Here’s the thing about Rhododendrons.
1. I honestly believe they could make a motivated grower fairly wealthy. Nobody is growing them, especially in zone 4!
2. Rooting them is tricky and best done over bottom heat in the winter. Warm roots, cool tops, 45 degrees or lower.
They hate wet feet, they hate heavy soil. My place would be perfect for them, sandy soil, but at this age they would be a multi year project and I’m just not looking for that kind of commitment.
But if I were, I’d buy about 3,000 rooted cuttings, $2.00 each, line them out in beds 8″ apart, mulch them, water as needed. Pinch them so they develop nicely then take as many cuttings as I could year after year after year.
Then I’d probably line them out in the field, get them to 30″ size and sell them to landscapers for a lot of money. At least $30 each but maybe keep them longer just to get the cuttings, then sell them for $40 each.
I’d hire a professional digger to get them out of the ground.
I’d only do about 4 or 5 varieties.
PJM
Chinoides
Spring Parade
Roseum Elegans
Nova Zembla
I could build a multi generational business with those five plants.
I have more to add to this post as soon as I get some photos etc.
Michael Bean says
May 3, 2019 at 7:22 pmMike,
I would LOVE to grow Rhododendrons, all colors. I have one in my front yard thst has purple flowers each year.. i have two separate parcels one 2 miles from my house which is 5.5 acres but has heavy soil the first 6-9 inches is topsoil, then below thst is clsy.
The other is 3 hrs away but has excellent sandy loam soil. The drawback is well, its 3 hrs away and it has wandering herds of elk that come through like locusts and eat almost anything eccept the scoch broom.
Any ideas??
Mike says
May 4, 2019 at 7:50 amMichael,
My advice is to start small, maybe a thousand plants, and put them in raised beds about 8″ apart. Then you can move them to the field and see how they do. The heavy soil is not likely to kill them but it will stall them. Or container grow them in a well drained potting soil, see my article on this site.
Makayla Morales says
May 30, 2018 at 6:22 pmHi Mike, I’ve been going through tons & tons of your YouTube videos and articles online. I’m 21, buying my first home, & wanting to turn my backyard into a profitable backyard nursery. Im crossing my fingers to get into the Growers group late June. I’m in Eastern NC. Zone 8. What plants do you recommend I start with? Buy large plants? Make cuttings? Grow from seed? Thanks for all the awesome info!!
Mike says
May 31, 2018 at 8:55 amMakayla,
Do yourself a huge favor and join the growers group as soon as it opens. http://backyardgrowers.com/join, the members will help you and keep you from making costly mistakes. Buy liners from the members.
21 Plants that are Easy to Grow and Sell Like Crazy
The following 21 plants are really easy to grow and they sell like hot cakes. They always have been really good sellers and they always will be really good sellers. And this list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to plants that you can grow and sell that people want to buy.
1. Forsythia
2. Red Weigela
3. Varigated Weigela
4. Pink Flowering Weigela
5. Red Twig Dogwood
6. Fragrant Viburnums
7. All Flowering Viburnums
8. Potentilla
9. Dappled Willow
10. Pussy Willow
11. Daylillies
12. Hosta
13. Huchera
14. All kinds of Perennials
15. Armeria
16. Boxwood
17. Japanese Hollies
18. English Hollies
19. Rhododendrons
20. PJM Dwarf Rhododendron
21. Hydrangeas
22. Rose of Sharon
23. Dwarf Alberta Spruce
24. White Dogwood trees
25. Chinese Dogwoods
26. Blue Rug Juniper
27. Gold Flame Spirea
28. Gold Mound Spirea
29. Ornamental Grasses of all kinds
30. Crimson Pygmy Barberry
31. Rosy Glow Barberry
Okay, that’s 31 and I could go on forever.
Here are some plants for warmer zones, 8,9, and 10
Fragrant Tea Olive
Gardenia,
Camellia,
Azalea,
Jasmines
Palm trees
Tropical Hibiscus
Burgundy Chinese Fringe Flower
Bogainvilla
Owari & Hamlin Oranges
Satsuma
Kumquat
Azalea (out the wazoo down here)
Crepe Myrtle (ditto)
Lilies
Camelias
amaryllis
hybrids such as Blossom Peacock and Papillo
Japanese Pieris
Satsuma’s
Star gazer lilies
Crape Myrtles of all kinds
Gardenia varieties-evergreen
Azalea varieties-evergreen & deciduous(native)
Camellia varieties-evergreen
Fragrant Tea Olive-evergreen
Nandina varieties-evergreen
Loropetalum/Chinese fringe flowers
Chase Tree
Abelia -so many new exciting varieties -good for zones 6-10!
Viburnums
Daphne
Cleyera-evergreen
Burning Bush/ Euonymus varieties…
Spirea -especially Bridalwreath, Little Princess, Goldmound…
Butterfly Bushes
Jasmines (vines-Carolina, Confederate)
Confederate Rose
Lady Banks Rose
Anise (check out Florida Sunshine)
Holly-Soft Touch/Sky Pencil/Youpon/Burfordii….
Crape Myrtles
Japanese Magnolias(Saucer, Betty, Royal Star…)
Southern Magnolias
Dogwoods
Red Buds
Japanese Maples
Evergreen hedge trees/shrubs
Leyland Cypress
Murray/Arborvitae
Japanese Cedar(cryptomeria)
false cypress(Chamaecyparis…)
Junipers-Blue Rug, Sargentii, Blue Point,…
Trees:
Chinense Pistache
Fruitless Mulberry
Weeping Willow
Live oak
Red oak
Catalpa
Vitex (or Chaste Tree)
Desert Willow
Shrub:
Nellie R Stevens
Wax Myrtle
Red Tip Photinia
Korean Boxwood
Radicans Gardenia
Loropetalum
Yaupon Holly
Perennials:
Salvias
Sedums
Butterfly Bush
Reeves Spiraea
Van Houtti Spiraea
Vines:
Honeysuckle (coral)
Crossvine
Star Jasmine
Ray says
May 29, 2018 at 4:41 amI just found you. What I see has a 2013 date on it. Are you still running this business?
Mike says
May 30, 2018 at 8:29 amRay,
Of course I’m still running this business, this site is updated fairly often.
Margaret R Cordes says
May 25, 2018 at 1:07 pmI am a senior citizen (75) and I Luv’ya gardening. I am what type of work you medium do you plant tomatoes in to grow in pots?
Mike says
May 26, 2018 at 5:59 amMargaret,
Not topsoil but a light and fluffy potting soil.
Jennifer McMillan says
May 21, 2018 at 8:49 amThis is great. We have a herd of ten goats and we love to watch them.