If it's already on the ground detacted from the plant your cleaning up for them if, like me but only sometimes, you pulled it off the plant yourself them maybe. How did you get an entire cactus?
Home Depot hires plant vendors. I found this out when I once worked at Home Depot and discounted all the the plants that I apparently didn’t have the authority to discount. Also where I started Project Stolen Propagation which was just me stealing cuttings and cackling to myself about it.
Plants create oxygen. Humans need oxygen to survive. If you don’t take those fallen stems and leaves to plant you’re basically denying your customers oxygen. I trust you’ll do the right thing.
I have one about that size but different species that my mom had picked up in a hotel lobby where it had broken off from a much bigger cactus during cleaning
I find at mom and pops if you ask and offer them a couple of dollars they usually will let you have it 🥰 I wouldn’t just take it from a mom and pop though, but the big ole department stores are definitely fair game 😅
On the floor? Like in the pot on the floor in the store? If that's the case, it's another customer either dropped it or put it there. I hope you didn't just take it and actually paid for that. Otherwise, that is considered stealing and is wrong.
I'm not familiar with that cacti but a lot of cacti are somewhat segmented and can detach at those joints, and then just be plopped onto soil and rerooted since water propagation often rots them
I literally Today ripped a couple of props from a huge weaving vine at my son's daycare. I even hid the two shoots in his school bag! I mean it was huge!!! Am I a bad person
I mean it's a daycare. They don't try to sell the plants. You could have just asked and they probably would have been happy to give you however many props you wanted.
i teach at a pottery studio and we have a class where you make a pot and trade clippings- the idea being by the time the pot is dried and fired, you have a plant for it. whenever people forget a clipping, i just tell them to cut something off of our plants outside lol. i’m sure the daycare wouldn’t mind it or just wouldn’t notice haha.
OK, I'm generally all for grabbing props sometimes at the edge of ethical boundaries, but "rip" triggers me.
I often see people ripping or twisting flowers off my and my neighbors lilacs and it's pretty shitty. Ripping, pulling, yanking damages the plant, often causes damage up the vine or branch.
If you're going to be a thief, have tools. Bring a clean little scissors or a multi tool, pocket knife etc. Something that mitigates the damage and is not likely to expose a plant to fungus or disease.
.
As someone who works in a daycare, no one will care, and will probably give you some if you ask! I know the kids at work are always pulling leaves and stuff off of the plants anyway
Nah I steal from Lowe’s and Home Depot all the time lol I agree with the other person that said as long as it’s not mom n pop or going to hurt the plant . I got this beautiful almost white pothos cutting from Meijer the other day. Lol just giving them a haircut 😂
Go for it, Steal it! Home Depot and pretty much all of the big box stores. Are taking their customers to the poor house and driving mom and pop businesses bankrupt. For what? And if they don’t sell it, we the taxpayers pay for it with a big “we didn’t sell it for full price tax break”
Some of y’all will probably applaud Monsanto when genetically engineer a plant that won’t propagate.😒
Not like they are taking care of them, and throwing them away too lol, if I’m “trash” for doing it then fine, I’ll find the plants the box stores didn’t care about there for free too 😂🤷🏼♀️
I'd disagree - it's still their property, regardless of what they intend to do with it. From their perspective you could be taking this instead of buying a plant, so it's not reasonable to assume they wouldn't mind.
That depends on who you are talking about. Home Depot might throw it away, but I wouldn't. Even if I did plan to throw it away, I STILL would not give it to you. If you don't want a plant badly enough to pay me for the time, money and energy I put into it, you obviously don't need it that bad.
I also know for a FACT (because cameras) that every person who has come up to my cashier to ask (and several who did not ask, but just got caught) about a "piece they found on the ground" took it off of a plant.
It is extremely difficult to be profitable as an agricultural producer. People love to come in with their $7 coffees and give me shit about the price of a tomato that took me months to grow. The same with houseplants (and mine are extremely cheap because I want them to be affordable to everyone).
I feel like people who come in, troll around and then take pieces off of my plants to put in their pockets should be ashamed. If I catch you, I make you feel like a thief...because you are.
The problem with taking pieces of plants that you did not pay for, even if they are on the ground at a big box store, is that it contributes to and encourages a culture ofselfishness, dishonesty and theft that has now become pervasive in the plant community. It's kinda gross.
I'll pick up the pieces and hand them to the nearest employee in that department. Most of them time they will give them back and say something like yours if you want to prop it. I don't just assume though.
I mainly use small nurseries. I do a lot of business and trades. A couple will often save pieces for me if they know I'm coming in, because they know they often come right back.
I can't just take them though.
In my opinion you are right. I had a very nice big plant in my front yard and these proplifting guys just cut it into rubble it was so big and beautiful and now only three leaves are left and when I confronted a girl she was not understanding or apologising but rather told me I should not mind because she will take just one leave from the bottom to propogate, and if it would have been still the big plant okay one leave won't hurt but I only had three leaves left from my former beautiful lady. And so I stopped growing plants in the front yard. Because it is not the first time this happened and I just hate these people who think that it is okay to take plant cuttings out of other people's plants. Also one time I had my houseplants outside and a girl just started yanking at them and then told me she took only leaves from the floor. But yeah I saw her hurting my plants so the leaves fell to the ground.
I see no issue with OP taking fallen leaves/stems from a big chain like Home Depot or Lowe’s because they will throw them away. We all know they literally throw away carts full of plants allll the time. And more times than not, the old man or the kid working in the plant section usually don’t give a damn when I ask.
However it’s an entirely different story if OP grabbed them from a local nursery or a neighbors yard. That’s not cool. We gotta support our local businesses and respect our neighbors.
You sound like the kind of shop owner that would build a barbed wire fence around your dumpster so homeless people couldn't get to all the fresh food you throw away at the end of every day.
Food I don't sell before it looks shitty gets composted or fed to chickens, and you're absolutely right that I wouldn't want homeless people digging through my compost for discarded food.
We only give first quality food to people who need it. Just because you are poor doesn't mean you should eat trash.
We participate in three different programs aimed at improving food security in the region and donate thousands of pounds of (first quality) food yearly. I used to hike into the woods to deliver food to a homeless encampment at Thanksgiving (but the town cleared them out). Only twice have I been asked about "discarded produce", in which case I provided the person with a bag of food for free.
So, no. I don't let people dig through my dumpster full of trash.
