Steady as she goes

Our sister publication, Nursery Management magazine, surveyed more than 200 nursery owners and operators this year to provide insights on the market. Here’s what they found:

Production and crops

Looking to 2024, a whopping 80% of nurseries plan to expand less than 5 acres next year.

The 2023 survey saw a bit of a rebound for field-grown trees. Last year, 5% of growers said they plan to increase production in that category. This year, 15% plan to increase the number of trees in their fields.

Tropicals/houseplants continue their slide, with 50% of nurseries holding steady and 38% decreasing production numbers. However, edibles are making a comeback, with 25% of growers adding more and 49% staying the same, an increase from 12% adding more and 62% holding steady in 2022.

Prices and market segments

Although growers continue to raise prices, the amount they’re adding to that price tag each year keeps getting smaller.

In 2021, 18% of growers raised prices more than 20%. That figure dropped to 8% in 2022. Nearly 5% of growers made big price hikes of more than 20% in 2023.

The price increase sweet spot appears to be moving down. In 2022, nearly 40% of growers raised prices from 10-19%, and 33% raised prices by 5-9%. Only 10% raised prices less than 5%. In 2023, the 10-19% group dropped to 25%, 5-9% grew to 44% and 1-4% increased to 18%.