Cactus prices higher than ever

[keith]

The only expensive plants are the more choice plants, which does not seem unreasonable."

That is true the plants I show are not rare or expensive. I bought the Thelocactus for 15 dollars at Arizona cactus sales quality plants

The AZ rainbow cactus are very common now. I should have titled this rare cactus more expensive than ever . And Ebay that's always been high priced bu they do sell some rarer stuff mixed in with common cactus.

[7george]

Drought might be another reason for cacti & succulents to be so popular at recent times.

Hoover Dam reservoir hits record low water level amid extreme drought

[Mrs.Green]

Don't buy plants online. Go to succulent plant fairs.
At least in (northwestern) Europe the prices are still low. Much, much lower than any garden centre or shop will sell the plants for, let alone Ebay and such. The people on the plant fairs are usually private persons selling excess plants from their own greenhouse for very moderate prices. The only expensive plants are the more choice plants, which does not seem unreasonable.

Good advice for those who have succulent plant fairs in their country But for those of us who have no access to such fairs unless one is willing to travel abroad and as we all know tht’s no so easy ( or cheap) these days. To my my knowledge there is no plant fairs of the succulent type in my country or even an active cactus/succulent club.

For my part I have to either buy from the local florists who very seldom have any cacti and if they do, very common species. The only place that have cacti regurlarly is a garden center and unfortunately they also very often come with unwanted ‘pets’ as well.

There may be more on offer on fb, but I don’t use fb.

[DaveW]

Only Cactus Club or Society I can find for Norway is:-

http://oslosukkulentforening.org/

However its program stopped at 2014 so don't know if still active?

As You say I cannot find any Norwegian cactus dealers. Seed should however be available across borders.

[Mrs.Green]

Only Cactus Club or Society I can find for Norway is:-

http://oslosukkulentforening.org/

As You say I cannot find any Norwegian cactus dealers. Seed should however be available across borders.

Thank you DaveW The mentioned alliance is down and have been for several years if I don’t remember wrong. There is in fact a lady in Norway who sells cacti( among a lot of other houseplants) but not within reasonable travel distance. Ordering must be done online in my case.

[Hero878]

Yes the main users of Facebook and Ebay are usually the newcomers or those less experienced in the hobby who have not yet discovered the specialist nurserymen network therefore they pay stupidly high prices for plants they believe rare. Particularly if they are listed as "rare".

We now have establishments in our capital cities that cater more for the interior designer or house plant market where even a flat padded Opuntia goes for £15. These are not really aimed at genuine cactus hobbyists but those wanting to make a statement as to their personal wealth or how fashionable the interior design of their rooms are. I wonder sometimes how long these cacti last in the interior of rooms, but then our plants are often a long time dying if they don't rot?

I see in some the pot is also sold separately so presumably that is just the price of the plant?

https://www.prickldn.com/online-shop/

https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/sev ... sit-051117

If you live in expensive big cities you can expect to pay over the odds if you shop there. Much cheaper to buy from specialist dealers elsewhere by post.

I live in London and have been to that cactus shop Prick. Even for London standards, it is very overpriced and I always avoid it. Plus the selection on offer is very limited. I guess it can be an attractive shop to random people who just want a cactus but for collectors no. I shop at www.conservatoryarchives.co.uk they have 2 main shops in London and are fantastic and most of the time reasonably priced for the nice specimens they have on offer.
Places like Dobbies can be quite good too but I find the best bargains are at random garden centres and Nurseries when I'm back oop north in the north west.

[DaveW]

Pre Pandemic the best places to get plants were at specialist Plant Marts in the UK. There you have probably six or more nurserymen from around the country with stalls selling cactus and succulent plants. Also when you have been in the hobby for a longer time nothing beats personal contacts for obtaining hard to get hold of plants. Here the Society Branch or Cactus Club scene helps in establishing such contacts, but not every country has a club or branch within reach. I also get seed from friends who have been to habitat.

I have even mentioned on the BCSS forum I was after a certain plant and been sent one when Britain was still in the EU. I obtained Digitostigma that way and Cleistocactus colodemono. Also found sources of grafts of Mammillaria bertholdii and Aztekium valdesii etc.

The best place in the EU in the past to obtain virtually any cactus & succulent genus or species, though usually on a graft and at a price, was ELK in Belgium. This was the king of plant marts in Europe. Unfortunately now Britain is out of the EU it looks like it will not be possible to bring back plants from the EU anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2om7yY2UkM

The truth is if you want something out of the ordinary you are unlikely to find it at your local box store or garden centre, you have either to go around the country to cactus and succulent events, or buy by post from specialist dealers. Also in some cases raise it from seeds since you are unlikely to find readymade plants. Sometimes collections come on the market when the collector dies and mature plants are sold by auction. You are always competing with the shows enthusiasts though with very big cheque books. Also since CITES, meaning no mature collected plants anymore, larger old cultivated plants have shot up in price. A friend went to a BCSS auction of plants from a long term collector who had died recently and emailed me the following:-

"Top price of a plant was about £240 ($330.62, €279.22) . There were many Ariocarpus about 6 inches in diameter which fetched more than £150+ ($206.64+, $174.51+)."

