Plants

Growing Sustainably

The NYCSS seeks to help sustainably grow the Northeast community of cactus and succulent lovers. At its core, sustainability means a harmonious balance between the forces of supply and demand. On the supply side, the slow growing nature of these plants (and comparatively unfavorable conditions compared to the Southwest) make them largely unprofitable for our local commercial nurseries to devote serious effort to. While social media and e-commerce fill this gap by offering speedy delivery from almost anywhere in the world, the plants one purchases likely spent years, if not decades, in very different environmental conditions than the Northeast. Consequently, acclimatizing them so that they continue to grow and thrive is far more difficult compared to "conventional" houseplants. Over time, this discourages potential hobbyists as they come to believe that these plants simply "can't do well here".