Do you have a houseplant that has passed away? Or perhaps one that is dying? If you’ve got a houseplant that’s seen better days, don’t just toss it in the trash!
There are many environmentally friendly ways to dispose of your dead plants. We’re going to show you seven ideas for how to get rid of your old plants. Some of these methods even allow you to give your plants away to someone else!
So don’t waste any time - read on for tips on how to properly dispose of your dead house plants.
Contents
7 Ways To Dispose Of Dead House Plants Without Throwing Them In Trash.
Find a Green-Thumb Friend
First things first, is there anything to salvage? If your plant is not fully dead, but more on the way out finding a friend with a good green thumb would be best. Most plant-loving friends would be happy to take up the chance to revive an unhappy plant.
Propagate what’s Left
Are there any living branches or leaves remaining? If so, you may be able to propagate that remaining piece. You can propagate almost any plant through a live stem or even just a leaf.
Compost
The optimal way to handle it is to add your plant to your composting system to allow leaves to break down, in the most holistically beneficial way. If you don’t have your own composting system, check to see if your municipality has a composting service available.
Make Compost Tea
While a debated technique, you can put your plant in a bucket of water and let it sit for two days. At the end of two days, pour the water on your outside plants as compost tea.
Trench Composting
Short for: dig a hole and bury your dead plant. Really! That’s all Trench Composting is. While it’s not as optimal as composting, it’s still better than sending your plant to the dump. Burying leaves slows their decay rate, recycling many of the nutrients in the plants into new bacteria, fungi, insects, plants, and animals.
Add to your Yard Waste Collection
Most cities offer yard waste collection, similar to trash and recycle. Yard Waste collection will often be listed on the city calendar of trash and recycle pickup.
Dry it Out and Frame it
If you’re not into the icky-ness of dealing with decomposing plants, or don’t have a composting system, you could try drying out your plant. This is best for leaves and flowers. You can do this by hanging the plant upside down in a dry and dark place until the leaves are crispy. Once they’re dried, you can press them in a heavy book or frame them.
Next time your beautiful fern dies, don’t be so quick to toss it in the trash – try one of these alternatives first! And remember, if all else fails, composting is always a great way to go!
If you have more than one throwing away yard waste pickup per week, many communities have participants who will pick up your throwing stepping stones up to a certain weight. Just give them a call, and they will be more than happy to help you out!