New Braunfels Edition | March 2023

BUSINESS FEATURE

BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN

Cleansing the air Markley said Sansevieria are great for the bedroom as they release oxygen at night. According to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, certain indoor plants can purify the air. These include:

Spider plant

Golden pothos

Peace lily

Sansevieria

PHOTOS BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN COMMUNITY IMPACT Bryan Markley, owner of Wild Roots Nursery, stands in one of his greenhouses in New Braunfels.

Some plants start at just a few dollars.

SOURCE: TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICECOMMUNITY IMPACT

Wild Roots Nursery Indoor plant specialists nd niche in greenhouse business W ith the guidance of YouTube, Bryan Markley began growing succu-

grow plants through his family farm, Markley Family Farms. The farm was a community-supported agriculture vegetable farm, where the community was able to gather a basket of vegetables weekly. But with Texas’ unpredictable weather, Markley found succulents were more successful and easier to manage. “I love growing vegetables, but it’s very challenging,” Markley said, noting the labor was dicult and Texas’ weather is harsh. “I made more money on those succulents than I did all that super-hard labor of growing tomatoes and all that lettuce, and the succulents made more [money] that day than all that

hard work, so I was like, ‘OK.’” One of Markley’s favorite parts of his job is watching the plants grow. “I really like Philodendrons and Monsteras because they’re so easy,” Markley said. Philodendrons and Monsteras are both common families of houseplants. His most popular plants are in the Aroid family, a family made up of houseplants such as Philodendrons and Anthuriums. Wild Roots Nursery sells its prod- ucts wholesale to Rainbow Gardens in San Antonio, Tillery Street Plant Co. in Austin, and Lot 59 and The Local in New Braunfels. It is also expecting to complete its website for mail orders by early summer.

lents for fun in his greenhouse. One day, he planted them in 2-inch pots and took them to the Pearl Farmers Market in San Antonio—and they were a hit. Wild Roots Nursery, a local green- house, opened in January 2021. The nursery sells a variety of succulents, cacti and tropical plants. The plants’ prices range from low to high, depending on the plant. Markley grows all the plants that are sold at Wild Roots through propagation (replanting cuttings from another plant) and breeding. The Florida native learned to

Many types of aloes are available.

Wild Roots Nursery 394 Union Wine Road, New Braunfels www.instagram.com/wildrootsnursery Hours: Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., closed Mon.-Fri.

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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • MARCH 2023