Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Rare Root Labs?

Rare Root Labs is a U.S.-based wholesale tissue culture company located in Easley, South Carolina and attached to a licensed nursery. We were built by plant buyers who were tired of getting burned by fake wholesale companies, poor communication, low-quality plants, and bad business practices.

After personally dealing with missing shipments, poor quality tissue cultures, unreliable suppliers, and lost money ourselves, we decided there had to be a better way to help wholesale buyers source plants safely and consistently.

Every lab we work with today has been personally tested and vetted through repeated orders before ever being offered to our wholesale customers.

Learn more about our story here: About Rare Root Labs

Who is this for?

Rare Root Labs is designed for wholesale buyers including online resellers, Palmstreet sellers, Whatnot sellers, Etsy sellers, greenhouse operators, nurseries, plant shop owners, collectors, and anyone building a plant business.

No nursery license or special permits are required for U.S. customers to purchase from us.

Why buy from Rare Root Labs instead of sourcing directly from a lab?

Sourcing directly from overseas labs often means negotiating across time zones, wiring money internationally to people you have never met, managing import permits, customs paperwork, inspections, and handling any problems entirely on your own.

Rare Root Labs handles every part of that process including:

• Lab relationships and communication
• USDA import permits
• Federal inspections
• Shipping logistics
• Import coordination
• Problem resolution if issues arise

If something goes wrong, you are speaking with a U.S.-based company during normal business hours, not trying to chase overseas suppliers in different time zones.

We highly recommend reading our story: About Rare Root Labs

What is a tissue culture plant?

Plant tissue culture is a laboratory propagation method that allows growers to clone plants in a sterile environment. Instead of growing plants from seed in soil, scientists take a very small piece of a plant and grow it inside a controlled laboratory environment.

The small plant sample is placed in a sterile container on a nutrient-rich agar media filled with sugars, vitamins, and hormones that encourage growth and multiplication.

This process allows one tiny piece of plant material to quickly multiply into thousands of identical baby plants.

Tissue culture plants are popular because they allow:

• Large-scale plant production
• Cleaner and healthier starter plants
• Consistent genetics
• Faster propagation
• Rare plant preservation and conservation

In short, tissue culture is a highly efficient propagation method that turns a small piece of plant tissue into a large number of healthy cloned plants.

Why do my tissue culture plants look different from mature plants in photos?

Tissue culture plants are baby plants in an early stage of growth and are not mature greenhouse plants. What you receive is the starting foundation of the plant that still needs to be acclimated and grown out.

Early leaves are often smaller, greener, softer, or show less variegation compared to mature specimens. With proper acclimation and grow-out, the plant will continue developing stronger mature characteristics over time.

Why does my plant have little or no variegation yet?

Variegation often develops more strongly as the plant matures. Early leaves after transitioning from the laboratory to soil can appear mostly green.

Some plants show variegation immediately while others begin expressing stronger coloration later during the grow-out process. This is a natural part of tissue culture growth and not considered a defect.

Why does the agar look soft, cloudy, or watery?

Tissue culture plants are shipped in sterile, high-humidity environments to help preserve plant viability during transit. Because of this, the agar media may appear soft, cloudy, or watery when it arrives.

This is normal and does not indicate damage unless there is visible contamination or mold growth.

The roots look fragile. Is that normal?

Yes. Tissue culture roots are naturally thinner, softer, and more delicate than soil-grown roots. They can appear translucent and less structured at first.

Avoid aggressively cleaning, trimming, or pulling on the roots unless they are clearly dead. The roots will strengthen as the plant establishes in its new substrate.

Do I need any licenses or permits to buy from Rare Root Labs?

No. U.S. customers do not need a nursery license or import permits to purchase from us. Rare Root Labs handles all regulatory compliance, USDA permits, inspection coordination, and import logistics on our end.

How do I place an order?

There are two ways to order from Rare Root Labs:

• Place an order directly through our website
• Submit a wholesale request or email us your plant list and quantities

Once we receive your order request, we verify availability with our lab partners and confirm all details before finalizing the shipment.

If a plant becomes unavailable, we will contact you immediately with options including:

• Plant substitutions
• Store credit
• Refunds for unavailable items

Do I need an account to order?

Yes. An account is required to place orders with Rare Root Labs. Creating an account helps with order tracking, shipment management, and communication updates.

Is there a minimum order?

Yes. The minimum order is 50 plants and a $500 minimum spend. You may mix and match any tissue culture varieties you want within the order.

This minimum is recommended to help make international shipping and import logistics more economical.

Can I add plants to an existing order?

Yes. Additional plants can often be added before the shipment cutoff date. You can submit another request online or contact our team directly with the additional items.

