With warmer weather settling in, gardeners' flowers are blossoming. One gardener discovered a simple way to multiply their beautiful blooms.
The scoop
Instagrammer and flower farmer Meg (@dudegardens) has a social media page filled with photos of gorgeous, colorful flowers. In a recent post, they share how you can grow more blooms of your own.
The video tutorial explains how to propagate dahlia plants. "I'm obsessed. I'm all about creating as many dahlias as possible," Meg said.
First, pinch (or cut) some stems from your dahlia plant, taking care to cut in the proper location — right above a node. Cutting just below a node can leave the plant susceptible to diseases, which could kill it, and stops the plant from growing new stems.
Next, place the cuttings into soil, and allow them to root for about two weeks.
Each cutting will become a new plant ready to grow more dahlias. "That plant will be the exact same variety from what you took the cutting from," Meg said.
How it's working
Propagation can help gardeners grow more plants without spending extra money or time in a store. Using what you already have, you can create additional plants. The more plants you have, the more opportunities there are to garden.
Gardening has many benefits, including stress relief, mood boosts, and higher self-esteem. Those who participate in community gardens experience even more mental health benefits, including an improved sense of well-being.
In addition, gardening offers great physical exercise that's healthy for your heart. People who grow their own produce (did you know you can eat dahlias?) also have a healthier diet filled with more fiber.
Growing produce comes with its own benefits as well. It saves gardeners even more time and money, and it's helpful for the environment.
Those who grow their own food don't need to buy as many groceries from the store, which cuts down on packaging plastics that end up in landfills and reduces air pollution caused by food transportation.
What people are saying
Other Instagrammers were excited to try this hack. Some already knew it and loved it.
"It's been my favorite 'trick' to share!" one user commented.
Another user said: "Good to know! I've been afraid of pinching them off but now that I know the cuttings will root, I'll definitely give it a shot."
"This is awesome, and I can't wait for more," another enthusiastic user wrote.
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