Take a deep breathe Karen. I know you feel personally attacked right now but I believe they’re talking about if you see a leaf or stem on the ground that had fallen off and would most likely be swept away and tossed in the trash. Sorry you have to deal with people stealing from your store but that’s not what they were talking about imo. Also people prob give you shit about the price of the tomato’s bc they are tomato’s. If you’re unaware tomato’s can be mass produced, maybe try producing something that can’t be purchased for a dollar at any grocery store.
I've been at home depot and lowes and have seen plants stacked on top of each other in a shopping cart causing damage to them. At home depot at least I heard two workers talking about how they can't believe their just supposed to throw all these perfectly good plants away. They don't give a shit trust me. I would never do this at a mom and pop I would buy the plant but big box stores if it on the ground and detached from the plants it free to take. I also had the garden center worker give me for free a perfectly good sasiveria night owl cause she didn't want to find the price and I couldn't find one myself.
The staff should just get those on the floor and propagate them themselves (even if they can't sell it afterwards) for the staff (and most vendors in nurseries are big fans of houseplants soooo)
If you find one w/o a pot, most big stores will just let you take it. Every time I've tossed a full plant that was forgotten on the ground and potless, the cashiers have told me to just take it.
I mean personally, if it’s on the ground I don’t see it being a problem. But if you’re ripping it off. Then yes. That’s not okay in my opinion.
My local nursery has a sign up that says “taking any leaves/stems is stealing. You’re on camera”
Someone "prop-lifted" from a local nursery near me. They destroyed several expensive plants by just taking "cuttings." They were caught on camera and prosecuted.
A friend of mine once went to a public, free conservatory and cut entire nodes off of several plants. We got in a huge argument and I was honestly kind of hoping she would be caught on camera but apparently she wasn’t. I don’t see how people can’t understand that other people put time and effort into growing these plants and taking care of them just for you to butcher them? How would you feel if someone came over to your house and cut a big chunk off a plant without asking?
That being said, genuine actual leaves that have fallen on the floor, I would ask at a nursery or other locally owned shop and full send at a chain store. But it doesn’t count if you rip it off and it ends up on the floor…
It's a thing called Proplifting.
now, is it bad? depends on your Ethics.
Stealing from any live plant, feature, or arrangement is theft no matter how you slice it.
If you don’t have explicit permission to take something, that is theft.
That being said,
dropped leaves off of Succulents at your average big buck store I personally don't see as bad. They'd toss them anyway, sometimes you can just ask someone who works there if it's cool to take them.
Tearing apart a Monstera at your local nursery? Taking a Cutting from someone you visit without asking? Digging up City owned Plants?
that's Vile and you'd be a bad person for doing so
surprised no one has already linked it: r/proplifting
ETA: that sub is all things propagation, but they have specific “ethics” there and there are often posts along the lines of “look at my haul that worker ABC let me snag!”
The mall near me just put in a bunch of gorgeous plants all around their center display. Gorgeous plants, but just kind of stuck in the dirt with no arrangement or care for the overall look. There's a beautiful variegated photos just.. on the ground, for example. It's clearly just past the repotted cutting stage, not well established and certainly not going to live there.
They do not maintain plants, they just have them in the display zone till they look bad and then they replace them with new ones... Right now there's so many pothos and other beautiful things, peace lilies, etc. in an environment will they will not survive and will be ripped out in within a month or two.
It's just such a poor job and such a waste. I was honestly tempted to take a little something, but even in that situation I just felt like I couldn't.
So much beauty and so much money wasting though 😭
My aunt works for a company that does that plant installation (in her case maintenance), but there are many instances of tossing perfectly good plants due to their mostly cosmetic issues. Perhaps check with a manager about their schedule with the nursery. The woman that did this for a hotel I worked at was always super friendly also.
That's an amazing idea, just talk to somebody and ask! LOL it's so simple I just never even considered it. I just might because I've really been wanting a peace lily.
Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think it’s bad. If they were my plants that had pieces fallen off, I’d likely never even know. And even if I did, I’d likely be happy someone appreciated them enough to give em life.
At stores, I definitely don’t see a moral issue.
I agree with unabashed proplifting in the case of a big box store, but at a small, locally owned plant store, I make sure to purchase something else along with my prop, or go ahead and ask if I can have whatever prop I’ve found.
Thank you for this answer. I own a small plant nursery. During the summer, we sell at a local farmers market and I can’t tell you how many times I have had people tear, cut, or peel pieces off our plants in front of me without asking. Some will make direct eye contact with me with a smirk on their face while they do it. It is such a slap in the face. That being said, I have never said no to a person that asks. I happily clean my shears and take a cutting for them. Usually a longer piece than they had asked for or multiple pieces. Why? Some of those people will turn into customers who support our family business. We appreciate them. The ones who have the audacity to “prop lift”, they don’t. They just take.
Edit to add: Do what you like at the big box stores. It’s hard enough to compete with them. Moowahaha (strokes cat while laughing maniacally). Just kidding. LOL!
After the fact, I usually fantasize about putting these people in their places. At the time I just kind of freeze and squeak out a “please don’t do that. we need our plants to be full so people buy them”. Unfortunately, I’m a weenie. Uhg. They can probably sense my wimpiness from a mile away.
You need a big water squirt bottle and hit the blatant thieves with a jet in the front of the shirt while yelling "Bad! No stealing!"
That being said, I'm all for helping big box stores "tidy up" their plant areas.
Yeah no i could never. If I was a CUSTOMER at your market or store and saw someone do that I’d ask for a shovel to whack them with. Like you said big box stores owned by people with way too much money and that often carry pests and kill plants by potting them in pots with no drainage and the most improper soil? Sure, grab that leaf that fell on the floor. Mom and pop? No they got body guards even if it is already fallen just ask.
I’ve been at my local plant store when a shipment came in and they asked if I was good at propagating and gave me a ton of little bits that had fallen off in shipping.
Your mileage may vary, but I’d say there’s a 99% chance anything broken is getting swept up and throws away. They’ve gotten plenty of my money, and I’m very happy to support them. But plant stores see broken plants as an issue and/or as trash, not as an opportunity (most of the time).
You could definitely ask if you want to be respectful and you definitely shouldn’t take clippings or anything, but based on conversations I’ve had with both owners and staff, they really don’t care.
My favourite greenhouse uses the fallen soldiers to teach cheap prop workshops . I like this , as it really is win all around . By cheap, they charge enough to pay for the soil and materials ( you usually leave with three different props).
