is this a rich mans hobby ?............

[trioderob]

philosophy question-

is this a hobby for only the upper middle class and rich ?

Edited January 12, 2011 by trioderob

[quaman58]

Ha! If it was, it wouldn't include me. Or any number of other members I know who shall remain nameless. Tempting as it may be..

Edited January 12, 2011 by quaman58

[tjwalters]

I'm guessing having lots of money would help...but I'm just guessing.

[_Keith]

Rich man's hobby if you're old. If you're young buy seeds, and get off cheap.

[sick1166]

at my age you must be wealthy i cant wait for 15 years for a seedling to get 3 ft tall buy big now and be done with it

wish i started 20 years ago with seeds and 3 gallon palms

[insipidtoast]

at my age you must be wealthy i cant wait for 15 years for a seedling to get 3 ft tall buy big now and be done with it

wish i started 20 years ago with seeds and 3 gallon palms

Basically, You do need some capital based on how far you want to go with this "hobby." I am young, but still think plant propagation as a lifestyle is costly. Establishing a palm nursery or any plant nursery requires land. There's no getting around that fact. Unless you have friends or family that are willing to let you propagate on their land, then you have to deal with acquiring land through leasing/renting/borrowing and loans. Many palms in many parts of the world are also going to require a greenhouse...so there's that cost as well.

Say I want to cultivate 1,000 seeds of an amazing palm that I think has lots of economic potential down the road and I expect to someday be doing the nursery thing on a somewhat large-scale, space comes into the question. Maybe the land I'm on has enough room for 1,000 1 gallon palms, but what do I do in a few years when I have to pot them up to five gallon containers? I'll need more land. $$$

You basically hope that the palms grow successfully and you locate a viable market to pay off all your initial expenditures and then some.

[epicure3]

I used to be rich before I got into palms and tropical plants. Now I'm not. So, the answer is yes, then no.

[BeaumontTropics]

Ha! If it was, it wouldn't include me. Or any number of other members I know who shall remain nameless. Tempting as it may be..

It's okay Quaman,

Throw them out there! When has the proverbial "bus" ever stopped you? The answer is.....It depends on where you live...If you live where I live, then yes. Buying big expensive palms gets expensive when you have to replace them every winter because there's

only so many fan palms one can have before it's no longer a hobby! If you live in the greater part of the city in San Diego, it isn't until you get your Water bill, (Or so I'm told....) If you live in Hawaii, then yes, because it's Hawaii! Of course, is there any real hobby

that isn't for rich men? I don't think there's much of anything these days that one couldn't spend multitudinous, copious quantities of money on.

And if it's not..It's like anything else. It would be way more fun if you were!

---FINS UP, market down....-----

[MattyB]

is this a hobby for only the upper middle class and rich ?

What is "this"? Everyone approaches gardening or collecting or growing differently and on different scales.

What is "upper/middle class and rich?" San Diego compared to Iowa? Iowa compared to Philippines? Philippines compared to Sri Lanka?

Do you mean:

"Am I going to have to spend a lot of money in order to keep up with the rare plant collectors I admire and to become, in turn, admired by others?"

If so, then the answer is: "Who is asking the question?"

...if you wanna get philosophical

[BS Man about Palms]

is this a hobby for only the upper middle class and rich ?

What is "this"? Everyone approaches gardening or collecting or growing differently and on different scales.

What is "upper/middle class and rich?" San Diego compared to Iowa? Iowa compared to Philippines? Philippines compared to Sri Lanka?

Do you mean:

"Am I going to have to spend a lot of money in order to keep up with the rare plant collectors I admire and to become, in turn, admired by others?"

...if you wanna get philosophical

Mighty profound stuff from the guy with an avatar like that....

[MattyB]

I've thought about this stuff so much that my brain has turned to mush as a result. Would you like fries with that?

[DoomsDave]

I'm assuming palm growing, in the ground, and I'll say . . .

It depends. If you're on the Big Island, middle class all the way, or maybe less.

Here in Cali, the upper the crust, the better.

