You might have noticed that nurseries and online sellers have increased their pricing. No, it’s not a mistake and yes, it’s probably going to be the new normal.
There are a number of reasons why this is happening. Since the lockdown, people stayed home, this made them look at their home. What’s a good way to make a home more beautiful, duh, plants! So they bought some plants, realized there is this whole plant community obsessed with variegated plants and beautiful foliage.
They’re not spending their money out at bars and restaurants, they have this new obsession, plants! Even before all of this happened, the demand for plants was already high, with more people in the hobby, there is a serious lack of plants in the trade now, driving prices up.
A good example of this is the price for jewel alocasias. Last year, if you were looking at black velvets or meharanis, you’d probably find the most expensive ones at around $20. Now, you’re looking at spending at least $40 for a starter.
Another example are variegated bananas (musa) plants. In early 2019, you could find them available for $80-$100. Early 2020, they were already hard to find, and prices went up to $200. As of now, I have found variegated banana plants to go for $300.
Though, some of you might say, those are already rare plants and their rarity increases their value. However, the silver stripe philodendron use to go for $10-$20 and now some vendors are selling out quickly with them priced at over $50.
Plant sellers know that demand is up, and supply simply isn’t satisfying it. Therefore, the price increases, and as more people are willing to pay for that increased price, we will begin to see more and more house plants shift to higher prices.
I for one am excited that so many people are entering the hobby and have found such great love for plants! Hopefully those plant keepers who are lucky enough to get a gorgeous plant will propagate and help feed the community with more plants.
