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By Sundews69
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Posts:  2388
Joined:  Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:57 pm
#424565
How do I rapidly propagate CPs (specifically VFTs) for sales? Is there a quicker way to do it than just taking cuttings and sticking them in soil? I would like to make a profit off the hobby so I'm not just blowing all my money and not making it back. Thanks!
By Dan V
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Joined:  Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:32 am
#424593
You probably already know that tissue culture is the way to propagate rapidly.
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By DragonsEye
Posts:  1319
Joined:  Sat Oct 01, 2016 1:22 pm
#424594
The quickest way is to "flip" them. If you can find someone who has decent sized plants they are willing to sell whole sale, you can see what lot sizes they are willing to do. After buying whatever lot fits your budget, you then mark the price per plant up and sell them to make a profit. This is how your typical retail store (supermarkets, bbs's, clothing stores, etc.) function. This requires you have an exploitable market and you will have to be prepared to care for any plants that don't sell. Choose product poorly or misjudge your market(s) and you could be stuck with a large number of plants.

You could also look at being a distributor for a nursery. Some nurseries don't want to deal with retail or, if the nursery is in a different country, doesn't feel it would be worthwhile to set up a store in the US. Sometimes such places will be open to using a distributor to handle that aspect of the market.
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By Camden
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Joined:  Mon May 23, 2022 9:25 pm
#424595
I don’t recommend trying to grow out plants if you have a small collection or it’s something you don’t have. I started out with this idea in mind with a lot of my “boring neps” and, now, couldn’t stand to see one of them go. I’m a bit of softie I guess :D
By Sundews69
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Posts:  2388
Joined:  Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:57 pm
#424608
Dan V wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 3:34 am You probably already know that tissue culture is the way to propagate rapidly.
Yeah, I do know about it but it seems like to much work
By Sundews69
Location: 
Posts:  2388
Joined:  Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:57 pm
#424609
DragonsEye wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 3:37 am The quickest way is to "flip" them. If you can find someone who has decent sized plants they are willing to sell whole sale, you can see what lot sizes they are willing to do. After buying whatever lot fits your budget, you then mark the price per plant up and sell them to make a profit. This is how your typical retail store (supermarkets, bbs's, clothing stores, etc.) function. This requires you have an exploitable market and you will have to be prepared to care for any plants that don't sell. Choose product poorly or misjudge your market(s) and you could be stuck with a large number of plants.

You could also look at being a distributor for a nursery. Some nurseries don't want to deal with retail or, if the nursery is in a different country, doesn't feel it would be worthwhile to set up a store in the US. Sometimes such places will be open to using a distributor to handle that aspect of the market.
I will think on that. I don't really have room for tons of the same plant though
By Sundews69
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Joined:  Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:57 pm
#424610
Camden M wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 3:48 am I don’t recommend trying to grow out plants if you have a small collection or it’s something you don’t have. I started out with this idea in mind with a lot of my “boring neps” and, now, couldn’t stand to see one of them go. I’m a bit of softie I guess :D
I don't want to sell a ton. Just a little to make some extra cash
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By Camden
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Joined:  Mon May 23, 2022 9:25 pm
#424613
Maybe get yourself some keiki paste. Scratch up the rhizome of one of your VFT’s and then smudge the paste all over the damage. Should have some division’s soon. Not the same thing but similar idea- https://terraforums.com/forums/threads/ ... ra.136186/
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By Intheswamp
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Joined:  Wed May 04, 2022 2:28 pm
#424616
Sundews69 wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 1:44 pm
Dan V wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 3:34 am You probably already know that tissue culture is the way to propagate rapidly.
Yeah, I do know about it but it seems like to much work
Most rewards come from work invested. ;)

Without jumping into tissue culture I would think leaf pullings would be the next fastest propagation method, or maybe what Camden D mentioned, keiki paste (I have no idea what that is) and shoot for some divisions.

Maybe what you should do is tread lightly in the flytrap arena, growing some nice medium sized plants for a premium price or maybe pots of multiple small, baby plants...say a half dozen small plants in a four inch pot. Let something like sundews be the bulk of your offering, which are faster growing plants and easy to propagate (most species) by leaf cuttings. Get yourself established as the "Sundew Grower" with premium traps as a sideline. Just thinking outside the pot, here. ;)

The big question... Are you aiming for a local clientele, primarily? Places such as craft fairs, seasonal festivals, farmers markets, etc., or are you wanting to do this online only?

