DGI Propagators

What DGI Propagators does

DGI Propagators is a privately held wholesale young plant propagator headquartered at 7073 40th Ave, Hudsonville, Michigan, operating under that name since its rebranding from the original Duwayne's Greenhouse, which was founded circa 1970. The company produces vegetative cuttings and plug trays in three standardized configurations—51-cell (25mm), 36-cell (35mm), and 18-cell (45mm)—covering tried-and-true ornamental standards (begonias, geraniums, petunias) alongside proprietary assortments and the Sunfinity sunflower line, sourced from leading plant breeders. Production integrates a biological pest management program using Nemasys nematodes applied on alternating weeks alongside beneficial insects to control fungus gnats and thrips, supporting a clean-stock protocol under which no returns are accepted.

DGI sells exclusively through a network of 12 named broker/distributor partners—Ball Horticultural, BFG Supply, McHutchison, Michells, Griffin, Germania Seed, Vandenberg Horticulture, ePlantSource, EHR, Hortmark, Spring Valley Flowers, and Express Seed Company—rather than directly to growers. Orders are placed via the broker-only ePicas production and availability platform and fulfilled through three channels: dedicated Grower Truck delivery with tiered route minimums (24–100 trays depending on week) including a Colorado route for western customers, UPS shipping nationwide except Idaho in summer/fall, and on-site Customer Pick-Up at the Hudsonville facility during weeks 18–39. The company is owned and operated by Craig Stevens (Owner & General Manager), with a small leadership team including Harmoni Sadler (CFO & HR), Kathy Hull (Director of Sales & Marketing), and product, account, and logistics managers; there are no disclosed external investors, parent companies, or institutional backers.

The business model is straightforward unit-based hardware sales: per-plug and per-tray pricing set at DGI's discretion and notified to brokers, with ancillary fees for tagging ($0.069/tag), boxing for pickup ($1.57/box), mum netting ($0.48/net or $12/bundle of 25), and a tariff surcharge of $0.008 per plug (excluding Mexico-origin items). Forward visibility is driven by an annual catalog cadence (Spring 2027, Spring 2026, Summer/Fall 2026), email signup, and engagement events including the Cultivate trade show and the MI Garden Plant Tour held annually at the Hudsonville facility.

Name

DGI Propagators

Legal name

DGI Propagators

Website

https://dgiprop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DGI Propagators is a privately held, 50+ year-old wholesale plug propagator in Hudsonville, Michigan, producing 51/36/18-cell young plant trays of ornamentals (begonias, geraniums, petunias, Sunfinity sunflowers) and selling exclusively through a network of 12 horticultural broker partners using biological pest control.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ornamental Young Plant Propagation

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Propagation & Seedling/Plug Production (Vegetable Transplants, Tissue-Culture Liners) (AFAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vegetative Propagation (Cuttings, Clonal Forestry, Tissue Culture) (AFAMADAE), Greenhouse Floriculture (Cut Flowers) (AFAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Young plant propagation
• Ornamental plug production
• Vegetative cuttings
• Greenhouse horticulture
• Wholesale nursery stock

Headquarters

HQ city

Hudsonville, MI

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Young Plant Sales: DGI Propagators sells young plant propagules (plugs) to growers through a broker network. Products include begonias, geraniums, petunias, and assorted trays in 51-cell, 36-cell, and 18-cell formats. Pricing includes plant material, optional tagging services, and shipping charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DGI Propagators is a wholesale young plant propagator producing plugs and vegetative cuttings in 51-cell, 36-cell, and 18-cell tray configurations for commercial greenhouse growers. The product range spans tried-and-true ornamental standards (begonias, geraniums, petunias) to the latest breeder introductions, plus a proprietary assorted tray line and Sunfinity sunflower. Distribution is handled exclusively through a network of horticultural broker partners, with delivery via company-operated Grower Truck routes, UPS, or customer pickup.

