Canberra woman shares the little-known trick to  stop her plants from dying after overwatering them

Why you should put a tampon in your PLANTS: Woman reveals the bizarre trick she uses to stop her plants from dying – and it works every time

  • A Canberra woman has shared a little-known trick to stop her plants from dying
  • The plant owner, from Canberra, decided to put unused tampons in the dirt
  • The product doubled in size after soaking up all the excess water from the pots
  • She said the trick works well for those who accidentally overwater their plants

A woman has explained how sticking tampons in the soil of her indoor plants can stop them from being overwatered every time.

The plant owner, from Canberra, decided to put the feminine hygiene product in the dirt of her hoya plants after she accidentally drowned them in water.

Within hours, she returned to find the tampons had doubled in size after soaking up all the excess water from the pots.

When the roots are drowning in water, the plant can’t get the nutrients from the soil or supply water to the upper parts of the leaves so it would start to change colour, wilt or die.

A woman plugged tampons in the soil of her plants after she accidentally overwatered them

‘Need a laugh and a hack? I overwatered a few of my hoyas of late and I was worried about these new ones having the same issue,’ she said in a Facebook group.

‘I don’t use tampons but had them in the back of the cupboard and half the packets were damaged and were rubbish anyway so thought I would give it a go.

‘It bloody worked. They have doubled in size. So much moisture drawn out of the soil in only a few hours. So if you accidentally over-water your sensitive plants, plug a tampon in it.’

Hundreds of plant owners were stunned by the simple method, with many describing it as ‘genius’, a ‘game changer’, ‘smart’ and a ‘great idea’. 

Hundreds of plant owners were stunned by the simple method, with many describing it as 'genius', a 'game changer', 'smart' and a 'great idea'

Hundreds of plant owners were stunned by the simple method, with many describing it as ‘genius’, a ‘game changer’, ‘smart’ and a ‘great idea’

‘This is genius! Omg I’ve been using rolled up toilet paper and replacing every few hours, this is so much better,’ one woman said. 

‘I never would have thought of this! Winning,’ another said, while one joked: ‘Can you hang on a minute, I gotta go change my plants tampon. Love it! Great idea!’

One person admitted the tampon trick will come in handy for her plants because she’s a ‘chronic over-waterer [sic].’

Another plant owner said: ‘OMG wish I had known this, just re-potted a prayer plant in hopes I didn’t drown it! Fabulous!’

Within hours, she returned to find the feminine hygiene product had doubled in size after soaking up all the excess water from the pots

Within hours, she returned to find the feminine hygiene product had doubled in size after soaking up all the excess water from the pots

Others suggested using the tampon as a ‘self watering’ plant system by placing the end of the string in a bowl of water.

‘I saw someone use this in a kind of the opposite way. They were going away, so they stuck the tampon in through the bottom and let the string dangle in a bowl of water. Self watering system,’ one said.

Another woman added: ‘That’s a good idea if you’re travelling and can’t water your plants or get a house sitter, while one suggested: ‘Tampons absorb but if you can keep that string in water, it should keep that tampon wet in the pot for a while.’

Meanwhile, others thanked the woman for brightening up their day with her tip.

‘This made me laugh hysterically,’ one woman said, while another added: ‘Amazing tip! Gonna try it. Just can’t stop laughing!’