[leland]

Even here in the boonies of the 3rd world prices are climbing. The mom and pop growers are finding that selling cheap is the road to ruin and the professional growers are bumping up their prices. Occasionally something new is found at a nursery and we buy them at inflated prices for mother plants. Our 1 and only adenium is finally blooming and has offshoots for propagation.

We have no travel restrictions in country but we choose not to go to the shows that are occasionally held in the capitol. We are planning a trip to a major nursery in the mountains soon. Fortunately, I still have access to cuttings from roadside plants! Not all countries are so blessed.

I talked to the owner of a major eco-resort in cloud forest about my finds of 2 native weberocereus species and 1 native Echevaria.. She is more than happy to receive cuttings to set out on her property as a sort of assurance colony. W. tonduzii will never be a commercial success but a few growers in the higher elevations will appreciate access to this species. Echeveria austalis has more potential as a hobby plant.

[Hero878]

Pre Pandemic the best places to get plants were at specialist Plant Marts in the UK. There you have probably six or more nurserymen from around the country with stalls selling cactus and succulent plants. Also when you have been in the hobby for a longer time nothing beats personal contacts for obtaining hard to get hold of plants. Here the Society Branch or Cactus Club scene helps in establishing such contacts, but not every country has a club or branch within reach. I also get seed from friends who have been to habitat.

I have even mentioned on the BCSS forum I was after a certain plant and been sent one when Britain was still in the EU. I obtained Digitostigma that way and Cleistocactus colodemono. Also found sources of grafts of Mammillaria bertholdii and Aztekium valdesii etc.

The best place in the EU in the past to obtain virtually any cactus & succulent genus or species, though usually on a graft and at a price, was ELK in Belgium. This was the king of plant marts in Europe. Unfortunately now Britain is out of the EU it looks like it will not be possible to bring back plants from the EU anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2om7yY2UkM

The truth is if you want something out of the ordinary you are unlikely to find it at your local box store or garden centre, you have either to go around the country to cactus and succulent events, or buy by post from specialist dealers. Also in some cases raise it from seeds since you are unlikely to find readymade plants. Sometimes collections come on the market when the collector dies and mature plants are sold by auction. You are always competing with the shows enthusiasts though with very big cheque books. Also since CITES, meaning no mature collected plants anymore, larger old cultivated plants have shot up in price. A friend went to a BCSS auction of plants from a long term collector who had died recently and emailed me the following:-

"Top price of a plant was about £240 ($330.62, €279.22) . There were many Ariocarpus about 6 inches in diameter which fetched more than £150+ ($206.64+, $174.51+)."

That cactus mart looks great. I just joined the BCSS hopefully they'll be some marts in the UK this year to attend. Great to hear you managed to get some rare species through BCSS.

[DaveW]

Hi Hero.

For those in the UK, the BCSS usually publish a Calendar of Events online which contains most plant marts and are almost always open to the public. However the last colander was 2020 and as you can see the Pandemic decimated the proposed events. As things stabilise no doubt they will produce either another for the rest of this year or at least for next year.

There is also the BCSS National Show held every four years which has a lot of dealers selling plants, but had to be postponed to next year. However it is unknown yet how much this will affect dealers bringing plants from the EU now Britain is no longer a member therefore paperwork to import them may now be needed.

https://society.bcss.org.uk/index.php/c ... vents.html

You can see the number of trade stands at the 2008 BCSS National show when the camera swings left since probably half the hall is exhibits and half trade stands. It was held at Cambridge last time but is coming back up north to Nottinghamshire next year on the 3rd September 2022, at George Stephenson Exhibition Hall, Newark County Show Ground, NG24 2NY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrkDXbbpFk

https://www.society.bcss.org.uk/index.p ... -show.html

[Hero878]

Hi Hero.

For those in the UK, the BCSS usually publish a Calendar of Events online which contains most plant marts and are almost always open to the public. However the last colander was 2020 and as you can see the Pandemic decimated the proposed events. As things stabilise no doubt they will produce either another for the rest of this year or at least for next year.

There is also the BCSS National Show held every four years which has a lot of dealers selling plants, but had to be postponed to next year. However it is unknown yet how much this will affect dealers bringing plants from the EU now Britain is no longer a member therefore paperwork to import them may now be needed.

https://society.bcss.org.uk/index.php/c ... vents.html

You can see the number of trade stands at the 2008 BCSS National show when the camera swings left since probably half the hall is exhibits and half trade stands. It was held at Cambridge last time but is coming back up north to Nottinghamshire next year on the 3rd September 2022, at George Stephenson Exhibition Hall, Newark County Show Ground, NG24 2NY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrkDXbbpFk

https://www.society.bcss.org.uk/index.p ... -show.html

Thanks for the info. Hopefully some events will pop up this year I'm looking forward to start attending some meetings at my local branches too.