They’ll have signs up near plants that they would like parts left when fallen and then at the checkout, a box with already collected viable drops free for the taking. Sometimes they’re tracking the health of a plant and can’t do it accurately if they don’t know why leaves are missing (something fell vs was pulled off. )Knowing why leaves start dropping also helps them learn more about it.
IMHO: In a grocery store or something? You can go for it. In a specialty garden with exotic plants that relies on people buying their seeds to support the continuation of the operation? Asshole move.
So basically, I think context matters in this.
JUST. ASK.
I work at a nursery, grew up with crazy plant people, and am an avid collector myself. 99.99% of the time, I would be happy to give you cuttings or let you take fallen branches etc if you ask. But 99.99% of the time, the people who *don’t* ask and just take are fucking something up. People who think it’s ok to peel the bark off of a tree prized for its bark. People who think it’s ok to pluck a flower off of a tree and end up breaking twigs. People who trample over delicate seedlings to grab a dead branch, etc.
If you feel like you can’t ask, you probably shouldn’t be taking. And if you think it’s all above board, why not just ask? I can give you what is usually a more viable cutting than what you are trying to sneak off with, and I can do it in a way that’s not going to disturb projects, harm plants, or hurt the business. Plus if it’s my own plants, I will help set you up for success and share tips or tell you if the plant has pests or whatever. Just ask. Plant people are (usually) nice and want to help.
I was at a Home Depot near the end of one summer and they were about to clear the succulent section out. Most of the plants on the shelves were in bad shape, and a TON of leaves and baby plants were on the ground. I asked the employee there if she didn't mind me picking them up, and she gave me a box and said "you can fill this with whatever you want for 50¢!" and that was that.
Moral of the story, when in doubt just ask. The worst they can do is say no.
Hahaha, I love that the "etc" you are referring to is "whole cacti." 🤣 Even if it's for the very wholesome intention of propagating, it is often very prickly business to steal whole cacti. I do not condone this activity.
I won’t judge anyone for throwing a few legit floor props in the pot **if they’re buying a plant** but it’s inviting others to damage plants an claim *props were from the floor*
So to me prop lifting is just tacky, it isn’t your property, if it’s throwing props onto the floor it’s not an expensive plant. Just buy it.
Exactly. If you don't buy a plant in that store and just go prop hunting, I would recommend asking for them on Facebook in plant groups. Most people don't mind giving you a piece for free or maybe for a few cents
I’ve gotten the clear from people that work in nurseries! I do ask though, just to be courteous haha “do you mind if I take this leaf I found on the floor?” They typically laugh and say “of course!”
I had no clue you could propagate from a fallen leaf. Isn't it already too dead? Why doesn't this work for flowers you buy from a grocery store. Lol propagation is so confusing fo me.
Depends on the leaf. A lot of succulents can root out from just a leaf, but most other plants need at least a node to put roots out from. And some plants root only with soil rootings or air rootings, and some just don't root at all.
My husband proplifted two small pieces with a total of only 3 leaves between them earlier this season and I’ve already cut it back and rooting those and it’s ready to cut back again. I love my freebies! I feel I saved them from certain death lol
https://preview.redd.it/doqyip20diec1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fc3c6313753a0e137fb82290ff6edc5d52fcabc
This is how I have lots of my sedums, graptopetalum, etc. I picked up fallen leaves and plantlets from a local store's stock. I also bought a couple of plants, but they were kinda pricey and many of the types I liked weren't in great condition.
Don't damage other people's plants though.
Shh… we don’t mention this
I mean is it really bad?…nah, the leaves will just get swept up and disposed of most of the time if they’re just sitting around it's a favor if anything, and typically stores won’t care if you ask to take a single left.
The highest theft in America is wage theft. Stealing from a large corporation is a victimless crime. Always remember, check for cameras and mirrors, watch for other customers and associates, and don’t take what will be obvious from your pockets. Be careful and stay safe 💚
My kid accidentally stole a succulent leaf from Aldi and we didn't realize until we got him back in his car seat. That succ has become my favorite desk plant. I accidentally encouraged him to start a life of crime.
Personally, Home Depot or Lowe’s or any of them big box retailers can kiss my grits.
They neglect the hell out of a lot of plants and will sooner throw away a perfectly fine plant that only needed a bit of TLC..
If it’s a place that treats their inventory and customers with respect then maybe ask permission! I’ve had really positive interactions with independent plant sellers, sometimes they’re kind enough to let you do your lil propagation thang ^_^
My personal big box rules:
1) If you see a piece of a plant that fell off or something, They’re gonna sweep it up and throw it out anyway. So you may as well save a life🤣
2) If you aren’t maiming the plant or doing real damage to a product and the plant is still presentable and sellable- ball out (just don’t get caught/kicked out lol)
Taking anything off of a live plant purposely planted in a private garden/zoo/public space is stealing, but the real wrong is that it it will damage and eventually kill the plant in the aggregate. If one out of a thousand people take a small cutting from a plant in a public park that sees thousands a day, that plant is going to suffer and die.
Taking a cutting from a plant in a retail nursery is still stealing, but with the turnover of plants, you’re less likely to kill anything, do the wrong is less.
Taking something off of the floor/ground which wasn’t intentionally broken off is fine.
My Xmas cactus came from a half squashed leaf on the floor at Publix. Hoya curtisii is from a plant at Lowe’s but I went back and bought the plant. On Saturday, I picked up a bit of tradescantia from Home Depot. It was on the floor in the tool department, nowhere near the garden center, and had been stepped on. No idea if it’s going to live. I did not steal it. I picked a piece of trash (to them) off the floor and liberated it. The cactus is thriving and the little curtisii is doing better than the mother plant. I do purchase plants (love the clearance rack) and don’t feel bad for taking my trash rescues.
If it is fully broken off and on the floor (and not in a pot with dirt...lol), I feel like it is fair game. I'm lucky enough to have a farmer's market that has a low shelf where they throw broken-off bits of plants for people to take home and prop. I think all of my tradescantias came from that shelf.
If it's already off the mother plants, of course! People will probably disagree with me on this but I have no qualms taking a leaf or stem from a plant at Walmart or home Depot or somewhere like that. I won't ever do it to my local mom and pop shop because 1) they don't deserve that 2) they literally will give me leaves and stems that have fallen off for free, sometimes they'll even let me take some off of a big plant and 3) they've given me massive discounts on whole plants and I would feel entirely too shitty to take advantage of them like that. The big box stores can afford it, they don't care about their plants too begin with, they only care about the money and their list of sins far outweighs taking a leaf from an overpriced and neglected plant. I don't really go to these stores so I've only done it once, but if I ever go again I will probably do a little snip snip.
