A popular TikTok video shows gardeners the right way to cut down flower plants once their bulbs turn brown.
The scoop
TikTok user Jessica (@fromdreamtoseed) shared a video demonstrating what to do once your flower bulbs turn brown and begin to flake off. When you see this happen, the TikToker explains, you should cut away just the stalk holding the bulb but leave the leaves where they are — so long as they're still green.
Once those turn brown, you can also cut them away. In the video, Jessica demonstrates with a daffodil, but the hack can be used on other flowers, too. As she explains, the green leaves contribute to the plant's overall health.
"Don't cut down these leaves until they start to brown and die back," she says. "The leaves are helping the plant to make and store energy for next year's growth."
@fromdreamtoseed Flower garden tip! Leave the leaves on spring flowering bulbs until they start to brown. They are helping to plant to store energy for next year's growth.
♬ Here Comes the Sun - HERDIANSYAH
How it's helping
Using Jessica's hack saves you time since you don't need to replant every time you pick your flowers. It also lets you enjoy the visual appeal of bright, green leaves in your garden for longer.
Allowing those green leaves to stay where they are is also good for the environment.
During photosynthesis, leaves store energy from sunlight and turn it into sugars required for their growth. But during that process, they also recycle carbon dioxide — a toxic gas that contributes to rising temperatures and pollution. Photosynthesis pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and transforms it into usable food for plants, all while producing more oxygen for humans and animals to breathe.
What everyone's saying
Commenters shared their tips and asked Jessica for more advice.
"Gram always just braided them and tucked them under other plants," wrote one commenter.
"How about tulips, do we cut them the same?" asked one fan, to which the video creator responded, "Yep! Although tulips don't come back as steadily in most zones. You can sometimes get another year or two. Rarely they will naturalize."
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