Best wishes!
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By Intheswamp
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Joined:  Wed May 04, 2022 2:28 pm
#424619
Keiki paste sounds interesting...google is your friend. ;)
By Sundews69
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Posts:  2388
Joined:  Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:57 pm
#424622
Intheswamp wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 2:42 pm
Sundews69 wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 1:44 pm
Dan V wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 3:34 am You probably already know that tissue culture is the way to propagate rapidly.
Yeah, I do know about it but it seems like to much work
Most rewards come from work invested. ;)

Without jumping into tissue culture I would think leaf pullings would be the next fastest propagation method, or maybe what Camden D mentioned, keiki paste (I have no idea what that is) and shoot for some divisions.

Maybe what you should do is tread lightly in the flytrap arena, growing some nice medium sized plants for a premium price or maybe pots of multiple small, baby plants...say a half dozen small plants in a four inch pot. Let something like sundews be the bulk of your offering, which are faster growing plants and easy to propagate (most species) by leaf cuttings. Get yourself established as the "Sundew Grower" with premium traps as a sideline. Just thinking outside the pot, here. ;)

The big question... Are you aiming for a local clientele, primarily? Places such as craft fairs, seasonal festivals, farmers markets, etc., or are you wanting to do this online only?

Best wishes!
I have mostly sundews so when I get home I will try to set up a propagation area. Then once I get my VFTs, I'll try keiki paste stuff on them.

I want to mainly sell online so I don't need to sit at a stand all day. But I'm not opposed to fairs and festivals.

Camden, where did you get keiki paste? Have you tried it on sundews?
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By Intheswamp
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Joined:  Wed May 04, 2022 2:28 pm
#424629
Remember, you will be in competition with many other online sellers (nothing wrong with that) so you will have to be competitive with a quality product. You may very well find that at fairs and festivals you are the the *only* carnivorous plant seller. Naturally, merchandising is important as is salesmanship of the seller. I would wager that *no one* buys anything they need at events mentioned...the people come to the events with maybe something in there minds that they *want*, but nothing that they need. Lots of purchases are impulse purchases. Something new, unique, displayed well, and with a knowledgeable person selling it makes for a good product. Add to that that people from kids to decrepit old folks like me tend to be curious about carnivorous plants is an added bonus. Have some DIY business cards on hand with your website address on it...good way of getting your name out there.
Put a small sign "SAVE!!! $10-$15 ON SHIPPING!!! BUY HERE!!!!" beside your table...everybody likes to save money! :lol: Just throwing stuff at you. Have fun, but again...rewards=work. ;)
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By Lain
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Posts:  299
Joined:  Tue Mar 09, 2021 5:22 pm
#424632
Intheswamp wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 3:10 pm I would wager that *no one* buys anything they need at events mentioned...the people come to the events with maybe something in there minds that they *want*, but nothing that they need. Have fun, but again...rewards=work. ;)
I am one of the unusual ones I go to fairs and festivals because they are some of the only places I can get stuff that I actually need not just simply want. Of course I go for the enjoyment aspect too. It's not to say I don't leave with a bunch of stuff I just simply wanted and don't need.

But yeah.. like the old man says rewards = work.
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By Carnies
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Posts:  1380
Joined:  Mon Oct 26, 2020 4:48 pm
#424643
I have an Etsy shop (Panman does too), once you get those first few sales, the algorithm or something starts putting your products on search results, tip: more products = more sales. It's super easy to list items but you need to pay .20 cents per listing and you can't get sales without at least $1 a day in Etsy ads. I would suggest to start propagting sundews via leaf cuttings b/c it's super easy, you get a ton of plants, and they grow pretty fast. I would list each product pretty low maybe 8.99, then increase by a dollar every 5 or so sales. Venus Flytraps are take a while so honestly I would just wait for divisions. On Etsy, you do get a good discount on shipping prices but you would need to get boxes, plastic wrap, shipping tape, and cups. It's an investment but the ROI is worth it. If you want more sales, when a customer contacts you, be super nice and give lots of tips, they'll recommend your shop far and wide because of it. That's just a few things I've learned, maybe Panman can chip in. You can also list plants on Nextdoor, and Craigslist for people in your area.
Intheswamp liked this

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