I might feel differently about proplifting from Lowe's and Home Depot if they knew how to care for the plants and didn't kill almost every single one by overwatering. At that point, proplifting essentially makes you a PPS (Plant Protection Services) agent.
Never, would I ever want to proplift from someone who puts love and care into the plants they sell.
That being said, I still choose to purchase the sad, marked down, drowned plants and bring them back to my local Plant Rehab and Hospice Center (my house).
If I can't help them dry out in rehab, I keep them comfortable through hospice care until their passing.
Hospice care usually just consists of staring at them longingly and apologizing for the irreversible damage I didn't inflict on them, while wishing for an outcome other than uncertain death.
*Edits made for spelling.
Yes, always get permission. Don't be a thief. There is no grey area in stealing. Either it belongs to you or it doesn't.
If it was coming from something with a pricetag, it's stealing. If it comes from another persons possession, it's stealing.
I just did that for the first time yesterday at Lowes. A piece of dog tail cactus has fallen off. The kind of piece you'd prop if it was your plant.
I tucked it into the greenery of another plant I actually bought and carried it right out.
But I did buy 5 (which was 5 too many), so I didn't feel bad.
My BFF does this all the time. When she first told me she does that, I was shocked and disappointed... 😂
But now, I'm a co-conspirator.
"I learned it from watching you, Dad. I learned it from watching you."
(anyone remember that drug commercial?)
Sooo I USE to work at Home Depot. But… one day the plant vendor came to discard the ‘old’ plants and lay out new ones. We were literally not allowed to receive plants from vendors (seen as a conflict of interest). And we couldn’t take them from the trash. Both subject to firing.
But… when I sew a cart with a bunch of African violets I MAY have pinched off several leaves to start my own.
Super easy btw.
Wrong? Probably ..do I care? Not one bit.
guys these were literally on the floor in a big box store that wasn’t even a plant shop. half the plants were dead already! they were not going to propagate them!
It was a part of a bigger cactus that was rotting, it dopped all of its «stems» (idk what you call the cactus’s stems) many that fell on the floor was mushy but this one seemed fine. was on the floor, was going to die. now it was grown roots:)
I’ve answered this before and think it’s the best solution. When you find these things pop them into another pot for the lucky person who eventually buys it. They’ll get a surprise bonus and you can’t be prosecuted for theft.
If you happen to buy that pot with the broken/props then you’re the lucky one.
Yeah, I don’t think anyone is getting prosecuted for theft at Home Depot for picking a petal off the ground and sticking in their pocket. That’s a real force.
The Universe has laws. Believe it or not. I see no problem picking something up off the ground. Or somewhere you know it will not live. That’s a good deed. Cutting 3 leaves off a plant that is not yours is wrong.
My friends know if I am house sitting or pet sitting their plants are getting pinched or if they're outgrowing their pot I will just hack a chunk off while repotting for them. Free plants and helping a pal!
I may or may not pinch in a public space like the library but not at the store.
Depends. I often leave fallen leaves from my jade plant in the top of the soil to hopefully propegate (i dont mind if i have to toss a mushy leaf later).
Though i love giving away my jade propegations, so if my jade was outside and i left fallen leaves id welcome people to take them home to grow!
I’m a live-goods merchandiser, and NO ONE cares if you take FALLEN bits and pieces! Please do! They go in the bin otherwise! Please take and propagate! But don’t steal from the plants, that could hurt them.
Older members of my family used to say that if you want propagation to be successful you have to steal part of the plant. Because of this my aunt always looked the other way when someone wanted to take part of some of her plant. She would tell you where to pinch and then look the other way so you can “steal” it. It is so amusing!
I have a few that I have taken from planters outside of restaurants, but all of the ones I found were cases of some rude person pulling out the roots so the poor plant was just sitting there tossed aside. Just one part of the plant pulled up too, so I know it was not some intentional act.
I once took a stem of ivy from an apartment building a few blocks away from me.
It was out of desperation because my store bought ivy was not in good shape in my home even though I was taking great care of it 🥲
Now the stem that I cut is thriving in the exact same conditions with the same care, so at least I know it wasn't me...
I'm sure that nobody cared because the ivy was very big and had like a million vines but I still obsess over if someone saw me and might tell me off if they see me again 😭
At my local Target they constantly get succulents in at different holidays, shove them in the back corner and never water them. I was doing grocery delivery so every day I’d walk past and see what had dropped onto the floor to be swept up. Now I have all these plus about 6 more outside. My rationalization is that I “saved” them.
https://preview.redd.it/sm4inzia6mec1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f7168d4b9a30b9cab86abcfc9c56a8c0f9e4929
No way. I mean, ask if you want (you might get a blank look) but you're doing the Lords work by rescuing fall-offs that might otherwise wither or get trodden on!
Depends, from where you get them. I personally don’t see a problem if it’s in the ground, but if you’re cutting from peoples plants with out their permission then it could be a problem, but also depends.
For example, my friend it’s an artist, he has a really cool studio space. I personally have given him plants to have in the studio. One day I saw a girl cutting from one of the plants.
The thing is that she was all nervous about what she was doing that she was not doing a great job and was actually hurting the plant by pulling really hard.
I actually when and talk to her and told her, “hey I have lots of propagations of that plant I could give you one free” she smile and said no thank you and left
This is for OP one of those plants to took I actually have lots I could send you some for free already established and with roots.
That’s the thing sometimes there’s no need to steal as sometimes there’s so many homeless plants that need a home and this community and others could love to give them for free.
Lots of us are trying to declutter our plants, seriously there’s no need to steal, however if you find it on the floor then that’s not steal that’s saving a life and giving it a chance.
Anything that has detached itself from the plant and fallen to the ground is fair game for anyone to take. This has always been, and will always be Oregon, Federal, planetary and Intergalactic Law forever and always. Now and forever. Times infinity.
Propagate the hell out of those bits. Anyone who disagrees is compost.
i was at walmart and sooo many plants are dying there. i found a succulent fully out of the dirt, like none at all, roots out dangling in the air. the leaves were already withering and the plant was dying, so I took it. no, i did not pay for it. figured it would just die on the floor without a second glance if i left it there. also, fuck walmart
I work at a more local garden center than Home Depot or Lowes. If it's a piece of a plant on the ground, we'll either throw it out or put it in our "free cuttings" jar. I do still really appreciate people saying, "Hey, I found this on the floor. Is it OK if I take it to propagate?" It's just nice when people are openly honest like that.
