Woman's genius 'tampon hack' brings overwatered plants back from the dead

Tampon in plant soil
"Bloody genius." Photo credit: Facebook.

Many plant parents will know the pain of being a little overenthusiastic when watering houseplants, an act which can leave sad, drowned greenery behind. 

But one woman has shared an unexpected hack for bringing plants back from the dead, and it doesn't require any fancy fertiliser. 

Instead, you just need a box of tampons.

Australian woman Empress Eyrie says she decided to put the feminine hygiene product in the dirt of her hoya plants after accidentally drowning them in water.

"I overwatered a few of my hoyas of late and I was worried about these new ones having the same issue," she wrote in a Facebook post. 

"I saw this tip in the comments of another group and decided to try it myself. 

"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 - and it bloody worked." 

Eyrie wrote that the tampons "doubled in size" in a short amount of time.

"So if you accidentally overwater your sensitive plant, plug a tampon in it."

The post has received comments from other plant parents dubbing the hack "bloody genius" - pun firmly intended.

According to another commenter, the trick can also be used in reverse. 

"I saw someone use this in a kind of opposite way," they commented. "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."

A Newshub reporter and plant enthusiast has also suggested sprinkling a little cinnamon on the overwatered soil. "It draws out moisture and prevents against fungus gnats," she advises. 

It's useful knowledge, especially as TikTok user and plant specialist Reagan Kastner recently told followers that overwatering is one of the worst crimes you can do. 

"Stick your finger about this deep in [soil] if you take it out and you see dirt on it, don't water! Overwatering kills plants," Kastner revealed in the clip. 

She went on to explain that if you let the soil get "completely bone dry" your plant may get a little sad, but it will "bounce back".

"But if you overwater it, it will not bounce back." 

Not if you don't have a tampon on hand, that is.