I'm assuming when you say 3D design, you using either CAD or modeling software? If yes, you could consider selling STLs as well as the finished product. Giving away, or heavily discounting, STLs for an alpha/beta run, would eliminate your shipping and material cost for testing. You would still be able to sell physical parts, as well as produce parts that are nicer than your average hobbyist will produce (for example, print molds and cast the planter in a more traditional material).
I give away some of my designs, but not all of them. Also the 3d printing community, which I do belong to, is fine and all, but they have a different approach to things like this than what I'm trying to do.
If you give a 3d printed shelf or planter to someone not in the 3d printing community, they have a more critical/functional eye I've found. They aren't burdened by some of the limitations and give different feedback. There is overlap for sure, but the best feedback I got was when I partnered with a local plant shop. The creativity and eye for what worked best was awesome. Unfortunately that shop didn't survive the covid years so I'm trying to recapture that feedback loop. I hope that helps explain my thought process.
I hope I didn't sound like I was implying that you should give your designs away for free :)
I understand what you're saying - better to give the early design to a person who gardens as a primary interest than someone who 3D prints as a primary interest since the gardener will likely have insight into what works or doesn't work for the act of gardening. There are some of us in both camps, but the overlap probably isn't that big.
Looks like a fig tree to me, and if it is, some people get itchy from the leaves (hopefully not Adam &Eve, eh?) so be careful until you're sure you're okay with them. Fresh figs are so delicious! Because you're not shipping them, you can wait until they are fully ripe.
Looks like a fig tree to me! Hard to say what type until it starts to fruit though, the leaves are very similar. You’re in for a treat though when the crop comes in!
In addition to what others have said (neem oil, keep it quarentined) also make sure to clean and sanitize the surrounding area and any area its been in recently to avoid reinfection.
Also mites hate airflow. Keeping plants in spaces that arent too closed off can help discourage mites from setting up shop.
Definitely spider mites, I've gotten rid of them by giving them a good spray down with my shower head, wiping all the leaves with damp paper towel, and then dousing the plant in miticide (i used safer's end all, it comes in a yellow bottle). I did 3 separate treatments 3 days apart. and then kept them quarantined for a month to make sure i got em all. I managed to get rid of the mites on most of my infested plants except for my parlor palm which i ended up throwing out. There's other, more environmentally friendly options you can google but that's what worked for me.
Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies, including the underside of the leaves, stems, and the top of the soil. Those buggers are prolific and if you miss some then they come back quickly.
It looks like spider mites to me. I have a similar issue and I'm using neem oil to spray all surfaces of the plant every 1-2 weeks until they go away. There are some other treatments you can look up too.
Agree with spider mites, pretty sure I can see webbing between the leaf tips.
Neem will work, so will insecticidal / horticultural soap and it smells less bad. Heck they’re soft-bodied, you could probably spray 50% isopropyl and kill them too. I like the soap because it’s really cheap and safe for pretty much anything without farina / epicuticular wax (I feel like some begonia Rex aren’t a fan either).
This is a good sized infestation so I would recommend starting by rinsing the leaves really well in the shower or with a hose. After debulking the colony, then use insecticide.
Check your other plants too OP! Mites are not particularly particular.
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