Succulents on the side
Succulents seem to be becoming more popular by the minute as people become more eco- and water-conscious, and move towards indigenous, water-wise gardens. More than that, succulents really are wondrous and beautiful plants, with their unique shapes, colours and flowers. And because they’re so easy to propagate, and don’t need much space or special treatment, they can readily be turned into a small business with very little risk and hardly any overheads.
If the idea of selling succulents appeals to you, why not give it a go? If you have some already, it needn’t cost you a cent to get started. Simply start propagating a few of your healthiest, biggest and most beautiful succulents – once you start intentionally expanding them, you’ll be surprised by how quickly your supply can grow! Then all you need to do is keep your stocks up and do some market research to figure out where and how to sell your succulents, to who, and for how much.
LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
It might be a good idea to watch videos and do some reading on the topic to really increase your knowledge and find out as much as possible. Brush up on different types of succulents, the ideal environment for them, the best soil and so on.
STOCKING UP
You don’t need a lot of space to get plenty of succulent plants growing, so keep propagating and planting, but remember to let some plants grow nice and big too. This way you always have a healthy supply, and you can propagate larger sections for larger pots.
You can of course plant directly into the ground if you have the space and nice sandy soil in direct sunlight. Succulents thrive in a sunny spot in slightly acidic, very well-drained soil and will struggle to grow in poorly drained, heavy soil. Because their fleshy leaves are designed to store water, they can cope with periods of drought.
For propagating and selling, you can plant into trays or pots. Find, make or buy as many plastic pots as possible for your propagation and sales. You may be surprised by how many you can get for free if you ask on your local Facebook or WhatsApp groups, or ask friends to keep theirs aside for you. You can also buy trays with plenty of compartments for propagating smaller sections of plants.
Whenever you are at a nursery or in a new garden with plenty of succulents, always keep an eye out for those you don’t already have, and buy (or beg for) a plant or section/s of a plant. People with large succulent gardens often have loads of trimmings and pups to give away, so it shouldn’t cost you much to keep your stocks plentiful and varied!
Make sure you do research so that you know when you’ve found a rare and perhaps more profitable succulent. That way you know what to charge, and most importantly, you know when you should propagate as much as possible to increase your supply of the rare plant.
SELLING YOUR SUCCULENTS
Decide if you’ll sell your succulents online or in-person. If online, consider that you will require a pay portal, a website or Facebook page, and a delivery system.
The alternative is probably easier to begin with – selling in-person. This could be from your home, depending on where you are, at local markets, or at nurseries, cafes and other businesses in your area. You could always advertise them online or through friends and then have a pick-up and pay meeting point, such as at a local market. It goes without saying that you should be 100% safe in any online dealings.
You could check for pop-up markets near where you live, or host a pop-up succulent market of your own. You wouldn’t need much more than petty cash and your for-sale succulents, with a price tag on each.
To increase your profits, you could also make a few fancier items for sale – like succulent arrangements in stunning pots that you have either bought or made, maybe with pebbles or moss as part of the design. Check Pinterest and look at YouTube videos for inspirations. Large retailers sell these for hundreds, so if you get creative and make them look stunning, there’s no reason you can’t too.
As for pricing, it should be easy enough to price your goods accurately – do a bit of research and see what people pay elsewhere, as this always a good benchmark. Don’t sell yourself short, especially in the case of something really special and unique, that has been made up using rare plants, stunning pots and/or your unique creative flair.
If you decide to give this side business a try – good luck!
