During the lockdown period, many seasonal plants like marigold, rose that were kept for sale at Abdul Kalam Nursery Garden in Aminjikarai withered. This led to an estimated loss of Rs 4 lakh, said its owner Sikandar Baasha, who had borrowed the money hoping for a good business during the season. Now, he added, he is not able to pay back even the instalment of the money.

“We had faced a huge loss during the Vardhah cyclone. In the last six months, our lives were returning to normalcy. That is when COVID 19 struck,” said Baasha. These seasonal plants should be sold within these three peak summer months. But his nursery has a little less than one lakh plants and regular customers are buying just one or two saplings a week.

“The saplings like mangoes, guavas can be maintained for around four to six months. But seasonal plants should be sold before the saplings grow too big. Otherwise, there won’t be any growth of flowers or fruits,” said horticulturist Velayutham K.

“Saplings are similar to flowers – if there is no sale, we have to dump it. If a plant remains in a plastic cover for more than 15 days, it would be damaged. Also, saplings should be sold before the roots start growing, or else flowers won’t grow,” said A Nandhakumar, who runs Divya Nursery Garden at Villivakkam. With no income for more than 40 days, Nandhakumar – and many like him – are surviving on borrowed money.

Wholesale dealers, too, are facing difficulties, though they are maintaining the plants hoping for a reversal of fortunes after the lockdown ends. Summers are a difficult month for nurseries when their business get affected. This time around, the lockdown made it worse, said Kothai G, owner of Anand wholesale garden in Kolathur, who pegs his losses at Rs 50,000. Though few shops had reopened on Monday, there hardly were any customers, said nursery owners.