Many things that you’d ordinarily throw away as table scraps can be recycled into lovely house plants with just a little patience, time and TLC plus some potting soil, water, pots and clear plastic bags. Kids especially will love to see how easy it is to create a little magic with these “throwaways.”
While doing the Home Show I saw a pineapple top turned into a pineapple plant and a avocado turned into a tree that my cousin still grows in her yard in Palm Springs. It truly is amazing what can grow off the table. This is also a great project to do with kids and grandkids.
Planting seeds
As you use lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits, remove the seeds or pits, rinse them off, and place them in a small dish of water. Allow them to soak for about 24 hours to soften the outside covering. For seeds with a hard outer shell, remove or peel off the outer layer. Plant the soaked seeds about 1/2 inch deep in damp potting soil. Cover the entire pot by slipping it inside a plastic bag and zipping or tying the bag shut. Moisture will condense from the damp soil onto the bag and “rain” back on the soil to water seeds. Do not place bagged and potted seeds in direct sunlight or they will bake and fail to germinate.
Watch for tiny white or green shoots. When they appear, remove the plastic bag and place the pot into a warm (65 to 70 degrees), well-lighted place. Keep the soil damp, not wet. As pairs of leaves form, plants can be replanted into bigger pots.
Planting avocado pits
Remove the pit and wash it off. Stick toothpicks into each of the four sides of the pit at equal distances from the ends of the pit. Suspend the toothpicks on top of a clear glass or jar of water; you can watch roots form on the new plant. Be sure the flat end of the pit is in the water, and keep the water over that end of the pit. After roots have formed, plant the pit in a 6-inch pot and place in a warm, light place. Keep the soil damp and transplant as the new avocado plant continues to grow.
Planting sweet potatoes
Use toothpicks placed around the center of a whole sweet potato to suspend the end in water (same procedure as for the avocado pit). When the roots and ivylike shoots start to grow, transplant into a container of potting soil.
