A circle of friends connected by gut touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On November 20, Tom, the representative of Abnormal Inc. who is addicted to “Staghorn” will appear. We asked him about his fascination with the ornamental plant “Staghorn” that led him to decide to quit his job and start his own business.
INDEX
Fascinated by “Staghorn” at the Corona Disaster
Tom: My name is Tom of Abnormal Corporation, which grows and sells the artistic plant “Staghorn”.
Takano (MC): You actually brought such an artistic plant, Staghorn, to our studio.
Celeina(MC): This is the Staghorn!
Takano: It’s quite large.
Tom: This is a very small type of Staghorn, and some of the larger ones are as tall as a person.
Celeina: Once again, what is Staghorn?
Tom：It originates from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia, and is a plant that grows on trees in forests.
Celeina: A plant that grows out of trees?
Tom: I imagine the plants are attached to different trees.
Takano: So the one you brought this time is also attached to something like cork.
Tom: This is a cork material with a local image cut out of it and tailored like this.
Takano: It looks cool, like a picture in a frame.
Tom: This kind of coordination is one of the charms of Staghorn.
Takano:The design is something you don’t usually see, or the otherworldliness is appealing.
Tom: When I first saw it, I was also shocked to see a plant that could be hung on a wall. From there, I was swamped.
Celeina：Tom, when did you first encounter the Staghorn?
Tom: I bought my first Staghorn around 2020, just as the Corona Disaster started working from home, and I was swamped from there. I quit my job in March of this year (2023) and started a company to grow and sell Staghorn in May.
Takano: So that’s how attractive Staghorn was to you.
Tom: Yes, they are. When you grow them, you get hooked.
Celeina：Do you get addicted to it because you enjoy the process of growing it? What was the point that got you hooked, Tom?
Tom: At first, I thought it was nice because of its interior design, but when I actually grew it, I found that it grew much faster than other plants.
Celeina: It sounds like it gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Tom: Yes, it does. With cacti, for example, you can’t really tell if they are growing or not, but with Staghorn, you can see quite a difference in less than three days.
Celeina: On the other hand, are you saying that just leaving it alone for three days can make a big difference?
Tom: If you leave it alone for three days, it will grow quite a few new leaves.
Takano: Indeed, the leaves are spreading.
Tom: There are two kinds of leaves: sporophytes that spread out in a radial, geometric shape, and water-storing leaves that look like a crown.
Takano: They look like deer antlers.
Tom: The very word “Staghorn” refers to the antlers of a deer.
Takano: I had no idea (haha). I thought it was cool because it looked like a plant from the magical world.