[Hero878]

Hi Hero.

For those in the UK, the BCSS usually publish a Calendar of Events online which contains most plant marts and are almost always open to the public. However the last colander was 2020 and as you can see the Pandemic decimated the proposed events. As things stabilise no doubt they will produce either another for the rest of this year or at least for next year.

There is also the BCSS National Show held every four years which has a lot of dealers selling plants, but had to be postponed to next year. However it is unknown yet how much this will affect dealers bringing plants from the EU now Britain is no longer a member therefore paperwork to import them may now be needed.

https://society.bcss.org.uk/index.php/c ... vents.html

You can see the number of trade stands at the 2008 BCSS National show when the camera swings left since probably half the hall is exhibits and half trade stands. It was held at Cambridge last time but is coming back up north to Nottinghamshire next year on the 3rd September 2022, at George Stephenson Exhibition Hall, Newark County Show Ground, NG24 2NY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrkDXbbpFk

https://www.society.bcss.org.uk/index.p ... -show.html

Thanks for the info. Hopefully some events will pop up this year I'm looking forward to start attending some meetings at my local branches too.

Update: Looks like they just set a CactusWorld Live event at RHS Bridgewater in Manchester for the end of next month I will definitely be attending very excited.

[DaveW]

It may be different in warmer climates, but in the UK bringing cacti through one or two winters requires expensive heated greenhouses for the nurserymen. I was told they can raise a few annuals or plants like aubretia in a year in a cold greenhouse or outside and sell a pot full at the same price as they will get for a three or four year old cactus which they need to have brought through several winters in a heated greenhouse.

That was at least before the "Cactus Craze" forced up Succulent prices all round. As we all know our plants are slow growers and compared to "normal" plants tend not to be as good a commercial proposition. Of course pre-CITES they could simply be harvested cheaply from habitat, meaning a nurseryman did not have to spend 10-15 years growing an Ariocarpus to a large mature size, but those days of cheap readymade plants from habitat are gone. Now in the UK large Ariocarpus specimens from deceased enthusiasts collections can often fetch £150 (= $208 = €175) these are usually bought by the "Shows Clan" with deep pockets wanting specimen plants to show.

I remember visiting a cactus nursery in Britain about 30 years ago after a few years of exceptionally prolonged cold winters. The nurseryman told us if the cold went on for more than a few weeks longer he would have to switch the heating off and take a chance if any cactus survived and were still saleable, since the heating was costing more than he would be able to get for the plants. Luckily for him the cold spell broke and he did not have to.

[Hero878]

Shame about CITES I kind of really want a cactus from habitat. Just thinking where it spent most of its life out in the desert and now it's in my home is quite nice thought. But I totally understand the reason for protecting wild cacti.
I've been watching some videos on YouTube of people cactus shopping on California and I'm shocked at their prices. They can be many times more than what they are here in the U.K. and EU. Even though they have a nice climate to grow them over there.

[DaveW]

Hero the same applies to drug prices in the US compared to what our NHS or the EU pays for them, even though many are actually made in the US. A case of European very large state run not for profit health care organisations having far better international purchasing power than smaller private owned entities who want to make profits on them?

"The high cost of pharmaceutical products is a major problem facing healthcare systems throughout the world. The issue is particularly troublesome in the US, where the cost of drugs is often three to 10 times more than that of the exact same product in European markets."

https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.c ... e-so-high/

https://theconversation.com/why-the-us- ... ies-111256

However it should be pointed out the US often pay less for luxury goods due to their bigger market buying power. For things like say cameras and computer equipment in the US their price in Dollars is usually matched in Pounds un the UK, or about 1.4 times more expensive. Not sure all the conversions in the following links for gas prices are correct since a US gallon is smaller than a UK gallon, but litres should be correct. Also a US ton is smaller than a UK ton.

"In the Americas, a gallon is equivalent to 128 fluid ounces or 3.785 liters (American spelling). But in the UK, it's 160 fluid ounces or 4.546 litres (British spelling).

In addition, the hundredweight varies between the US Customary and Imperial Systems. Since a ton is always equal to 20 hundredweight, the British Imperial ton is 2240 pounds (long ton) and the US ton is 2000 lbs (short ton)."

Again mistakenly taking similar sounding measurements between US and UK as equivalent can be misleading since for once not everything is larger in the US:-

https://blog.ansi.org/2018/06/why-pint- ... us-volume/

https://www.businessinsider.com/things- ... ?r=US&IR=T

https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/ ... -in-the-us

Prices tend to stabilise around what people want and can afford. Therefore if you are in a country having higher earnings you often pay higher prices for many things. London is a case in point in the UK, since they have higher earnings than the rest of the UK they tend to pay higher prices for many items in their shops than those of us up north do.

Supply and demand decides prices, and the largest purchaser can always get the best deal. Also the more middlemen you cut out in the purchasing line the cheaper the product to the consumer.