[Kris]

philosophy question-

is this a hobby for only the upper middle class and rich ?

A direct answer to your question will be 'Yes'.Until and unless you have lots of helping friends as we seen in this forum.Since most of my collection of palms & cycads very not purschased online or from international seed tradersBut were gifts sent to me by our forum members.If you see in most of my Palm Maintanence thread, you will know from whom those plams where procured from....

But growing and maintaining palms is not a costly affair in hot wet tropical zones with coastal influence.They grow like Crazy.But growing & maintaining palms in cold countires is a expensive hobby.

And by the way the term Hobby itself is self explanatory that you have both the time & money to pursue it !

Love,

kris.

[Dr. George]

I used to be rich before I got into palms and tropical plants. Now I'm not. So, the answer is yes, then no.

Ain't that the truth!

gmp

[sick1166]

at my age you must be wealthy i cant wait for 15 years for a seedling to get 3 ft tall buy big now and be done with it

wish i started 20 years ago with seeds and 3 gallon palms

[AggiePalms]

There are certainly lots of palm enthusiasts who are very wealthy, and have large gardens that their staff maintains. There are many such in South Florida that I have visited, and they are very grand. However, most of us are not wealthy, so we don't go out and buy 30 ft mature rare palms, or build acre sized greenhouses. We grow what we can, dependent on climate, and have fun finding the perfect spot for a zone-pushing species. I bought my first "Sago Palm" in Homestead when I was 10, and have raised palms and tropicals ever since. Even during moneyless grad school days. Without money, we can still debate which fertilizer (if any) to use, and whether two similar palms are really the same genotype. Those actions require knowledge avalable to all of us, not just money.

I am growing over 100 palms/cycads in the ground or in pots for the non hardy species, and I have never spent more than $50 for one, most much less - including some that are now over 20 ft. Friends and colleagues on PalmTalk have given me many palms, and some dealers have sold remarkable palms at just a couple of dollars, because palm enthusiasts are nice people and realize I don't have the big bucks. Last summer, one of my favorite S. FL dealers/palm preservers sold me 16 rain forest species for $100---and many were 2-4 ft high. My idea of the perfect palm is not determined by the price of the palm, but by its beauty, need for conservation, ability to survive - and the love of the person who raised it for me.

My only greenhouse is my unheated garage (it will be down to 28 outside tonight), and this year I will lose a couple; it happens every year. It is, however, great fun to watch these trees grow, mature, and fruit; I enjoy doing the work myself, which I realize some wealthy patrons would like to do, but cannot. So, if you have lots of money, great; if not, you can still have a wonderful hobby that is environmentally friendly and makes a great landcape.

[Lowey]

at my age you must be wealthy i cant wait for 15 years for a seedling to get 3 ft tall buy big now and be done with it

wish i started 20 years ago with seeds and 3 gallon palms

NICE PICS

[Lowey]

I used to be rich before I got into palms and tropical plants. Now I'm not. So, the answer is yes, then no.

Like some others have said, "Aint that the truth" I have probably spent many thousands of dollars over the years, on palms and seeds, somtimes I have spent more than I could realy afford at the time and I know many people who have spent too much money on palms and had to do without other things that they would have liked.

I am by no means rich, but I would not have enjoyed my life quite so much without my palm obsession when I am in my garden with my palms, that I have spent so long caring for, I feel very rich

...if you wanna get philosophical

[Jonathan]

is this a hobby for only the upper middle class and rich ?

What is "this"? Everyone approaches gardening or collecting or growing differently and on different scales.

What is "upper/middle class and rich?" San Diego compared to Iowa? Iowa compared to Philippines? Philippines compared to Sri Lanka?

Do you mean:

"Am I going to have to spend a lot of money in order to keep up with the rare plant collectors I admire and to become, in turn, admired by others?"

If so, then the answer is: "Who is asking the question?"

...if you wanna get philosophical

Well said - that about nails it really.

You can pick up a handful of seed from under a CIDP for nothing, and in ten years have a great plant in your yard - and get this - you can actually enjoy watching it grow. So are we talking about a hobby here or instant gratification?

