive any plants by mail right now. I’m propagating the plants I want to trade to prepare for Spring. Can I have ideas from everyone on where and how to start trading?
It could be that plant lovers stoped buying/selling because they want to see their current plant grow up and be beautiful!
I’ve seen so many plant purges in my local fb groups. So many people are going back to normal life, and realizing plants are more stress then they were previously. I also sold lots of plants on fb marketplace a year ago. I’m not selling anymore, I tried to offload some plants in September and it took weeks to sell them. It’s not worth me cutting and propping my plants if I’m not making a profit. Although, the home depots here have been getting dragon scale alocasia, and you have 5 minutes to get there before they’re gone, so the collector mentality is still there.
I’ve been propagating a lot of my plants this past growing season in order to make them fuller 🙃
For me it is because of the weather and finances. I just am maintaining my babies through winter.
I got a baby snake plant for $16.65 at Bunnings (Au dollars). Expensive for a small thing.
I love trading plants too.
I think people would prefer to keep the plants they have and just buy a new plant, considering prices are super cheap right now. Also, it’s winter and people are less likely to want to put plants in the maip
It's nearly all pandemic-related. While everyone was staying home, many people had time to care for plants, but since things have opened back up, people go back to work and plants become as attractive as they were to them before the pandemic, which for most people isn't that attractive, because let's be real, plants are time-consuming. There were several new plant parents while people were staying at home, driving up the demand. But now, there's less of a demand for new plants and a much higher supply. That is good news for collectors now, because prices are coming back down. Though now locally, people have to price their plants extremely well for them to sell. I feel bad for all the businesses that opened up during the craze or the independent collectors that acquired most of their plants during the craze.
Plants are like any hobby, so I do get irked when people say plants should never be sold. You don't need a philodendron joepii at all. If you want to strictly decorate with them, then decorate with inexpensive houseplants. I do think it has gotten a bit crazy when I see plants exceed $1000, but I know that that is simply not a plant I will get any time soon.
There's another taboo in the plant community, that if you give/sell/trade your plant away, you don't actually love them and are not a real plant parent. But who cares? Why hold onto a plant that is now turning your hobby into more of a chore when a different plant parent will take just as good care of it and love having it.
I’ve really gotten into Hoyas. There are a lot of them that aren’t too too expensive… I still have some room to grow my collection.. I may have to make the rest of my collection smaller.. I have between 140-150 plants .. about 30 or so are Hoyas… I’ll have to find a balance… I’ve never traded expensive plants. I’ve have given away a lot of cuttings to friends and received the like… but just regular plants.
Been trying to sel/trade from variegated burle marx for over a month now, so weird!
I think because it grows SO fast, many people are able to get it. And at a much lower price than last year! ❤️
Where are you finding theses trades. Facebook market ? People from the discord ? I’m just not sure how and I guess my collection is growing to the point of where I could maybe start trading
I have some trades ready but I don't want to ship anything this time of year. Local trades are hard to find unless you're on FB and I don't do FB.
Honestly, where I am, trading with people is always a risk. I’ve gotten so many infested plants, even buying them, so I just haven’t done any trades or even buying from anyone that isn’t a grower/producer of mass plant quantities.
Which is so unfortunate.
For me, while I'm not new to plants, my collection is still on the small side as i only started collecting again this year. I'd love to be able to trade more, plant prices can get ridiculous. Also there's not much of a plant community in the north
I think alot of people over paid for their houseplants last year and now it clicked to stop. For instance, Costa Farms will come out with the Thai Constellation next year. So why bother paying $400-600 when you can pay $50 next year?
I find no one has anything interesting to trade. I will have lots of silver satin scindapsus and maybe adansonii. Nobody wants more pothos. I know I don't want more vines with the exception of fancy syngoniums. My steal this years was a $15 hanging basket of cebu blue (Costa farms). I'll be doing another trim late February. I plan to get some exotics to grow and share in the spring. The more I interesting plants don't grow as fast and take a while to get to propagation stage as I buy them as plugs or juveniles. I don't want to cut anything til I see aerial roots and loads of offshoots. Like syngonium will send out aerial roots and show me its time. I'm looking to obtain fast growing plants that aren't as common to trade with when I get back to buying. This hobby is also for profit.
I think it's a regional thing. It's still booming in AZ. I think buying slowed a bit only because of the holidays and buying gifts. I think trading has slowed because pests. At least for me. We have plant swaps locally and I traded cool plants and ended up receiving plants with pests. Now I'm terrified. I also think rare plants have slowed because things are getting over saturated. The people who don't have them don't have fair trades.. so it's kinda stuck. This is my guess. Lol
I have what I can handle for now. Our economy in the US is so frightening and getting worse unfortunately. For me, it’s financial caution, social unrest, and it’s just time to slow down during this uncertainty. I still love my plants but it just needs to slow down.
Your makeup always looks so good!
I see the prices of plants in US and I get overwhelmed even if I live in Europe! 😅 I live in the NL, so we are kinda the biggest producers of plants in Europe, prices here are relatively low so is not so hard to invest. An example is pink princess philodendron, I was watching a video a couple of days back somewhere in us and the price was around 350 dollars...I bought mine for 20 euros (so 22-23 dollars). I think the market will go up and down every few months, but certainly the hype of buying like 300 plants I don't know if it will stay up, is anyway unsustainable from any perspective!
I don't live in a place where there are many plant people and even fewer with the plants I'm looking for...and it's winter.