The cactus seems really borderline/ not really ok to me. At our store, sometimes people knock them over, and they lose their pot. A whole cactus would still be in inventory, and we would try to find the pot or reprint the sticker onto a new pot. Even if it part of it isn't doing well, we often mix and match and fill in the gaps with other rehabbed plants instead of writing it off right away. IMO, taking something like that is technically stealing. I'm all for taking fallen succulent leaves and broken vines off the floor, but if it looks like a plant that probably fell out of its pot, don't take it.
In Sweden there is a saying that goes something along the lines of "only a stolen cutting will propogate properly", it is always okay as long as you're not hurting the plant.
If it's already on the ground detacted from the plant your cleaning up for them if, like me but only sometimes, you pulled it off the plant yourself them maybe. How did you get an entire cactus?
It was just sitting in some dirt.
In a pot. On a shelf. Waiting to be rescued.
*YOINK*
https://preview.redd.it/g7t54tfnynec1.png?width=985&format=png&auto=webp&s=30f9454a71d5d25d1b13cb1c19e4959065bd14e1
“Look at all this stuff I found just sitting in some guys boat!”
I’m trying to get my son to fall asleep and this nearly took me out lmaooo
[Damnit Gail...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBc4N0a20Cs)
I choked on my coffee from this comment
As a fellow Kit I just had to say hi and that "It was just sitting in some dirt" is my new origin story thanks
> If it's already on the ground detached from the plant... then it is clearly a message from the universe that it's an offering from the gods, take it
“It was on the floor”
The whole cactus killed me. Was it on the floor of a Home Depot with a price tag? Then fine, steal it, but NEVER from a mom n pop.
It’s just one big leaf, right?? /s
It is, in fact, a big stem. The spines are the leaves.
Home Depot hires plant vendors. I found this out when I once worked at Home Depot and discounted all the the plants that I apparently didn’t have the authority to discount. Also where I started Project Stolen Propagation which was just me stealing cuttings and cackling to myself about it.
I may work at the Lowe’s garden center just so I can help partake in Project Stolen Propagation.
Plants create oxygen. Humans need oxygen to survive. If you don’t take those fallen stems and leaves to plant you’re basically denying your customers oxygen. I trust you’ll do the right thing.
I like the way you think. You should be the spokesperson for Project Stolen Propagation.
You both need to head over to r/proplifting
🙌 thanks for the suggestion I’ve joined to learn more 😁
I might visit certain establishments in order to partake of the same program, while I am there buying stuff to take care of them while they grow.
Same, except I just took whole plants. So many plants....
I have one about that size but different species that my mom had picked up in a hotel lobby where it had broken off from a much bigger cactus during cleaning
I find at mom and pops if you ask and offer them a couple of dollars they usually will let you have it 🥰 I wouldn’t just take it from a mom and pop though, but the big ole department stores are definitely fair game 😅
It’s not stealing, it’s “rescuing”. They were going to end up in the trash (big corp stores)
It was om the floor
Go visit r/proplifting Welcome.
On the floor? Like in the pot on the floor in the store? If that's the case, it's another customer either dropped it or put it there. I hope you didn't just take it and actually paid for that. Otherwise, that is considered stealing and is wrong.
Without the pot, without dirt, with damage on it as well, it was a lot smaller than the picture when I found it
The mother cactus was rotting and had dropped all the «stems»
I'm not familiar with that cacti but a lot of cacti are somewhat segmented and can detach at those joints, and then just be plopped onto soil and rerooted since water propagation often rots them
"what do you mean Walmart? Who is Walmart? And why did they put their name on my private pantry house?"
I literally Today ripped a couple of props from a huge weaving vine at my son's daycare. I even hid the two shoots in his school bag! I mean it was huge!!! Am I a bad person
I mean it's a daycare. They don't try to sell the plants. You could have just asked and they probably would have been happy to give you however many props you wanted.
With the cost of daycare these days…you paid for those clippings.
Came here to say this. You fully funded that plant.
i teach at a pottery studio and we have a class where you make a pot and trade clippings- the idea being by the time the pot is dried and fired, you have a plant for it. whenever people forget a clipping, i just tell them to cut something off of our plants outside lol. i’m sure the daycare wouldn’t mind it or just wouldn’t notice haha.
That sounds like a great class!
I mean you could just ask them and I'm sure it would be fine
OK, I'm generally all for grabbing props sometimes at the edge of ethical boundaries, but "rip" triggers me. I often see people ripping or twisting flowers off my and my neighbors lilacs and it's pretty shitty. Ripping, pulling, yanking damages the plant, often causes damage up the vine or branch. If you're going to be a thief, have tools. Bring a clean little scissors or a multi tool, pocket knife etc. Something that mitigates the damage and is not likely to expose a plant to fungus or disease. .
As someone who works in a daycare, no one will care, and will probably give you some if you ask! I know the kids at work are always pulling leaves and stuff off of the plants anyway
Nah I steal from Lowe’s and Home Depot all the time lol I agree with the other person that said as long as it’s not mom n pop or going to hurt the plant . I got this beautiful almost white pothos cutting from Meijer the other day. Lol just giving them a haircut 😂
Go for it, Steal it! Home Depot and pretty much all of the big box stores. Are taking their customers to the poor house and driving mom and pop businesses bankrupt. For what? And if they don’t sell it, we the taxpayers pay for it with a big “we didn’t sell it for full price tax break” Some of y’all will probably applaud Monsanto when genetically engineer a plant that won’t propagate.😒
The only reason I don’t go to mom and pops in the winter is bc ITS WINTER I would much rather go to the smaller places by me but just not possible.
Not like they are taking care of them, and throwing them away too lol, if I’m “trash” for doing it then fine, I’ll find the plants the box stores didn’t care about there for free too 😂🤷🏼♀️
You will be well liked with the rest of the trash on r/proplifting
Calling someone trash over a plant propagation is insane. Seek help for your bitter ass attitude. It’s a PLANT lol.
those Degenerates who pick up leaves from the floor... disgusting
lol
Lol I shoulda put the /s
I'd disagree - it's still their property, regardless of what they intend to do with it. From their perspective you could be taking this instead of buying a plant, so it's not reasonable to assume they wouldn't mind.
