I was ‘quoted’ in the article How to save on money on nearly everything in USA Weekend last weekend.
Garden and lawn care
Smart: Don’t hesitate to go for garden center leftovers. Annuals and perennials are likely root-bound by now, leaving you free to negotiate a lower price. Many plants can be given a makeover with this quick fix from Craig Cramer of Cornell University’s horticulture department: Turn the root ball upside down and use a knife to cut an X halfway up into the soil. Spread the four flaps and plant in well-prepared soil or potting mix. Then cut off the flowers and cut back the stems by about one-third to encourage the plant to take root faster. Water frequently
I use the air-quote around ‘quoted’ because I didn’t come up with this idea — even though I’ve done this with many pot-bound plants. A few weeks ago I got a call from a fact-checker from USA Today asking me if this really worked. I suggested some ‘weasel words’ like ‘Many plants will benefit from … ‘ because I know that this doesn’t work well with all plants you’ll find busting out of their pots this time of the year.
I wasn’t surprised to see that they didn’t take my advice on the weasel words. But I was surprised to see my name in the article.
Thanks to all who saw the article and emailed.
I can’t think of a plant that didn’t survive this around here – I got some great bargains at Lowes a few years ago.
Hey, you’re famous!
That’s pretty cool. The name drop and the method for root bound plants (a much more elegant way than my yank and tear method).