At PUKUBOOK, we run an online shop called "PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS," where we share and sell succulents that we bought for our plant encyclopedia, often sourced from all over. Thanks to the wonderful support from our customers, some even post photos of their new plants on social media—which honestly makes me so happy I could cry when I see how the plants are doing in their new homes (seriously!). Still, there’s always a tiny corner of my mind where I can’t help but think...

"Wow, these really don’t look great, do they..." (sweat)

The main reason is that our core products at "PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS" are "cuttings," which tend to be a little wrinkly, scratched, or patchy, so it’s only natural that they aren’t the most photogenic. Our customers get this and are totally okay with it, but if someone stumbles across our shop without knowing the backstory, I sometimes worry they’ll think "What is this shop selling... these sad little plants?" (sweat). So, I want to take this opportunity to explain why we sell these "not-so-pretty cuttings" in the first place.

Yes, this is one of those articles—an explanation that got a little long, so I’ll start with the main point:

At "PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS," we care less about a plant’s value at the moment it’s sold and more about how valuable it can become after you care for it at home and watch it grow and change.

What Is a “Finished Plant”?

There isn’t an official definition, but personally, I think a "finished plant" is "a plant that’s had enough time to fully reveal all the potential beauty of its variety". That includes size, multiple offsets in clumping varieties, perfect powdery coatings without patches, dramatic flower stalks, and even those outer leaves that dry up and give it unique character .

Basically, a true finished look is the stage where you can confidently say, “this is what this species can become.”

For faster-growing plants like Echeveria, this might take 1–3 years. For Agave or cacti, which grow slowly, it could take 5–10 years... or even 20 in some cases.

What Are “Cuttings”?

So what about “cuttings”? Technically, a cutting just means a piece snipped from the tip of a plant, so it can include fresh, vibrant specimens. Here, though, I mean “cuttings imported from overseas.”

Most overseas-sourced succulents arrive as "cuttings." Even with the fastest delivery, about two weeks pass after cutting, so they often become wrinkled or have dried outer leaves. Plus, they're packed tightly in boxes, flown across continents, so the powdery coatings get rubbed off and the leaves come out scratched.

Even after potting, they often look unhealthy and not the least bit Instagram-worthy. I still try to take sample photos, but even with a good camera, this is the best I can do.

Why Does PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS Sell Cuttings?

Normally, these "cuttings" would be considered substandard products in a typical shop—plants with blemishes, no stretching, and healthy leaves all over are usually what the books call for as “good plants” (just like the recommended pickings in gardening guides).

But the main product at our official shop, PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS, is “cuttings.” Not only are they far from showing all their best characteristics, but in fact, they’re wrinkled and scratched. In regular shops (even at the supermarket or greengrocer), this would be a recipe for complaints—and they probably wouldn’t sell at all.

So why cuttings? It’s because I fundamentally believe that "plants are beings that change and grow."

Unlike regular “products” that wear out with use, or vegetables that are simply eaten and gone, ornamental plants keep changing as they grow, becoming bigger and more rewarding as time passes. Their real value increases over the years—at least, in theory!

So, whether the plant looks its best at the time of sale or not, that’s just the starting point. From there, its value only has room to grow—it could easily double, or even multiply tenfold, in a single year.

That said, as I keep saying “in theory,” it really does depend on your care and environment (laughs).

To see the plant at its best, you have to provide the best possible environment at home. That’s tough, and many people (myself included) end up buying show-quality plants, only to see them lose their sparkle over time. It’s a bummer to watch a 100-point plant fade to 80, then 60, feeling like the value just slips away.

But what if the plant starts at 20 points, then rises to 40, 60, and beyond as time goes by? That’s what’s great about cuttings! They may look rough at first, but slowly they transform into something unrecognizably beautiful. You get to say, “So this is what you really look like!”

In short, they’re the ‘Ugly Ducklings’.

That’s why I personally enjoy growing cuttings so much.

At "PUKUBOOK SUCCULENTS," we value future potential over the plant's current state at the time of sale. That’s why we sell cuttings, post photos of beautiful mature examples, share growing tips, and even when we do sell mature specimens, we don’t price them unnecessarily high (which is why they always sell out so fast—thank you!). This is all part of how we run things here.

How Different Are Cuttings and Finished Plants?

So what’s the real difference between a just-arrived cutting and the same plant after months of care? Here’s a timeline of comparison shots as a record.

In Summary

So, after all this, I’ve come to realize "everyone values things differently" (laughs). Even a “finished plant” is just a snapshot in time, and that snapshot is also valuable, so we’ll keep pricing them according to the recognition they receive. Please forgive us if we occasionally put a fancy price tag on them. If they don’t sell, you can bet we’ll boldly mark them down, too.

In the end, it’s all about “finding a price that feels right with the current market value.” Pretty normal, huh?

Going forward, we’ll keep striving so our plants (and our support content, too!) will be recognized for their worth even more.