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Kumar]

I have no choice but to say Yes to the question.

Any palm here other than the common ones (which are practically free) are quite expensive- the trick is to go to the nursery often enough to find out when a batch of seedlings is ready (even these are in many cases costly).even well known and globally common Species such as butia, nannorhops, jubea, arenga, brahea, chambreyona are astronomically priced Growing cycads probably requires a higher net worth than starting a bank!

On a seperate note,I have a hard time swallowing each time I read of the cost of a palm on this forum in USD and convert that into rupees.

Fortunately I don't have to spend money on heating and all that which I think ? is a neccessity in the US

[edric]

is this a hobby for only the upper middle class and rich ?

What is "this"? Everyone approaches gardening or collecting or growing differently and on different scales.

What is "upper/middle class and rich?" San Diego compared to Iowa? Iowa compared to Philippines? Philippines compared to Sri Lanka?

Do you mean:

"Am I going to have to spend a lot of money in order to keep up with the rare plant collectors I admire and to become, in turn, admired by others?"

If so, then the answer is: "Who is asking the question?"

...if you wanna get philosophical

Now that's putting it into perspective!

but doesn't it also depend on what species you're collecting? Some are very inexpensive, and some are the opposite, and if you don't live in zone 10a or higher, you can forget about raising anything of real value, to any size, because it would freeze to death outside, and the ceiling elevation is 8 foot, Ed

[iamjv]

I think the answer varies greatly depending upon ones personal taste and patience. If you are the type of person that has to have a specific palm and at a certain maturity level, then clearly you're going to pay good money for your hobby. If you're the type of person that can enjoy collecting 'available' seeds from either local palms, your travels, or IPS members (often given away for free), then this is a very inexpensive hobby. Here in south central Texas I've found palm people to be very generous with seeds and/or seedlings... I'm sure the same goes for other parts of our palm community.

[John in Andalucia]

What's class got to do with it? - Tina Turner.

It's certainly a hobby. How about a poll to find out who here is poor, and who is filthy rich, or who just enjoys nature, wild and free, and who is crap at growing palms.

[edric]

I think the answer varies greatly depending upon ones personal taste and patience. If you are the type of person that has to have a specific palm and at a certain maturity level, then clearly you're going to pay good money for your hobby. If you're the type of person that can enjoy collecting 'available' seeds from either local palms, your travels, or IPS members (often given away for free), then this is a very inexpensive hobby. Here in south central Texas I've found palm people to be very generous with seeds and/or seedlings... I'm sure the same goes for other parts of our palm community.

But you live in Alaska JV, just kidding, without money for a greenhouse, how can you raise anything rare and unusual? Ed

[Kathryn]

I've never paid a lot of money for one palm and don't plan to, but I've paid a lot of money for all my palms (and the many that I've given away). I don't even want to think about how much money I've spent on plants over the last 15 years or so. It's all been fun.

[sonoranfans]

You can buy small(3 gallon) palms for $7-30 here. "Rich mans hobby"?? The "Rich scale" is surely slipping. Palms are no more expensive than photography or having a top notch music system unless you have a huge yard. I suppose if you want to buy mature palms to fill a couple acres it could get there. But half the fun is watching them grow, you are missing out if you buy all mature palms. And many palms will develop into healthier more beautiful specimens if planted small. It used to be that if you dont have to work for a living, you were rich. Now I dont know what the "rich scale" is. I can say that if you just dont buy new cars frequently, you will be able to take the savings and buy tons of palms, little and mature.

[cencalpalmguy]

I was never rich. With all the out of the way trips to look at palms, to buy cycads and buy seeds online....I think i'm getting alot further from being rich.

[Palm crazy]

Rich man poor man here, just depends on what I'm trying to buy. I really admire people that like to grow everything from seed, I just don't have the patience for that, so I try to buy the biggest I can afford. sometimes thats a 1gal or 24 box. Just depends on the plant, rarity, size and of course price. Some things I don't mind starting from seeds if they grow fast. Right now I'm growing aloes and acacia from seed. Just can't buy ever thing in my little corner of the world.