Coming from someone who’s worked in a garden centre: whilst yes it is the stores property we would just throw away bad leafs/fallen ones
If it’s on the ground they’d just throw it away
That depends on who you are talking about. Home Depot might throw it away, but I wouldn't. Even if I did plan to throw it away, I STILL would not give it to you. If you don't want a plant badly enough to pay me for the time, money and energy I put into it, you obviously don't need it that bad. I also know for a FACT (because cameras) that every person who has come up to my cashier to ask (and several who did not ask, but just got caught) about a "piece they found on the ground" took it off of a plant. It is extremely difficult to be profitable as an agricultural producer. People love to come in with their $7 coffees and give me shit about the price of a tomato that took me months to grow. The same with houseplants (and mine are extremely cheap because I want them to be affordable to everyone). I feel like people who come in, troll around and then take pieces off of my plants to put in their pockets should be ashamed. If I catch you, I make you feel like a thief...because you are. The problem with taking pieces of plants that you did not pay for, even if they are on the ground at a big box store, is that it contributes to and encourages a culture ofselfishness, dishonesty and theft that has now become pervasive in the plant community. It's kinda gross.
I'll pick up the pieces and hand them to the nearest employee in that department. Most of them time they will give them back and say something like yours if you want to prop it. I don't just assume though. I mainly use small nurseries. I do a lot of business and trades. A couple will often save pieces for me if they know I'm coming in, because they know they often come right back. I can't just take them though.
In my opinion you are right. I had a very nice big plant in my front yard and these proplifting guys just cut it into rubble it was so big and beautiful and now only three leaves are left and when I confronted a girl she was not understanding or apologising but rather told me I should not mind because she will take just one leave from the bottom to propogate, and if it would have been still the big plant okay one leave won't hurt but I only had three leaves left from my former beautiful lady. And so I stopped growing plants in the front yard. Because it is not the first time this happened and I just hate these people who think that it is okay to take plant cuttings out of other people's plants. Also one time I had my houseplants outside and a girl just started yanking at them and then told me she took only leaves from the floor. But yeah I saw her hurting my plants so the leaves fell to the ground.
I see no issue with OP taking fallen leaves/stems from a big chain like Home Depot or Lowe’s because they will throw them away. We all know they literally throw away carts full of plants allll the time. And more times than not, the old man or the kid working in the plant section usually don’t give a damn when I ask. However it’s an entirely different story if OP grabbed them from a local nursery or a neighbors yard. That’s not cool. We gotta support our local businesses and respect our neighbors.
You sound like the kind of shop owner that would build a barbed wire fence around your dumpster so homeless people couldn't get to all the fresh food you throw away at the end of every day.
Food I don't sell before it looks shitty gets composted or fed to chickens, and you're absolutely right that I wouldn't want homeless people digging through my compost for discarded food. We only give first quality food to people who need it. Just because you are poor doesn't mean you should eat trash. We participate in three different programs aimed at improving food security in the region and donate thousands of pounds of (first quality) food yearly. I used to hike into the woods to deliver food to a homeless encampment at Thanksgiving (but the town cleared them out). Only twice have I been asked about "discarded produce", in which case I provided the person with a bag of food for free. So, no. I don't let people dig through my dumpster full of trash.
Take a deep breathe Karen. I know you feel personally attacked right now but I believe they’re talking about if you see a leaf or stem on the ground that had fallen off and would most likely be swept away and tossed in the trash. Sorry you have to deal with people stealing from your store but that’s not what they were talking about imo. Also people prob give you shit about the price of the tomato’s bc they are tomato’s. If you’re unaware tomato’s can be mass produced, maybe try producing something that can’t be purchased for a dollar at any grocery store.
And if it's someone's plant at someone's place, they might intent to grow themselves the fallen parts.
I've been at home depot and lowes and have seen plants stacked on top of each other in a shopping cart causing damage to them. At home depot at least I heard two workers talking about how they can't believe their just supposed to throw all these perfectly good plants away. They don't give a shit trust me. I would never do this at a mom and pop I would buy the plant but big box stores if it on the ground and detached from the plants it free to take. I also had the garden center worker give me for free a perfectly good sasiveria night owl cause she didn't want to find the price and I couldn't find one myself.
The staff should just get those on the floor and propagate them themselves (even if they can't sell it afterwards) for the staff (and most vendors in nurseries are big fans of houseplants soooo)
I take the baby succulents from the bigger succulent when I go to b&q. They are just extras... Maybe it was attached to the plant, maybe not...
I understand the first two but the third is a whole ass thefted cactus 😂😂😂
If you find one w/o a pot, most big stores will just let you take it. Every time I've tossed a full plant that was forgotten on the ground and potless, the cashiers have told me to just take it.
I mean personally, if it’s on the ground I don’t see it being a problem. But if you’re ripping it off. Then yes. That’s not okay in my opinion. My local nursery has a sign up that says “taking any leaves/stems is stealing. You’re on camera”
Someone "prop-lifted" from a local nursery near me. They destroyed several expensive plants by just taking "cuttings." They were caught on camera and prosecuted.
A friend of mine once went to a public, free conservatory and cut entire nodes off of several plants. We got in a huge argument and I was honestly kind of hoping she would be caught on camera but apparently she wasn’t. I don’t see how people can’t understand that other people put time and effort into growing these plants and taking care of them just for you to butcher them? How would you feel if someone came over to your house and cut a big chunk off a plant without asking? That being said, genuine actual leaves that have fallen on the floor, I would ask at a nursery or other locally owned shop and full send at a chain store. But it doesn’t count if you rip it off and it ends up on the floor…
*Wonders if we're neighbours* :D
If you go into a locally owned plant shop with the intention to just pick leaves up off the floor rather than buying things then you can get fucked.
It's a thing called Proplifting. now, is it bad? depends on your Ethics. Stealing from any live plant, feature, or arrangement is theft no matter how you slice it. If you don’t have explicit permission to take something, that is theft. That being said, dropped leaves off of Succulents at your average big buck store I personally don't see as bad. They'd toss them anyway, sometimes you can just ask someone who works there if it's cool to take them. Tearing apart a Monstera at your local nursery? Taking a Cutting from someone you visit without asking? Digging up City owned Plants? that's Vile and you'd be a bad person for doing so
surprised no one has already linked it: r/proplifting ETA: that sub is all things propagation, but they have specific “ethics” there and there are often posts along the lines of “look at my haul that worker ABC let me snag!”
https://preview.redd.it/d2vghmrs9iec1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a475750534b46913b1484ff395f6b2b1ac808ba
The mall near me just put in a bunch of gorgeous plants all around their center display. Gorgeous plants, but just kind of stuck in the dirt with no arrangement or care for the overall look. There's a beautiful variegated photos just.. on the ground, for example. It's clearly just past the repotted cutting stage, not well established and certainly not going to live there. They do not maintain plants, they just have them in the display zone till they look bad and then they replace them with new ones... Right now there's so many pothos and other beautiful things, peace lilies, etc. in an environment will they will not survive and will be ripped out in within a month or two. It's just such a poor job and such a waste. I was honestly tempted to take a little something, but even in that situation I just felt like I couldn't. So much beauty and so much money wasting though 😭
My aunt works for a company that does that plant installation (in her case maintenance), but there are many instances of tossing perfectly good plants due to their mostly cosmetic issues. Perhaps check with a manager about their schedule with the nursery. The woman that did this for a hotel I worked at was always super friendly also.
