Occasionally, a piece of a beautiful annual plant will break off. Instead of throwing it away, this TikToker shows how to turn it into another gorgeous plant.
The scoop
Gardener Kaleb Wyse (@wyseguide) posted a video detailing how to transform plant waste into new life by sharing advice from his mother and grandmother.
@wyseguide Broken annuals? Don't throw them away, but put them to use!
♬ original sound - Kaleb Wyse
In the post, Kaleb takes a piece of a plant that's broken off and puts it into a small glass of water.
Once the plant has been submerged for a while, it starts to grow its own healthy roots. The TikToker shows an example with a piece of a Dragon Wing Begonia. He takes the broken piece out of the water to reveal tons of little roots that have emerged from the bottom of the plant. "Look at all that beautiful root structure," he said.
Kaleb advises you can then put your new plant into a pot or the ground. You can also try this hack with cuttings from your plants. "These are great ways to get more plants for free," the gardener added.
How it's working
Gardening has many benefits, including stress reduction, less anxiety, and other mental health perks. It's also great physical exercise that can get you fresh air and sunshine. With this hack, you can garden even more without spending money on new plants at your local nursery.
Gardeners who grow their own food get even more benefits, like a healthier diet filled with more fiber. They also save money by no longer needing to buy produce, and instead, they can get it from their own backyard. Getting fresh fruits and vegetables from your garden is great for your health and your wallet.
Growing your own food is also beneficial for the environment. Mass-produced, store-bought, and globally shipped produce contributes to large amounts of methane-producing food waste and requires the use of dirty energy for transportation. Methane is a potent planet-warming gas.
Store-bought food, even produce, often comes in packaging that, immediately becomes waste. There's no packaging required for picking fruits and vegetables at home.
What people are saying
Commenters on the TikTok post were excited to try this hack and share their experiences. One user wrote: "My kitchen window is full of plants propagating!"
Another user said: "I love this idea."
One commenter wrote: "I did this with what I thought was a dead geranium last year and now it's in a pot blooming again!"
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