Nature lover starts new plant business
Her tips to get your buds to ‘Grow with Grace’ this new year
Published:Saturday | January 14, 2023 | 12:05 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
“Be patient, get a moisture metre and research before you place your plants. Plants are an investment that keeps growing.” This is the advice of entrepreneur and plant-lover, Grace Hutchinson, who converted her love for buds into a growing business, dubbed Grow with Grace.
She told Saturday Living, “I am a collector of plants, and I love to propagate. Whenever I had a lot of the same plant, I would give them away. Since I was a child, I have loved nature and plants. The green thumb in my family belongs to my older sister. My green thumb developed over time because I love to experiment. “
Moving to Montego Bay in 2019 might have meant a location change for Hutchinson, but not in scenery. She carried the same natural energy along with her. Resuming her passion, she restarted her vast collection. Her apartment kitchen soon became a forest, and her cousin’s bedroom had a similar Amazon appeal. It never dawned on her that she could go to business selling plants until she visited someone doing just that.
“My friend and I went to Trelawny to buy a plant, and the person who was selling us the plants, she follows me on Instagram, [and] said to me, ‘When I started selling plants, I had about eight plants. Grace, I follow your page, and you have plenty. Just start,’ and so I did,” she shared.
Hutchinson posted her first plant sale on August 9, 2021, of a calathea beauty star, and to her surprise, the beauty was sold the same day. Almost a year and a half later, she is growing with grace.
“During the global pandemic, I was working a three-day work week, so I was home for an extra two days cutting up plants and keeping myself busy. I had no idea I was making a foundation for a business venture. I was propagating plants and gifting them to stressed friends because plants helped me out of depression. Opening an Instagram page to start selling combo boxes and plants opened a whole new world before my eyes,” she shared.
APPRECIATIVE
Not only was she appreciative of the wonderful people she met and the incredible friendships she gained, but Hutchinson is also grateful for learning more about plants that she never realised existed. “I provide a wide range of house plants from the aglaonema, philodendrons, monsteras, ficus elastic, that is, the rubber plants, to the figus lyrata, anthuriums, calathea, better known as the prayer plant, pachira aquatic or what is also called the money tree, hoyas, Zanzibar Gem, that is ZZ plant, pothos, and the common sansevieria, also known as the snake plant”, she said.
Some of the common rookie mistakes she made starting out include watering the plants too little because she didn’t want to over water or cause rot; watering too much because the place was hot and she felt her plants were thirsty; making poor choices in plant placement; not giving enough nutrients for growth; not treating for pest and fungus and not researching enough. “If you don’t nurture the living things around you, they won’t grow and develop into their best selves. Plants are my happy place; they inspire me to grow and bloom wherever I am planted. Growing plants teaches me patience and kindness,” she added.
With hopes of relocating to St Catherine, the entrepreneur hopes to expand her business by providing affordable and beautiful plants to households across the island.
Grow with Grace’s five planting tips
If you’re going into the new year as a new plant parent, here are five planting tips to consider:
1. You need to test the soil not to over water or underwater your plants. I went and bought a moisture metre which helps. But I now use a stick or my fingers to test the soil. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, and it feels good for me.
2. All plants need some light source to grow. There are full sun, semi-shade, bright light, medium light and low light plants. You have to know the environment they are coming from and try to mimic that environment.
3. You have to fertilise your plants. They are in a pot, and that soil nutrient would have diminished as the plant grows. You need to give it food. Just like us humans, plants need food to grow. Fertilise once a month.
4. Knowing where your plant originates helps a lot when caring for them. Plants are willing to adapt to their environment, but it will take a while, so mimicking their original environment helps them to adapt faster and thrive better.
5. Treat your plants for pests and fungus once a month.