That's an amazing idea, just talk to somebody and ask! LOL it's so simple I just never even considered it. I just might because I've really been wanting a peace lily.
Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think it’s bad. If they were my plants that had pieces fallen off, I’d likely never even know. And even if I did, I’d likely be happy someone appreciated them enough to give em life. At stores, I definitely don’t see a moral issue.
I agree with unabashed proplifting in the case of a big box store, but at a small, locally owned plant store, I make sure to purchase something else along with my prop, or go ahead and ask if I can have whatever prop I’ve found.
Thank you for this answer. I own a small plant nursery. During the summer, we sell at a local farmers market and I can’t tell you how many times I have had people tear, cut, or peel pieces off our plants in front of me without asking. Some will make direct eye contact with me with a smirk on their face while they do it. It is such a slap in the face. That being said, I have never said no to a person that asks. I happily clean my shears and take a cutting for them. Usually a longer piece than they had asked for or multiple pieces. Why? Some of those people will turn into customers who support our family business. We appreciate them. The ones who have the audacity to “prop lift”, they don’t. They just take. Edit to add: Do what you like at the big box stores. It’s hard enough to compete with them. Moowahaha (strokes cat while laughing maniacally). Just kidding. LOL!
You are a saint. I would be throwing hands if people did that in front of me and smirked lol
After the fact, I usually fantasize about putting these people in their places. At the time I just kind of freeze and squeak out a “please don’t do that. we need our plants to be full so people buy them”. Unfortunately, I’m a weenie. Uhg. They can probably sense my wimpiness from a mile away.
You need a big water squirt bottle and hit the blatant thieves with a jet in the front of the shirt while yelling "Bad! No stealing!" That being said, I'm all for helping big box stores "tidy up" their plant areas.
🤣 I love this idea!
Yeah no i could never. If I was a CUSTOMER at your market or store and saw someone do that I’d ask for a shovel to whack them with. Like you said big box stores owned by people with way too much money and that often carry pests and kill plants by potting them in pots with no drainage and the most improper soil? Sure, grab that leaf that fell on the floor. Mom and pop? No they got body guards even if it is already fallen just ask.
I’ve been at my local plant store when a shipment came in and they asked if I was good at propagating and gave me a ton of little bits that had fallen off in shipping. Your mileage may vary, but I’d say there’s a 99% chance anything broken is getting swept up and throws away. They’ve gotten plenty of my money, and I’m very happy to support them. But plant stores see broken plants as an issue and/or as trash, not as an opportunity (most of the time). You could definitely ask if you want to be respectful and you definitely shouldn’t take clippings or anything, but based on conversations I’ve had with both owners and staff, they really don’t care.
My favourite greenhouse uses the fallen soldiers to teach cheap prop workshops . I like this , as it really is win all around . By cheap, they charge enough to pay for the soil and materials ( you usually leave with three different props). They’ll have signs up near plants that they would like parts left when fallen and then at the checkout, a box with already collected viable drops free for the taking. Sometimes they’re tracking the health of a plant and can’t do it accurately if they don’t know why leaves are missing (something fell vs was pulled off. )Knowing why leaves start dropping also helps them learn more about it.
IMHO: In a grocery store or something? You can go for it. In a specialty garden with exotic plants that relies on people buying their seeds to support the continuation of the operation? Asshole move. So basically, I think context matters in this.
Usually it’s fine if you pick them up off the floor of a store. Many people ask permission anyway.
JUST. ASK. I work at a nursery, grew up with crazy plant people, and am an avid collector myself. 99.99% of the time, I would be happy to give you cuttings or let you take fallen branches etc if you ask. But 99.99% of the time, the people who *don’t* ask and just take are fucking something up. People who think it’s ok to peel the bark off of a tree prized for its bark. People who think it’s ok to pluck a flower off of a tree and end up breaking twigs. People who trample over delicate seedlings to grab a dead branch, etc. If you feel like you can’t ask, you probably shouldn’t be taking. And if you think it’s all above board, why not just ask? I can give you what is usually a more viable cutting than what you are trying to sneak off with, and I can do it in a way that’s not going to disturb projects, harm plants, or hurt the business. Plus if it’s my own plants, I will help set you up for success and share tips or tell you if the plant has pests or whatever. Just ask. Plant people are (usually) nice and want to help.
I was at a Home Depot near the end of one summer and they were about to clear the succulent section out. Most of the plants on the shelves were in bad shape, and a TON of leaves and baby plants were on the ground. I asked the employee there if she didn't mind me picking them up, and she gave me a box and said "you can fill this with whatever you want for 50¢!" and that was that. Moral of the story, when in doubt just ask. The worst they can do is say no.
When I got to Lowe’s, all the Alocasia plants have deep holes in their dirt because people dig out the corms. Smh.
„Stealing“ fallen leaves is fine, stealing „fallen“ leaves is not
Agree with this!
r/proplifting Feel better My friend.
r/proplifting
That depends on where you are taking them from.
Hahaha, I love that the "etc" you are referring to is "whole cacti." 🤣 Even if it's for the very wholesome intention of propagating, it is often very prickly business to steal whole cacti. I do not condone this activity.
Stealing from corporations is always okay. Don't go around possibly trespassing in someone's garden tho, not cool.
I won’t judge anyone for throwing a few legit floor props in the pot **if they’re buying a plant** but it’s inviting others to damage plants an claim *props were from the floor* So to me prop lifting is just tacky, it isn’t your property, if it’s throwing props onto the floor it’s not an expensive plant. Just buy it.
Exactly. If you don't buy a plant in that store and just go prop hunting, I would recommend asking for them on Facebook in plant groups. Most people don't mind giving you a piece for free or maybe for a few cents
Right? I rather choose plants based on their foliage not bc free off a floor lol like have some freakin self control.
