Every once in a while, I meet someone whose story reminds me exactly why I started Growing Joy with Plants. Someone whose journey with plants isn’t just about trends or Instagram-worthy leaves but about resilience, identity, and choosing joy when life forces a pivot. Richard Pham, also known as @lordfierce on Instagram and the founder of Plant Daddy MD, is one of those people. When I met him at a Plant Con, his energy was bright, curious, kind, and clearly someone who had followed plants as a calling. Now he’s here on the show to share his story and proof that building a full-time income with plants is possible. Come join us!

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [03:15] Meet Richard “Lord Fierce,” the NYC plant doctor behind Plant Daddy MD!
• [05:26] Growing up with plants in a Vietnamese immigrant household
• [07:13] How did Richard develop his love for plants?
• [10:18]  What did his plant collection start as, and what has it grown into? 
• [12:13] Why he decided to chase “difficult plants”
• [13:35] Reverse-engineering a UC Berkeley syllabus for self-education
• [14:51] Learn how to make plant care foolproof with Espoma Organic’s premium products!
• [17:01] Experience honey with superpowers and save up to 31% plus $25 in free gifts at Manukora!
• [19:02] Why real plant expertise requires dirty hands
• [21:21] When did he start charging for his service?
• [23:03] Building an “ICU” for sick plants behind the scenes
• [24:29] When house calls turned a hobby into paid work
• [26:03] How job loss turned his life around
• [29:16] Learning entrepreneurship from everyday resilience
• [33:04] A day in the life of a NYC plant doctor
• [35:39] How he treats pest infestations for his clients
• [37:49] Corporate installs, repotting, and office plant styling
• [38:43] How he rescued a 14-foot fiddle leaf fig with bonsai techniques
• [40:56] The wildest plant call yet: a “ghost cactus” mystery (exoskeleton of scales)
• [45:08] The unglamorous reality of professional plant care
• [45:32] What’s inside a plant doctor’s kit
• [46:13] The signature Plant Daddy MD look
• [46:31] Where to find Richard, book him, and follow his work

 

 

 

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From Corporate Life to Indoor Plants in New York City

Like many urban plant parents, Richard didn’t set out to be a plant doctor. After growing up around plants cultivated by his mother (who immigrated from Vietnam and recreated familiar herbs and vegetables in their backyard), plants stayed quietly in the background of his life.

Things changed for him, though, when he started working in the Big Apple, surrounded by screens, concrete, and long hours indoors. Having a feeling of being disconnected from nature, he decided to buy a pothos… and from then on, one plant turned into many.

 

 

How Learning Plant Care Turned Into Plant Expertise

Richard’s relentless curiosity made him collect and also study plants. He said that enrolling in an expensive botany or horticulture course wasn't for him, so he reverse-engineered his own plant education. He found a university syllabus, checked out recommended textbooks from the library, and taught himself from the ground up.

However, he knew theory wasn’t enough, so he left his corporate job and began managing a plant shop in Brooklyn. There, he learned how plants behave in the real world. Pest infestations. Root rot. Emergency rescues. Customer mistakes. Trial, error, and repetition.

 

 

Becoming Plant Daddy MD

His reputation grew as his experience did. Friends sent him photos of dying plants. Customers came to the shop just to ask for Richard. He became known as the person who could diagnose almost any plant problem on sight until people started asking him to make house calls.

This was how his consulting business started.

Unfortunately, Richard was laid off from the plant shop just before the holidays. It was devastating, but right before leaving for a long-planned trip to Vietnam, a friend said something that stayed with him: “You're gonna be inspired going to Vietnam.”

 

 

Finding Inspiration Through Plants and Entrepreneurship in Vietnam

Yes, his friend was right. In Vietnam, Richard saw lush plants growing effortlessly in everyday spaces. Houseplants we baby in the US literally grow freely along sidewalks. But more than that, he saw entrepreneurship everywhere, people creating livelihoods with creativity and resourcefulness.

He then felt a sense of belonging, and when he returned to New York, he made a bold decision to build something of his own.

 

 

The Craziest Plant Doctor Story: A Cactus Covered in Scale Insects

A company reached out about their “ghost cactus,” which is a massive cactus that had become something of a mascot in their office. It was tall, pale, and almost glowing white. They were worried something might be off, but couldn’t quite tell what.

However, when Richard arrived, he realized that the ghostly white color was scales.

Not the brown one we recognize, but a clear variety stacked on top of each other until the cactus looked BLEACHED! It was an exoskeleton of pests.

Oh, the horror! It was also so big that Richard had to use a flathead screwdriver to physically scrape the scale off the cactus.

It was messy, gross, and truly crazy.

 

 

What Plant Daddy MD Looks Like Today

Today, Plant Daddy MD is a full-time plant care business in New York City.

Richard offers:

• plant doctoring/styling
• plant sitting
• plant maintenance
• plant installation

Every solution is tailored not just to the plant but to the person caring for it.

 

 

Lessons Plants Teach Us About Career Growth

Richard’s story reminds us that plants and people don’t grow in straight lines. Plant care teaches us patience and adaptability, and sometimes growth requires us to let something fall apart so something stronger can emerge.

If you’re standing at a crossroads, maybe this is your sign.

 

 

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Growing Joy Episode 250: The Business of Horticulture with Leslie Halleck
• Growing Joy Episode 272: Beneficial Insects For Effortless Houseplant Pest Management with Jamie of DMV Beneficials

 

 

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Espoma Organic

As we go deep into winter, make sure your plants are ready for the dormant season! Check their soil and repot and fertilize if needed with organic gardening products. Espoma Organic is dedicated to making safe indoor and outdoor gardening products for people, pets, and the planet. They have an amazing variety of high-quality, organic potting mixes, garden soil, fertilizers, and pest control products that are organic and eco-friendly. To top it all off, they have a huge sustainability commitment with a 100% solar-powered plant, zero waste manufacturing, and eco-friendly packaging.

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

Manukora

Cozy up with your favorite warm beverage this winter, made more delicious with Manukora! Manukora honey is a rich, creamy honey from the remote forests of New Zealand, ethically harvested and packed with powerful nutrients. It contains triple the antioxidants and prebiotics of regular honey, supporting immunity and gut health. Versatile and delicious, it can be used in coffee, smoothies, smoothie bowls, or enjoyed straight from the spoon for an energy boost.

Go to manukora.com/bloom to get up to 31% off the starter kit that includes their 850+ Manukora honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook, PLUS $25 worth of free gifts!

 

 

 

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