People come into Genius Genus thinking they are tutors. But no. 

“We are not tutors,” says Christy Castro, co-owner with her husband, Ed, of a new shop in Mount Vernon’s Belle View Shopping Center. Genius Genus is a houseplant and plant-sitting store where the Castros typically have between 70 and 100 houseplants and other plant-themed items for sale.

“Bringing green inside creates a sense of place,” Christy Castro says. “A sense of peace and calm.” Shoppers are intrigued by the shop’s name. “Plants are the geniuses,” she explains. “I’m not. Mother Nature made them.”

The indoor plant industry got a boost from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, she argues. Cooped-up people during the lockdown wanted to bring some beauty into their homes and learned that houseplants also improve indoor air quality.

Genius Genus co-owner Christy Castro and a pencil cactus.

 

Christy got the “house plant bug” from her mother and grandmother, who always had plants inside their homes. She still cherishes her great-great-grandmother’s begonia.

The Castros shop in greenhouses in Culpeper, Virginia; Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida for houseplants. Almost 60 percent of the plants are tropical.  Some of the more common popular plants are pothos (“devil’s ivy”), spider plants, begonias and philodendrons.  They have several shelves of plants that are safe for pets and children. 

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a list of toxic and non-toxic plants at https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants.

Plant prices range from $6 to several hundred dollars. Shoppers can be someone wanting a centerpiece to rare plant collectors.

The Castros offer houseplant care advice. A plant needs five things, Christy Castro stresses: water, light, food, soil and pruning. If customers are worried about insufficient light, they can buy grow lights in the shop. Some are simple bulbs that screw into a regular lamp.

The shop offers plant repotting, plant deliveries and plant sitting, which involves one of their staffers watering and feeding plants when owners are away.

Some customers come in and say, “I have a black thumb. I can’t grow anything.” Christy explains that customers must choose a plant that will work in the customer’s home’s atmosphere. A tropical plant does not necessarily need rainforest humidity. Think cactuses and succulents.

Plant Chats and Games

Eventually, the Castors hope to have a plant-themed game night with plant bingo. The prize? A house plant. They will host a Coffee, Tea, Me and Plants where people will discuss plants. “There are actually house plant groupies,” she snickers. “It’s a little-known obsession.”

In addition to plants, the shop has gifts, books, aprons, calendars, t-shirts, cards, coasters, vintage pots, grow kits, plant food, potting soil, plant accessories (including “plant jewelry”) and even plant-themed games with names like Verdant and Herbaceous. You can buy cat grass seeds to grow plants that cats can safely eat and create gift baskets.

The shop carries t-shirts, cards and totes made by Matt Zdance, who creates ink prints on various media and watercolors with pressed flowers made by Sydney Hunter.

Pet Walkers, Sitters and Taxis

For 15 years, the Castros have also had a pet sitting and dog walking business, called The Unleashed Pet. One of their six employees can visit the pet several times a day, if needed. This company’s service area is from Arlington’s Crystal City south to Fort Belvoir, most of the city of Alexandria and the Kingstowne area.

They also offer a pet taxi to take pets to the veterinarian and provide dog harnesses, seat belts and crates. They’ve even transported pets to and from weddings, beloved pets who were part of the wedding party.

Ed Castro grew up in Houston, Texas. Christy grew up in the Groveton and Dale City areas and in mid-October they moved the shop from Alexandria’s Prince Street to Belle View. “I love this area,” Christy said.

“Growing and caring for something is therapeutic,” Christy believes. 

They have at least 200 houseplants, four dogs and five cats in their home.

Information: www.thegeniusgenus.com and www.theunleashedpet.com