Once confirmed, we will merge the requests together and provide an updated payment link if needed.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept:

• All major credit cards
• Debit cards
• Zelle
• PayPal
• ACH bank transfer
• Wire transfer

Can I cancel an order?

Orders may only be canceled before the shipment cutoff date. Once the cutoff passes, the plants are already ordered and allocated with our lab partners.

Domestic U.S. stock orders can typically be canceled anytime before shipment. Plug and liner tray orders may be canceled within 24 hours before shipping.

Where do you ship?

We ship to all 50 U.S. states and deliver to both residential and commercial addresses.

How long does delivery take?

Most orders operate on a 2 to 3 week shipping cycle depending on airline schedules and lab timing.

Typical timelines include:

• Approximately 2.5 to 3 weeks from order submission to delivery
• 3 to 4 days from origin country to Miami inspection facilities
• FedEx or UPS 2-Day or Overnight shipping after USDA clearance

Overnight shipping is generally recommended whenever possible.

What happens if I order after the cutoff date?

Orders placed after the cutoff date are automatically moved into the next available shipping cycle.

How are my plants shipped?

Plants are shipped from Miami using FedEx or UPS Overnight / 2-Day services in sterile temperature-controlled packaging.

Transit temperatures are generally maintained between 59°F and 77°F (15°C to 25°C) whenever possible.

What package options are available?

Tissue culture plants can be packaged in three different ways:

• 1 plant per bag (retail-ready packaging)
• 5 plants per bag
• 10 plants per bag

Standard packaging is typically 5 or 10 plants per bag unless otherwise requested.

Are permits and customs handled by Rare Root Labs?

Yes. Rare Root Labs handles all USDA permits, import coordination, inspection scheduling, and customs logistics.

Customers have zero responsibility for import compliance. We manage the shipment from the lab directly to your door.

Are the plants ready to plant immediately?

Yes. Tissue culture plants are shipped acclimation-ready, but they are transitioning from a sterile lab environment into the natural world.

Some visual stress is completely normal during this process. We generally recommend waiting 7 to 14 days before repotting and maintaining high humidity initially.

Many growers prefer using humidity domes or covered seedling trays for 2 to 4 weeks while roots establish.

How do I properly handle tissue culture plants after arrival?

Wash your hands and work on a clean surface away from open windows or strong airflow.

Gently rinse the agar from the roots using lukewarm water. Avoid pulling aggressively on the roots.

A soft paintbrush can help safely remove leftover agar from delicate areas.

What environment do tissue culture plants need after arrival?

Newly transferred tissue culture plants need high humidity and stable temperatures while acclimating.

Recommended conditions include:

• Humidity between 80% and 95%
• Bright indirect light
• No direct sunlight initially
• Stable warm temperatures
• Humidity domes or covered trays

What is the difference between transit stress and a dead plant?

Normal transit stress may include:

• Yellowing leaves
• Soft agar
• Drooping structure
• Minor browning

These symptoms are common and do not mean the plant is dead.

A true dead-on-arrival plant typically appears fully black, melted, decomposed, and without visible roots or growth points.

How do I contact support?

You can:

• Call or text 954-696-0882
• Use the live chat button on the website

We try to respond within the hour or the same day whenever possible. We operate in Eastern Standard Time and provide support 7 days a week.

Do you offer a referral program?

Yes. Rare Root Labs offers a referral program that can provide credits toward future plant orders.

In many cases, we provide a wholesale inquiry form for your website. If referrals from your website place orders with us, you may receive credits for free plants as a thank you for your support.

My box arrived damaged. What should I do?

Immediately record an unboxing video and take clear photos of:

• The outside box
• Internal packaging
• Any affected plants

Even if the box appears damaged, the plants are often still healthy and viable. Claims are evaluated based on actual plant condition, not box appearance.

What warranty plans do you offer?

Because we are dealing with live plants and shipping variables, there are no formal warranty plans in place.

However, we always do our best to ensure plants arrive safely and in good condition. If issues occur, contact us immediately and we will work through the situation with you.

Shipping carrier issues such as lost or delayed packages may require claims through FedEx or UPS.

How do I submit a claim?

All claims require:

• A clear unboxing video recorded on delivery day
• Clear photos of the affected plants

The unboxing video is mandatory for claims processing. Every situation is reviewed individually and we always try to work toward a fair solution.

I received the wrong plant. What happens next?

Contact us with photos of the received plant. We will verify the order records and issue a credit for the correct plant value if confirmed.

In most cases, you may keep the incorrect plant and the correct plant will be included in a future shipment if available.

What happens if a plant is missing from my order?

Contact us immediately and provide a clear unboxing video. We will compare the shipment against our packing and shipping records.

If the missing item is confirmed, we will either issue a refund or provide credit for the missing plant.