[Jencylivez]

I'm just getting into the hobby after 14 years of dormancy . What are some of your suppliers for vivirium plants?

 

[bulbophyllum]

Did you google vivarium plants? Dart frog plants?.......... Other then that are you looking for something specific?

 

[fishingguy12345]

You should also qualify to see the classifieds here. There are a few plant sellers that post on there.

 

[SpaceMan]

Are we allowed to list websites we use here?

 

[Socratic Monologue]

Are we allowed to list websites we use here?

From DB's rules:

"Threads seeking information on vendors, sales leads, and similar inquiries will be heavily moderated. Asking for factual information ("where did you get your frogs?") rather than recommendations ("where is a good place to buy frogs") is advisable"

So, telling others where you purchased plants from is permitted and is helpful information. What we're trying to avoid is anything like reviews both positive and negative, and all the drama that goes along with reviews.

Edit to add: also, we're trying to avoid actual sales (whether overt or covert) in the discussion sections, a practice that is very strictly prohibited in large part so that we can keep the number of scammers here down to exactly zero, which is the appropriate number of scammer to tolerate.

 

[SpaceMan]

I'll just say this then:

My experience sourcing plants has been varied. Some places cater towards the hobby, and in my experience at least, they haven't necessarily been better (and sometimes worse) than a more generalist provider of plants -- and you're paying more.

The way I have found good plants for my tanks, in addition to the classifieds here, has been searching Etsy of all places, and then finding the corresponding webstores for the people selling the plants -- if they have one. The sellers generally prefer this anyway, as Etsy takes a cut.

A lot of the less exotic plants can also be found locally, depending on where you live.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

Checking the Marketplace here, and PMing or hunting down people who are currently or have in the past sold the sorts of plants you want, is a great first step.

I typically do a general web search on the plant species I'm looking for, and figure out who carries it. Then I do a dive into reviews of those vendors, and throw out any for whom I turn up any red flags. Then I figure out the math on what is most economical (if they have other plants I want, etc). Then I order what I want.

I don't personally think that buying plants has the same moral issues that buying animals does (except for trafficking concerns), and the risk of financial loss is pretty low (PayPal is a great tool in purchasing, and in any event basic viv plants aren't expensive), so I don't worry too much about where I buy from. Etsy and Ebay have a selection of vendors that makes some of this process pretty easy.

 

[bulbophyllum]

I know the classifieds have been mentioned a couple of times. I would like to say that I have had very pleasantly surprised with every plant purchase I have made on this list.

 

[Nixana]

I purchase plants from Facebook Groups, a Plant Discord Group, Etsy(though I read they are cracking down on plant sellers;/), Gabriella's Plants, and sometimes other small nurseries.

Gabriella's Plants is a small business with a ton of different types of plants and price points.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

Etsy(though I read they are cracking down on plant sellers;/),

Interesting.

Plant Sellers, Listings being delisted/banned by Etsy Policy?

Hello! A customer messaged me today because they kept getting an error code when trying to click on a listed plant. When I looked into it myself I kept getting a "Sorry, this item is unavailable in your region" error code. Shocked to find this happening on multiple listings. Checked my emails...

community.etsy.com

Sounds as if they're enforcing USDA requirements (a good thing) but perhaps doing it badly.

 

[Nixana]

Interesting.

Plant Sellers, Listings being delisted/banned by Etsy Policy?

Hello! A customer messaged me today because they kept getting an error code when trying to click on a listed plant. When I looked into it myself I kept getting a "Sorry, this item is unavailable in your region" error code. Shocked to find this happening on multiple listings. Checked my emails...

community.etsy.com

Sounds as if they're enforcing USDA requirements (a good thing) but perhaps doing it badly.

It sounds like it and definitely understandable for imported plants, but US sellers(not all-yet?-) have been affected aswell.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

USDA also regulates interstate transport of basically any plants and insects (including soil that can harbor insects) that can affect agriculture, so it need not be a matter for only imports.

 

[Nixana]

Oh yes, I somehow forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder, I know some states are stricter than others such as California.

 

[Jencylivez]

I did search for vivarium plants on google and the first result was Black Jungle, which I used to buy from in the past. I was looking to see what other options are being used by the masses these days. Thank you all very much for the pointers, I will be looking into everything suggested!

 

[Harpspiel]

I love grab bags/cuttings bags from vendors on here. For orchids (and a few other rare terrarium plants), High Desert Orchids, Tarzane Group and Andy’s. High Desert is local to me, I have known the owner for years, and they have great local events but they also ship very carefully. The Violet Barn has small gesneriads, Atlas Exotics has filmy ferns and some other miniatures, and Verdant Vivariums has lots of terrarium minis with a great mini fern selection.

 

[Jencylivez]

I love grab bags/cuttings bags from vendors on here. For orchids (and a few other rare terrarium plants), High Desert Orchids, Tarzane Group and Andy’s. High Desert is local to me, I have known the owner for years, and they have great local events but they also ship very carefully. The Violet Barn has small gesneriads, Atlas Exotics has filmy ferns and some other miniatures, and Verdant Vivariums has lots of terrarium minis with a great mini fern selection.

Thank you for those

 

[Jencylivez]

Thanks for the help guys, I ended up placing an order on a few different sites and from the classifieds too. I am trying to stay organized so I am tracking my plants and their traits on airtable.

Airtable: My Plants

 

[TeddytheFinger]

I like buying plants from people on here. Lately I've been using Etsy with good results too, for more obscure things.