3 Tips for Getting Free Green Plants

1- Multiply your plants

If you already have indoor plants at home that you love, the first of the 3 tips for obtaining free green plants is to propagate them by division or cuttings. Gardeners who have a vegetable garden are familiar with the technique of multiplication by division, which applies for example to an aromatic plant like mint... It is possible to easily multiply certain green plants according to the same principle, by separating the roots, the rhizomes or the bulbs of the mother plant and transplanting them into a new pot.

You can carry out this division when repotting the mother plant in spring. Remove the root ball from the pot and carefully separate the roots, rhizomes or bulbs so as not to kill the mother plant. Also make sure that each daughter plant has stems with leaves so that it can grow through photosynthesis. Transplant the new plant into potting soil in a pot that is not too large. Place the pot in a bright room without direct sunlight and keep the substrate moist until the seedling has taken root. This propagation method works well for sansevieria, maranta and the ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia). Cuttings are another propagation technique that allows you to obtain new green plants for free. Simply take a stem with two or three leaves by cutting it with pruning shears about 1 cm below a node. Place the cutting thus obtained in a container filled with water, ensuring that the node is completely submerged but that no leaves are in contact with the water.

Store the container in a bright room without direct sunlight and change the water every week. Monitor the water level to 

prevent growing roots from becoming exposed. You can then put the cutting in the ground, making sure to keep the substrate 

always moist.

2- Barter plants

Once you have become an expert in dividing and cutting indoor plants, you can use a second solution to enrich your 

collection: plant swapping or green swapping!

This form of barter between gardeners has developed significantly over the last ten years. It allows you to obtain free 

green plants by exchanging them for your own plants and cuttings.

In addition to being economical, this tip has the advantage of being user-friendly and putting you in contact with other 

gardening enthusiasts who will introduce you to new varieties of indoor plants.

To participate in garden sales and exchange groups, I advise you to consult websites specializing in barter and the Troque 

ta plant Facebook page (link below).

This community of gardeners on Facebook gives lots of tips for successfully cutting many species. In short, it’s a real boon 

for any enthusiast who dreams of having lots of plants at home!

 3- Collect and plant fruit stones

We don't always think about it, but planting the stones of the fruits we eat is the last of the 3 tips for getting free green 

plants.

Almost everyone has at one time tried to germinate an avocado pit to obtain a potted avocado tree. But this fruit isn't the 

only one that can give you a nice free houseplant...

Here are other fruits and vegetables that you can grow at home:

• the mango tree by carefully collecting the kernel contained in the central pod of the mango (its fibrous core).

• lychee by germinating the stones.

• ginger and turmeric by germinating the rhizomes.

• sweet potato by choosing an organic tuber and simply germinating it in water.

• pineapple by collecting the crown of leaves from a Victoria pineapple for example.

• the coconut provided you are patient... Its germination takes 3 months but it is worth the effort because this fruit 

allows you to obtain a pretty palm tree or rather an indoor coconut tree!

Each of these crops requires patience and a particular technique. However, if you have a green thumb, germinating seeds 

is a fun and inexpensive way to get new houseplants for free.