As the summer temperature begins to rise, it is hard to believe that you need to start thinking about poinsettias. We continue to hear about how the market has been flooded with poinsettias over the last couple of years. Because of this, many growers face the daunting obstacle of deciding how many and which varieties to buy 6 months or more before they actually sell them!
Greenhouse Grower magazine sent out a survey in December 2011 to nearly 150 growers to ask their opinion of the season’s production, sales and pricing of poinsettias. The participating growers were located throughout the United States, but many were in the Midwest (38.3%) and Northeast (24.8%). 59.1% of the businesses surveyed were grower/retailers, 39.4% were wholesale growers and 1.5% were young plant growers. Hopefully this survey will give you a little insight into what you might need for the coming season!
The following are some of the findings:
What percentage of the poinsettias did you wind up dumping?
| |
2011 |
2010 |
| We didn’t dump a single poinsettia
|
8.8% |
14.0% |
| Less then 5%
|
60.2% |
48.9% |
| Between 5-10%
|
20.4% |
23.7%
|
| Between 10-20% |
7.1% |
9.1% |
| More than 20% |
3.5% |
4.3% |
Are you growing poinsettias simply to cover your overhead costs or to increase your profit margin?
| |
2011 |
2010 |
| To cover overhead cost
|
31.9% |
41.4% |
| To increase operation's profit margin
|
68.1% |
58.6% |
What poinsettia color was your top seller in 2011?
Most popular red varieties: Prestige & Freedom Red
Most popular novelty varieties: Ice Punch, Red Glitter, White Glitter & Cortez Burgundy
What poinsettia size was your top seller in 2011?
| 4.5" |
6.4% |
| 6" |
20.2" |
| 6.5" |
47.9% |
| 8" |
16.0% |
| 10" |
4.3" |
Average retail prices received for top poinsettia sizes
| |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
2000 |
| 4.5" |
$5.71 |
$5.15 |
$5.10 |
$5.11 |
| 6" |
$10.71 |
$10.74 |
$9.70 |
$9.09 |
| 6.5" |
$12.98 |
$12.12 |
$12.38 |
$11.27 |
| 8" |
$25.57 |
$26.71 |
$22.65 |
$25.42 |
| 10" |
$31.92 |
$35.07 |
$32.88 |
$25.42 |
| Larger than 10" |
$47.88 |
$50.85 |
——— |
——— |
To get a full report of the findings, go to GreenhouseGrower.com/February2012.
|