Five Essential Factors to Consider When Starting a Nursery Business

Do you love planting, caring for, and nurturing plants as a hobby? You can easily turn it into a profitable nursery business. Use avenues such as flower shops, private institutions, events planners, and convenient stores to sell your plants. Consider this information as you turn your hobby into a Nursery business.

Explore Potential Markets

Who will be your customer? Nurseries can be retail or wholesale. Retailers sell to the general public and wholesalers sell to businesses. These businesses include other nurseries, commercial gardeners, or landscapers. Advertise your nursery work and products through friends, event gatherings, business exhibitions, and agricultural shows.

Carefully Select a Nursery Site

Where will your nursery business be located? When scouting for a good location, open fields are commonly recommended. This includes shading and provision for the construction of greenhouses or shade nets where necessary. Availability of water at the site of operation is essential for healthy plants throughout the year. For healthy plants, the type of soil is important. The soil should drain and retain moisture very well. If the site is the outlet’s point of sale accessibility is vital.

Choose What Plants to Grow  

What type of plants will you grow? Your interest will determine the type of plant you begin with. This will gradually grow according to market demands. There are various options available depending on your area of operation.  Trees, fruits, vegetable seedlings; ornamental shrubs, flowers, herbs, and grasses are combinations to start with.

Understand Cost Implications

How much will you invest? A nursery requires land, and materials such as pots, and bags. It also needs equipment such as shovels, rakes, secateurs, sprayers, and wheelbarrows. You will also require staff to operate and monitor the plants. It is important to invest in short courses on propagation techniques and pest/ disease management. All the costs will depend on the size of the investment.

Business licenses

Depending on different locations, Nursery businesses require different licenses and certifications to legally operate. Most governments have restrictions on plant movement, especially at border entry and exit points. Check the various nursery business legislations required to operate your business before you start. These are available at your regional government offices.

Conclusion

For your nursery business to thrive, the key point is to start and keep testing your passion. This can be through growing and nurturing the plants and aggressively marketing the business. This will develop your nursery business gradually. 

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