How To Start A Plant Nursery In India?
1. Plant Nursery Business Plan
Do you love gardening and love to be surrounded by flowers and plants? Well, you are not the only one; many people want to develop a kitchen garden in their home or decorate their place with pots filled with nature.
We are now surrounded more by concrete jungle than nature, and having these little patches of nature around us can help us feel a lot better alongside adding beauty to our environment. As more people are shifting to homes with limited or no land for vegetation, the demand for bonsai and flowering plants has increased rapidly; opening a plant nursery can be a highly profitable business.
2. How To Start A Plant Nursery?
There is a variety of plants available, and they can be classified into the following to get a better understanding of what type suits you.
Vegetable Nurseries🥦
Flower Nurseries🌻
Fruit Nurseries🍇
Medicinal Nurseries🥕
Forest Nurseries🌳
Vegetable Nurseries🥬
People are now turning to homegrown vegetables to avoid eating pesticide-filled ones available in the market. There exist a lot of different vegetable plants that can be grown in a nursery, such as spinach, tomato, radish, sweet potato, peas, brinjal, pumpkin, onions, etc.
Flower Nurseries🌹
They are called ornamental nurseries; they are often the most popular and high in demand. Everyone loves flowers, and because of their seasonal nature, they don't require care all year long. Popular flowers are- Gladiolus, Lilly, Roses, Marigolds, Salvias, Tecoma, portulaca, jasmine, hibiscus, asters, and miniature roses.
Fruit Nurseries🍎
Nowadays, a lot of people are growing food in nurseries. They require a lot of attention, but they come with high returns. Popular fruit species are- Pomegranate, Oranges, Mango, Sapota, Oranges, Common fig, Mulberry, Jackfruit, lemon, banana, papaya, apple, Indian sweet lime, dragon fruit, coconut, and other local fruits.
Medicinal Nurseries🥒
With the increase in craze for Ayurveda and natural cures for diseases, people are adopting healthier lifestyles and turning to natural remedies for complex diseases such as diabetes and even cancer. Now, plants such as aloe vera are also used in cosmetics. Various plants grown in medicinal nurseries include- Bryophyllum, aloe vera, vetiver lemongrass, sagargota, curry leaves, vasaka, costus igneus, etc.
Forest Nurseries🌲
In these types of nurseries, saplings are grown, which in the future will turn into large trees. Trees such as eucalyptus, pine, oak, and teak are grown in forest nurseries. One can decide on picking one or more of the above types depending on available land and resources.
3. Plant Nursery Requirements
Opening a plant nursery could look a little overwhelming initially, but if you know the necessary steps to get started, it will get a lot easier.
Legal Requirements
Land⛳️
The first step to getting started with any agricultural business is to look for suitable and fertile land. For developing a nursery, the land used need not be very huge. The backyard of your home can also be utilized for the purpose; this will yield more profit compared to taking land on rent for farming. The basic requirements for agricultural land should be met, such as fertility of the soil, nutrition, moisture content, non-toxicity, and free of termites and other insects. All of these factors play a substantial role in the growth of plants.
Once these requirements are met, one can start with further processes. If you are a King of planting different varieties of plants and trees, you should provide various soil types as per requirement. You might even need to spend some extra amount on picking the suitable quantity and quality of the soil. Once the soil is purchased, you can divide the land for different species. To make the soil more fertile, carry out traditional methods of plowing, etc.
Land Permit✅
For any commercial use, one requires a land permit to use the land for opening your nursery. The local authority of your city will provide you with legal permission.
Agriculture License📋
A nursery plantation is an agriculture unit, and an agriculture license is required to get started. One can visit government websites for further information and procedures. A local government authority might also be needed for the inspection of your nursery.
Seeds and Saplings🍃
To start growing on your land, you will need seeds or saplings of the desired plant varieties. You can purchase them from different gardening firms, or if you have access, you can directly cut from existing shrubs. One should use the proper technique for cutting stems. When you are cutting the stem of plants, keep in mind to cut it diagonally at the top and straight at the bottom. Similarly, have a few saplings which are ready for planting. Provide a reasonable gap between plants at the time of the sowing of seeds so that they can be segregated and get proper nutrition and sunlight.
Soil✔️
The next component is soil, though, on your piece of land, there exists soil in its natural state, but adding more fertile soil using the correct proportions of manure and moisture, will boost the growth of plants significantly. You will also be required to add a large amount of sand, which will be needed by woody plants.
Simple Tools🧑🏼🌾
Though fewer tools are required in this type of farming, one should keep some simple tools for cutting and shaping the plants. Some tools for plowing the little area of land and also some equipment to spray and add pesticides will be helpful, but there is no need for bulky and expensive tools to start a nursery.
Chemicals and Fertilisers🍂
After all your efforts, insects and pests can damage your plants and destroy your flowers and fruits. To save your plants from getting infected, you should use some pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, etc. These chemicals are available in the form of spray bottles, and all you need is just to spray them on the plants. But don’t pour in excess, as it can create a negative effect on the health of plants and yours too.
Fertilizers help accelerate the growth speed of plants. It helps in ensuring the healthy growth of the plants and provides them with the required nutrients. Organic manures are best for this purpose, but chemical fertilizers are also extensively used. The chemicals and fertilizers are readily available. You can even buy the products in nearby stores or even online. One such online store is Nursery Live, which can provide you with all your nursery-related requirements.
Hiring other people👨🏼🌾
Machines cannot do everything, and you will require a workforce to get various services done in your nursery. It would help if you had people for planting, spraying pesticides, irrigation, pruning, weeding, etc. However, if you are planning to start on a small scale, you can manage the work on your own and save money.
Marketing Your Plant Nursery Business📊
Once you are ready with your nursery, it's time for you to now spread the word; you can do it in the following ways-
Newspaper📃
It is an old and traditional way of marketing. You can publish about your nursery business in a local newspaper to get it in the eyes of local customers.
Door-to-door Campaigning📈
This includes going to nearby flower shops and other sellers that use plants and telling them about your nursery and how you can help them. You can provide them with discounts so they can be eager to give your services a try.
Creating a website💻
A website will help you reach a wider audience, and you can also use it for the marketing of your business plan. WordPress is a platform where you can get started; it provides you with an easy way of creating a website on a small budget.
