Not an ad or anything but I got it from light.bio if you’re curious. Super cool product, I’ve been waiting for a company to successfully bring a bioluminescent plant to the market for a decade and it finally happened!

11 points

Man… Fuck the US patent system. “Our Firefly Petunias are protected under patent, and as such, propagation and breeding are not permitted. These petunias are sold exclusively for personal use.”

permalink
report
reply
1 point

To be fair, they probably spent years of time, effort and money to design this product. Why should someone else be able to propagate it and profit from their blood sweat and tears?

permalink
report
parent
reply
8 points

Don’t get me wrong, I still feel dirty for defending the US patent system. lol

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

I mean they invested into R&D to develop it, I think it’s fair for them to have exclusive rights to sell it to recoup that investment and make a profit. This is a novelty item, not like an essential staple food or medication.

permalink
report
parent
reply
23 points
*

‘Personal use’ covers propagation and breeding by an individual, for non-commercial purposes. Nobody’s saying -you- can’t try to propigate or breed them, but you could be libel if you try to make money off the endeavor.

In this case I would say the patent system is working as intended, in that it gives some protection to LightBio’s investment into creating the firefly. While I would LOVE to see an expanded variety available from other -commercial- growers (with MUCH larger operations and funding), I don’t want it to be at the expense of LightBio’s effort, or the commercial success they’ve earned for creating it in the first place.

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

You could give them away as gifts legally right?

permalink
report
parent
reply
6 points

Yeah, just don’t set up a competing business and you’re fine.

permalink
report
parent
reply
5 points

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it is what it is, however petunias are very easy to propagate and you can do whatever you want with your plant as long as you aren’t selling it.

I already have a second one growing from a cutting I took.

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Ok, I’ll take back some of my hate. I thought they had put some sort of monsanto-like ‘if you try to reproduce it on your own they’ll die’ gene.
If it’s not ‘pay $40 if you want another plant’ then that’s more reasonable.

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

Did you do anything special with the cutting? I want to keep growing a few more of these and maybe save some for next year.

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

I just dipped the base of it in root growth hormone powder before planting.

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

Heck yeah! I’m excited for mine to arrive!!

permalink
report
reply
1 point
Deleted by creator
permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

I live in the Netherlands and GMO’s are banned here so I hope some get to Switzerland(not EU) where I could buy them and then import them like glofish.

permalink
report
reply
3 points

Mine arrived all mangled, with most of the roots ripped off during shipping. It’s recovering now, looking forward to hopefully getting to see the bioluminescence in a few weeks

permalink
report
reply
2 points

Treat it well and the new growth will be bright!

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

I wish they would do shipping to Europe.

permalink
report
reply
6 points

I think it might be against the law in Europe. I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s a lot harder to sell/ship a GMO plant there.

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

I think that’s mostly food regulations, but I’m not an expert of the field. Might apply more broadly as well.

permalink
report
parent
reply

Houseplants

!houseplants@mander.xyz

Create post

Welcome to /c/houseplants @ Mander.xyz!

In between life, we garden.



About

We’re a warm and informative space for plant enthusiasts to connect, learn, and flourish together. Dive into discussions on care, propagation, and styling, while embracing eco-friendly practices. Join us in nurturing growth and finding serenity through the extraordinary world of houseplants.

Need an ID on your green friends? Check out: !plantid@mander.xyz

Get involved in Citizen Science: Add your photo here to help build a database of plants across the entire planet. This database is used by non-profits, academia, and the sciences to promote biodiversity, learning and rewilding.

Rules

  1. Don’t throw mud. Be kind and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.



Resources

Recommendations

Health

Identification

Light Information

Databases

FOSS Tools



Similar Communities

DM us to add yours! :)

General

Gardening

Species

Regional

Science


Sister Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Plants & Gardening

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Memes


Community stats

  • 669

    Monthly active users

  • 280

    Posts

  • 1.2K

    Comments