My name is Jenny and I am a cactus and succulent addict. The fateful purchase of my first cactus almost 4 years ago exploded into a collection of hundreds of mature plants and thousands of seedlings. I often look through my plants and wonder what driving force made me decide to buy each and every plant? What influence did I see or hear from other folks that made me willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a "rare" plant? Or do I select plants based on my own personal preference and taste that is unmarred by outside influence? Even the seedlings! What drove me to spend hundreds of dollars on seeds of a genus of plant that I had only heard of and never seen in real life?
In reality, the reason for buying certain plants is a combination of all of the above. I have plants that I bought purely because I liked the look, where rarity and outside influence had no part in the decision making. But I also have plants that I added to my collection because I knew they were rare and highly sought after by other collectors. Perhaps without the knowledge of rarity I never would have purchased the plant. Some plants I was willing to pay a pretty penny to get them into my collection and subsequently show off on social media. On the other hand, I also have plants that I purchased because I liked the look without knowing any better and then finding out years later that it was rare. There are plants in my collection that I bought off a whim. There are plants that I bought just for the sake of buying. And the list goes on and on. Sometimes I look through my plants and ask "why did I buy you?"
I guess the psychology of purchasing decisions applies not only to plants but to just about every single thing that we buy beyond everyday staples - cars, handbags, jewelry, clothes, Pokemon cards, you name it. And at this point we are so far in that it's impossible to separate influence vs. innate preferences. They are forever intertwined.
So, is the cactus hype real? What factors influence your plant buying decisions?
Connect with me on Instagram: / cookiescacti
5 сен 2024