Community Highlights: Meet Carla Brown of Creative Plant Mama

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Brown.

Hi Carla, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started Creative Plant Mama back in 2020 at the same time I moved from LA to ATL. I’d been collecting houseplants for a few years and got a tad bit obsessed, so it only made sense to turn that passion into a business. I started out selling houseplants and quickly realized the need for good-quality soil. There were no good options when it came to soil for houseplants,… so I decided to start making my own. After much experimentation, I figured out the soil mixes that work best for each type of plant and now I sell them online – this month I hit 7,600 sales!

When I’m not in the lab mixing up soil, I’m hanging out with my family. Our 14-month-old daughter has taken a big interest in watering and potting plants herself.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are definitely challenges that come with owning and building a business. You’ve got to motivate yourself to get up every day and put in the work. You have to think creatively on how to solve problems and manage a lot of different tasks all at once. One big challenge I’m currently facing is space – I’m working out of my garage and need more room. We are in the process of building a large warehouse, though and I can’t wait!

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Creative Plant Mama?
I make specialty soil mixes for houseplants. Different plants thrive in different parts of the world, I create my soil mixes with this in mind. I attempt to mimic the natural order of organic material each plant loves to consume through its roots.

Most soils out there are actually waste/byproducts from sawmilling and lumber operations. The customer gets a bag of assorted tree species that have sat for so long that it’s already started to break down before you’ve repotted your plant. This also brings different issues like fungus gnats and mold.

This is a motivator when I’m in the lab mixing up a batch for one of my customers. Your plants deserve the very best soil! The compliments I receive the most revolve around moisture control from watering, new plant growth, and appearance but my passion is in creating a soil base that feeds my customer’s plants for years to come. A little dash of fertilizer takes 18 months to become bioavailable to the root system, little stuff like that makes a huge difference when potting up your plants.

I have 22 different soil mixes, ranging from Monstera to Pothos to Calathea. I do custom mixes for your outdoor garden and trees. I also have fertilizers and pest sprays to help keep your plants healthy and fed.

How do you think about luck?
I started my business at a good time, back in 2020 the houseplant community had grown tremendously with so many people being at home and picking up new hobbies. So, I’d say I’m lucky to have started my business at such a booming time in the houseplant industry. I also feel lucky to wake up every day and do what I love – I’m a mom and I’m so grateful to have a flexible work schedule that allows me to spend my days with my daughter.

Pricing:

• $28 – soil mixes
• $24 – fertilizer
• $24 – pest spray

Contact Info:

• Website: creativeplantmama.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/creativeplantmama
• Facebook: facebook.com/creativeplantmama
• Other: creativeplantmama.etsy.com