Princy of Kochi reaps profit from indoor plants after quitting her college job
Indoor plants are a profitable venture for Princy, who started her plant business with a small investment.
Indoor plants are a profitable venture for Princy, who started her plant business with a small investment.
Indoor plants are a profitable venture for Princy, who started her plant business with a small investment.
Her capital was the ₹1 lakh received from her husband. For the past seven years, housewife Princy Jacob of Parambathuseery House at Alinchuvadu in Ernakulam has been reaping benefits from her indoor plants.
Princy has been successfully growing and selling indoor plants such as aglaonema and calathea even before the COVID-19-induced lockdown. She packs plants with the help of her daughter and ships them to the buyers through courier agencies. Once her business became profitable, she started selling ceramic pots as well. Her business benefited from the trend of presenting 'green gifts' — plants in ceramic pots — for birthdays and baptism ceremonies.
She expanded her business with her husband Jacob's backing as more individuals and nurseries started placing orders. They developed 20 cents of their family property to sell pots and fertilisers. Princy has the support of her younger son and daughter, after the eldest one went abroad to pursue college. Currently, their services include looking after gardens in flats and houses. The business has now grown and employs six-seven workers, and has a van to transport their goods.
Princy said she was not very aware of indoor plants and their common diseases when she started the business. She now knows plants that are suited to our conditions. Plants like aglaonema, calathea, and maranta are not suited to Kerala's peak summer and rainy seasons. Hence, they need special attention.
Beautiful succulent plants like sedum, crassula, hen and chicks are not suitable for Kerala's hot climate. However, ZZ plant, snake plant, mammillaria, ferocactus, aloe, etc., will survive with little attention.
Indoor plants do not need much fertiliser, since any excess may damage the plant. Plants available in trays from Pune and Bengaluru like aglaonema, alocasia, philodendron, monstera, syngonium, etc., can be nurtured and sold for a good profit. Princy has a separate centre for propagating plants using stem cuttings.
Residents of flats often ask for plants of their choice in desired pots. To meet the demand, Princy prepares separate potting mediums for leafy and succulent plants. Some others ask for new varieties of plants. To cater to their needs, Princy keeps herself updated and selects plants suitable for Kerala's climate.
Princy, an MSW graduate, worked at the Rajagiri College in Kalamassery till 2017, before resigning and taking up the venture.