market research

[Alan]

does anyone know of a place where i could find market research information specifically regarding the cultivation of bamboo for sale of the live plants (as opposed to raw materials)? ive been doing this at home & want to scale-up but need to write up a plan.

[stevelau1911]

I really doubt they have anything formal specifically for bamboo, but they do have marketing plans for nurseries in general at mplan.com. I personally believe the best thing to do is some competitive analysis on the biggest nurseries, look at what they are doing and work off of that. They likely have very high fixed costs considering how expensive many of them sell for perhaps in the equipment, property, shipping, etc.

Another source which might be one of the best is just to ask your customers what they look for when they are buying bamboos, especially what they like or don't like about your plants. You should already have quite a bit of expertise given that it looks like you are the most active member on this forum, and seems like you spend lots of time on your plants. Having experience with growing bamboo goes a long ways.

Some of the books written on growing bamboo might have good information too, and there are some university studies on pdf files that can be found online just on growing bamboo.

[GrowingHabit]

Steve, I think you might have confused Alan, with AlanL?

A friend of a friend of ... well, there was a loose and very indirect way I got asked if I wanted bamboo, because the guys that dig for a handful of local nurseries were going to be out 'in the field' to dig a bunch up for potting. These guys are... odd jobbers, maybe you could say. I could request anything I wanted off the list, for $25 a giant root ball. I turned the offer down, because I didn't know if the guys had a legit source and wholesaled their haul, or if they were specifically hired as laborers to grub out divisions from property and stock owned by a particular nursery, or? That same stock shows up in the nursery (the one I know for certain it went to) with a huge retail price tag.

When I ask around at other nurseries, I do know that sometimes, bamboo collectors show up with a pot or 5 they've divided out of their private gardens, and can't bear to throw away, but don't want to be troubled to sell. Nursery gives them a pittance in trade, and then sets the price as if its cost them the labor and time and space to grow it. One nursery down the road from me has had the same common bamboos lined up along the fence, in the same pots for years. But they won't budge on price, though the pots are neglected and dying. The worse the pot looks, the less likely it'll shift, and its annoying, knowing how they sourced the stuff, that they remain so obdurate about the asking price. And most nurseries in my area have all their bamboos tagged with the wrong names, anyway. They don't know how to care for it, they don't know how to identify it, and they don't care. But its seemingly exotic, so they slap a big price on it and walk away.

On the flip side- there is a private bamboo garden, dividing their collection and selling off their property very professionally. And its worth every cent, and you get a tour and a chat and all the advice and information you can absorb into the bargain.

I'd think you could do very well in your idea to expand, with the caveat I think its best to handle and sell directly to the gardener.

And I have no idea what I really was driving at, in my little contrast and compare, here. Oh well.

[Alan_L]

I often look at the posts by "Alan" and think: "when did I write that?".

GrowingHabit, the one nursery around here that stocks more than 2 species of bamboo (whether or not they are appropriate for this climate, but that's another topic) is *very* willing to make a deal at the end of the season. I got a few pots at 50%-75% off the listed price this fall. Of course they're not giant pots, but still.

Is there not an "off season" there for nurseries?

[stevelau1911]

Steve, I think you might have confused Alan, with AlanL?

Haha....its pretty easy to get confused eh

One nursery down the road from me has had the same common bamboos lined up along the fence, in the same pots for years. But they won't budge on price, though the pots are neglected and dying. The worse the pot looks, the less likely it'll shift, and its annoying, knowing how they sourced the stuff, that they remain so obdurate about the asking price. And most nurseries in my area have all their bamboos tagged with the wrong names, anyway. They don't know how to care for it, they don't know how to identify it, and they don't care. But its seemingly exotic, so they slap a big price on it and walk away.

I've seen a 3 gallon P Nigra that was discounted from 100$ down to 75$, and it looked like it had to of been in that pot for 3 years or more because there were hardly any leaves and no soil left so I kinda know what you mean, but these are general plant retailers that probably don't know anything about bamboo. I mean they could of at least up-potted or divided the poor thing, but it is probably still sitting there in the gardening center 6 months later. It was listed for zone 5 too.

[GrowingHabit]

We do have an off-season: The mud it looks like I'm propagating attests to that.

The local feed store has a nursery section. September, with annuals still sitting there, moments from death, and they won't mark them down. I just have to laugh.

There are exceptions to the trend in my town, but not many. Small town.

[Alan]

um, i've made five other posts since last July. is that a lot? thanks for the links Steve. It's just for financing so nursery data might be just fine. 'Habit i have seen similar things up here. But it's the high prices that make me want to get more into the biz because it seems like there's a lot of room for a hard working person to lower them. A fancy nursery near my home charges $90 for three gallon pots. Even when you drive way out of town the prices still seem high. A couple places have acreage of uncontrolled bamboo but the little 5 gallon pots are still $50 and up... (how do they move all that inventory with those prices?) I usually charge $20 to $25 for five gallon two year old divisions. The competition probably wont like me because I like to think ive treated people right telling them the whole truth (esp. about mites) and they do come back, it's just that i keep running out of inventory.

[bambambooboo]

.

[ghmerrill]

We do have an off-season: The mud it looks like I'm propagating attests to that.

The local feed store has a nursery section. September, with annuals still sitting there, moments from death, and they won't mark them down. I just have to laugh.

There are exceptions to the trend in my town, but not many. Small town.

To give a concrete example of how bad it is, a couple of years ago I was at one nursery, where I have known the owner for years. I told him that the plants he had labeled as moso were actually yellow groove. He said that he wouldn't bother changing the labels because people just didn't care what kind of bamboo it was

[marcat]

That is a very sorry and self destructive aditude. Customers are not stupid how can a retailer not want return buisness.
MarCat

[foxd]

Having it the past bought what were supposed to be a H.t. Shiroshima and a P.a. Harbin I have some issues with knowingly selling mislabelled plants. Customers may not know they are getting mislabelled plants at the time, but they will find out eventually after wasting years. I hope no one buys the Yellow Groove with the hopes of starting a Moso grove for timber.

[marcat]

I will admit I have sold misslabled plants...but only by mistake and I keep my policy that if that happens I replace the plant with the correct one equal in size as to what it would be at that time. I have also bought plants on line that were wrong and have been compisated by the seller. Those are sellers I will continue to deal with. Mistakes happen but to intentionaly not care what you are selling that is sick and stupid. Bad buisness.
MarCat

[GrowingHabit]

To give a concrete example of how bad it is, a couple of years ago I was at one nursery, where I have known the owner for years. I told him that the plants he had labeled as moso were actually yellow groove. He said that he wouldn't bother changing the labels because people just didn't care what kind of bamboo it was

Oh I hope that's not any place I haunt every weekend.

[Alan_L]

Having it the past bought what were supposed to be a H.t. Shiroshima...

What did this turn out to be? It's pretty unique, isn't it?

[foxd]

Having it the past bought what were supposed to be a H.t. Shiroshima...

What did this turn out to be? It's pretty unique, isn't it?

The H.t. 'Shiroshima' turned out to be Sasaella masamuneana 'Albostriata' and the P.a. 'Harbin' turned out to be P.n. 'Henon'.