How do I check the health and age of plant stock at a garden centre?
Walk the benches and greenhouses yourself and look at the plants closely. Check leaves, stems and roots, ask when each batch arrived, and compare how long the stock has sat with what the books say it is worth to the shop.
Plant stock is alive, and it changes every week. A plant that looked fine last month can be root-bound, leggy or diseased now. Go through the sales yard, the greenhouse and the back area, and pick out plants from different rows. Lift a few pots to see roots, and look under leaves for pests.
Ask about batch dates. Good shops can tell you when a lot arrived or was potted, and how long they usually keep it before marking down. Older stock that has outgrown its pot is harder to sell. Check labels for accuracy, since a missing or mixed-up label causes returns.
Ask how the shop handles losses. Is there a regular culling day? Are dead plants counted and written off, or left in the totals? Compare what you see with the inventory figure in the financial statements. Ask the owner about watering, heat, frost protection and pest control, and who looks after them day to day. Your accountant can help you decide how to count living stock, and a lawyer can advise on your obligations around plants. Ask whether the seller will let you visit on more than one day.
Key takeaways
- Inspect plants from many rows, including roots, leaves and labels.
- Ask for batch dates and how long stock normally stays before it is marked down.
- Compare dead and aged plants with the inventory figure on the books.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is inventory
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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