Student-Run Succulent Plant Sale to Be Held May 10-11 at Cal Poly
Contact: AnnMarie Cornejo
805-756-2427; ancornej@calpoly.edu
SAN LUIS OBISPO — More than 100 varieties of succulents will be available at Cal Poly’s Succulentopia plant sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, May 10, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Horticulture Unit near the Poly Plant Shop.
More than 4,000 plants will be available for purchase. Five students are involved in the student-run project, which is one of several hands-on experiences offered by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences’ Horticulture and Crop Science Department.
Student succulent manager Karianne Rydberg, a senior agricultural and environmental plant sciences major who oversaw the student production team, said the experience gave her greenhouse management skills that she will use in her career after she graduates in June.
“Succulentopia is the perfect example of a Learn by Doing experience,” she said. “We have an incredible student succulent crew that handles every aspect of the growing process, including propagation, fertilization and pest management. Working on this project was a great supplement to my coursework because it gave me a practical application for the things I have leaned throughout my time at Cal Poly.”
Four additional agricultural and environmental plant sciences students also assisted with the succulent production: sophomore Boden Cunningham, senior Kelsea Jones, sophomore Shannon Kerner and senior Ted Fitzgerald. Lecturer Mike Bush oversees the project.
“I am simply knocked-out at the quality of our plants,” Bush said. “The student succulent team has been extremely professional in their production and the results of their efforts could not be better.”
The cost of the plants is determined by size: 4-inch pots, $4.50; 4.5-inch pots, $5.50; 6-inch succulent garden, $12.50; 8-inch succulent garden, $25; and additional large plants priced accordingly. Varieties include Crassula, Echeveria, Sedum, Sedeveria, Aloe, Gasteria, Haworthia, Kalanchoe, Graptopetalum, Graptoveria, Senecio, Agave, Peperomia, Aeoniums, Callisia, Cyanotis, Adromischus, Sempervivum, and Orostachys, among others.
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.
Photo information: Succulentopia.jpg — A customer peruses the succulent selection at the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences’ first succulent sale in October 2018. (Higher-resolution image available upon request.)
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