[Gtlevine]

Totally depends on where you live and what you want to grow.

[mjff]

so we don't go out and buy 30 ft mature rare palms, or build acre sized greenhouses.

Referring to anybody in particular David?

If you are in my area you need to have some $ because almost nothing you put in the ground with a trunk less than 8" diameter at the ground is going to survive the winter here without some major protection. The variety of palms you can grow in an area that gets down to the low teens almost every winter (provided the winter days are warm and summers hot) if you buy larger plants is almost astonishing. I haven't counted lately but I believe the list is over 80 species.

Dodged a bullet last night. The forecast was for a low of 15F. When I went to bed it was already 23F and dropping 1 degree per hour. Checked the thermometer right before sunrise and it read 26F with a low during the night of 21F. Apparently shortly after I went to bed the clouds rolled in and wind shifted causing the temperature to actually rise the rest of the night. Coldest so far this winter still 20F. I love La Nina.

[Kim]

There is something in palm collecting for everyone. That's part of what makes it so fascinating -- no two palm collections are alike, each as individual as the collector.

[LJG]

The answer is of course "Yes". Why? Because there is always someone richer then you in this hobby. Damn rich people.

Wait. Sorry, the answer is "No". Why? Because there is always someone poorer then you in this hobby. Ha-ha poor people.

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

I've never forgot this wisdom from a experienced nurseryman. "If you want to be a millionaire in the nursery business, start with ten million and keep growing plants until you have a million left". So I bought a postage stamp sized lot with a house roughly in the center. This limited my spending on palms. Recently my enthuiasm has waned significantly as a result of harshness of our last 3 winters and the extraordinarily hot, dry summers.

[rozpalm]

I would say that without a doubt that this is a hobby that can be enjoyed by every income class. The barrier to entry is almost nil since all that is required to start collecting is finding seeds on the ground. Other hobbies can cost hundreds or thousands just to get started. Like any hobby though, you can spend a lot of money if you choose to.

[spockvr6]

I've never forgot this wisdom from a experienced nurseryman. "If you want to be a millionaire in the nursery business, start with ten million and keep growing plants until you have a million left".

HAHAHAHAHA!

Does sound about right though, especially the way things are at the current time. I have a friend in the palm business and what he tells me things actually cost out of the fields is astonishingly low. It seems like they are selling the water and fertilizer put into the ground and the actual palm is free.

[spockvr6]

You can buy small(3 gallon) palms for $7-30 here.

For $30 it better be at least a 15 gallon!

[spockvr6]

As an aside, if anyone wants 3 gallon Phoenix roebelliniis, it seems some Home Depots have been selling them for $3. I bought a bunch of them to use as "hedging" against a fence as each pot must have 10-15 stems in it. Looks like they had a bunch of seeds they didnt know what to do with.

[sonoranfans]

You can buy small(3 gallon) palms for $7-30 here.

For $30 it better be at least a 15 gallon!

Mule palms are a little pricey, but they grow fast.

[spockvr6]

I would say that without a doubt that this is a hobby that can be enjoyed by every income class.

Yes, and whats great about it is that there are alot of great people in the hobby. So many times I have been given palms/plants by folks and tried to do the same for others and thats whats part of the fun.

[buccaneers37]

A "palm" collector or a "rare palm" collector? Around my area, you can have a nice collection of queens, washingtons, palmettos, pygmy dates, saw palmettos and a variety of palms that are brought up from south Florida that will die every winter. And all this can be had for fairly cheap, even for decent sized palms.

It is no different than being a coin collector: modern issues or do you need all of the rare Morgan silver dollars? Do you want to collect stamps from the post office, or do you want stamp strips & plate blocks from the 19th century? Do you have a music collection or do you need to get as many master recordings as you can?

You can, for the most part, make any hobby as expensive or inexpensive as you want. Just because you have the "common" palms doesn't mean you don't have a good collection. It should be about whatever YOU enjoy & makes YOU happy. Never try to impress people by overspending in whatever hobby you have – you aren't measured by being able to out-do the people down the street.