Product overview

DGI Propagators (formerly Duwayne's Greenhouse) operates as a wholesale young plant propagator specializing in ornamental horticulture. The company produces a diverse selection of quality young plants including vegetative cuttings and plugs in three tray configurations (51-cell, 36-cell, and 18-cell trays producing 25mm, 35mm, and 45mm plugs respectively). Their product portfolio encompasses tried-and-true standards in begonias, geraniums, and petunias alongside the latest introductions from leading plant breeders, plus their proprietary assorted trays and Sunfinity sunflower line. The company distributes exclusively through broker networks (Ball Horticultural, BFG Supply, McHutchison, Michells, and others) with multiple delivery options including grower truck, UPS, and customer pickup. Supporting services include a biological pest management program using Nemasys nematodes and beneficial insects, the ePicas web-based ordering platform, and seasonal catalogs for Spring and Summer/Fall planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Young Plant Plugs and Cuttings

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ball Horticultural CocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHeadquarters in West Chicago, Illinois. One of the largest horticultural distributors. Contact: [email protected], (800) 879-BALL or ColorLink: (800) 686-7380.
• BFG Supply CocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Grand Rapids, MI. Contact: [email protected], (800) 883-0234.
• McHutchisoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHeadquarters in Naperville, IL. Contact: [email protected], (800) 943-2230.
• MichellscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHeadquarters in King of Prussia, PA. Contact: [email protected], (800) 422-4678.
• Vandenberg HorticulturecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Howell, MI. Contact: [email protected], (800) 955-3813.
• GriffincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHeadquarters in Tewksbury, MA. Contact: [email protected], (800) 888-0054.
• Germania Seed CocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Chicago, IL. Contact: [email protected], (800) 380-4721.
• ePlantSource, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Highlands Ranch, CO. Contact: [email protected], (720) 702-1017.
• EHRcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Ft Wright, KY. Contact: [email protected], (800) 214-2221.
• HortmarkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Capac, MI. Contact: [email protected], (800) 482-4800.
• Spring Valley FlowerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Fredericksburg, OH. Contact: [email protected], (330) 695-5916.
• Express Seed CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocated in Oberlin, OH. Contact: 800-221-3838.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Proven Winners: National branded ornamentals network producing and marketing finished plants and liners through a network of propagators. Comparable as a brand-anchored producer of starter plants that overlaps with DGI's plug and Sunfinity-style offerings.
• Syngenta Flowers: Global flower breeding and young plant production business serving greenhouse growers. Overlaps DGI's breeder-introduction and plug production space at a much larger, multi-region scale.
• Danziger: Israeli-based flower breeder and propagator supplying unrooted cuttings and young plants globally. Comparable in providing latest genetics to plug producers and competing for grower attention on the same retail shelves.
• Ball Seed / Ball Horticultural: One of North America's largest horticultural distributors and breeding companies, and a DGI broker partner. Comparable as a broader incumbent supplying growers across categories with competing plug and liner programs.
• Selecta One: International breeder and young plant producer of ornamental cuttings and poinsettias. Comparable in producing starter plant material for greenhouse finishing operations across multiple geographies.

Direct peers

• ForemostCo: Florida-based young plant producer and tropical liner supplier serving greenhouse growers across North America. Comparable in propagating starter material for broker and grower distribution.
• Green Leaf Plants (Aris Horticulture): Young plant and perennial liner producer serving greenhouse growers and brokers nationally. Directly comparable in plug/liner propagation, tray formats, and broker-led distribution.
• Pacific Plug & Liner: California-based wholesale young plant propagator producing plugs and liners for greenhouse growers through broker and direct channels. Direct peer in plug production with overlapping tray configurations and broker-distributed ornamentals.
• Pleasant View Gardens: New Hampshire wholesale greenhouse and young plant producer offering Proven Winners liners and finished plants. Comparable as a regional young-plant propagator serving brokers and grower customers in the Northeast.

Emerging players

• Speedling: Transplant and young plant producer primarily focused on vegetables, with adjacent ornamental capability. Comparable as a tray-based propagation operator serving commercial growers, with partial overlap in plug production systems.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dgi-propagators

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DGI Propagators