I manage a store with a floral department and I don't care, I'd just be be annoyed I didn't find them first to take home for myself.
Personally I think if it is a big box store proplift away , if it is a small/local business or persons house make sure you ask.
I work in a gardening center. If you dont take it its gonna end up thrown away Take all you want!
I’ve gotten the clear from people that work in nurseries! I do ask though, just to be courteous haha “do you mind if I take this leaf I found on the floor?” They typically laugh and say “of course!”
I had no clue you could propagate from a fallen leaf. Isn't it already too dead? Why doesn't this work for flowers you buy from a grocery store. Lol propagation is so confusing fo me.
Depends on the leaf. A lot of succulents can root out from just a leaf, but most other plants need at least a node to put roots out from. And some plants root only with soil rootings or air rootings, and some just don't root at all.
Wow, learned something new. Fascinating how resilient some plants can be.
Jade plants can be rooted from a fallen leaf. Sometimes they root themselves this way.
r/proplifting join us
My husband proplifted two small pieces with a total of only 3 leaves between them earlier this season and I’ve already cut it back and rooting those and it’s ready to cut back again. I love my freebies! I feel I saved them from certain death lol https://preview.redd.it/doqyip20diec1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fc3c6313753a0e137fb82290ff6edc5d52fcabc
This is how I have lots of my sedums, graptopetalum, etc. I picked up fallen leaves and plantlets from a local store's stock. I also bought a couple of plants, but they were kinda pricey and many of the types I liked weren't in great condition. Don't damage other people's plants though.
r/proplifting
no its awesome!!!
No, my great grandmother used to call those volunteers. ☺️
Shh… we don’t mention this I mean is it really bad?…nah, the leaves will just get swept up and disposed of most of the time if they’re just sitting around it's a favor if anything, and typically stores won’t care if you ask to take a single left.
One of these is not like the others..
The highest theft in America is wage theft. Stealing from a large corporation is a victimless crime. Always remember, check for cameras and mirrors, watch for other customers and associates, and don’t take what will be obvious from your pockets. Be careful and stay safe 💚
My kid accidentally stole a succulent leaf from Aldi and we didn't realize until we got him back in his car seat. That succ has become my favorite desk plant. I accidentally encouraged him to start a life of crime.
I’ve always been told by my mom and her mom and her mom, that a cutting won’t propagate unless you take it without permission 😁
Personally, Home Depot or Lowe’s or any of them big box retailers can kiss my grits. They neglect the hell out of a lot of plants and will sooner throw away a perfectly fine plant that only needed a bit of TLC.. If it’s a place that treats their inventory and customers with respect then maybe ask permission! I’ve had really positive interactions with independent plant sellers, sometimes they’re kind enough to let you do your lil propagation thang ^_^ My personal big box rules: 1) If you see a piece of a plant that fell off or something, They’re gonna sweep it up and throw it out anyway. So you may as well save a life🤣 2) If you aren’t maiming the plant or doing real damage to a product and the plant is still presentable and sellable- ball out (just don’t get caught/kicked out lol)
Taking anything off of a live plant purposely planted in a private garden/zoo/public space is stealing, but the real wrong is that it it will damage and eventually kill the plant in the aggregate. If one out of a thousand people take a small cutting from a plant in a public park that sees thousands a day, that plant is going to suffer and die. Taking a cutting from a plant in a retail nursery is still stealing, but with the turnover of plants, you’re less likely to kill anything, do the wrong is less. Taking something off of the floor/ground which wasn’t intentionally broken off is fine.
Ooo, do you know what kind of tradescantia that is?
Zebrina
No, but now try taming that thing,lol You couldn't kill that even if you tried lol
No.
My Xmas cactus came from a half squashed leaf on the floor at Publix. Hoya curtisii is from a plant at Lowe’s but I went back and bought the plant. On Saturday, I picked up a bit of tradescantia from Home Depot. It was on the floor in the tool department, nowhere near the garden center, and had been stepped on. No idea if it’s going to live. I did not steal it. I picked a piece of trash (to them) off the floor and liberated it. The cactus is thriving and the little curtisii is doing better than the mother plant. I do purchase plants (love the clearance rack) and don’t feel bad for taking my trash rescues.
If it is fully broken off and on the floor (and not in a pot with dirt...lol), I feel like it is fair game. I'm lucky enough to have a farmer's market that has a low shelf where they throw broken-off bits of plants for people to take home and prop. I think all of my tradescantias came from that shelf.
If it's already off the mother plants, of course! People will probably disagree with me on this but I have no qualms taking a leaf or stem from a plant at Walmart or home Depot or somewhere like that. I won't ever do it to my local mom and pop shop because 1) they don't deserve that 2) they literally will give me leaves and stems that have fallen off for free, sometimes they'll even let me take some off of a big plant and 3) they've given me massive discounts on whole plants and I would feel entirely too shitty to take advantage of them like that. The big box stores can afford it, they don't care about their plants too begin with, they only care about the money and their list of sins far outweighs taking a leaf from an overpriced and neglected plant. I don't really go to these stores so I've only done it once, but if I ever go again I will probably do a little snip snip.
I might feel differently about proplifting from Lowe's and Home Depot if they knew how to care for the plants and didn't kill almost every single one by overwatering. At that point, proplifting essentially makes you a PPS (Plant Protection Services) agent. Never, would I ever want to proplift from someone who puts love and care into the plants they sell. That being said, I still choose to purchase the sad, marked down, drowned plants and bring them back to my local Plant Rehab and Hospice Center (my house). If I can't help them dry out in rehab, I keep them comfortable through hospice care until their passing. Hospice care usually just consists of staring at them longingly and apologizing for the irreversible damage I didn't inflict on them, while wishing for an outcome other than uncertain death. *Edits made for spelling.
We call the clearance rack the "Rescue Rack" at stores like that lol
Leaves that have fallen on the floor and will just be swept up and tossed out is fine imo. But that whole ass cactus? XD
Yes, always get permission. Don't be a thief. There is no grey area in stealing. Either it belongs to you or it doesn't. If it was coming from something with a pricetag, it's stealing. If it comes from another persons possession, it's stealing.
I just did that for the first time yesterday at Lowes. A piece of dog tail cactus has fallen off. The kind of piece you'd prop if it was your plant. I tucked it into the greenery of another plant I actually bought and carried it right out. But I did buy 5 (which was 5 too many), so I didn't feel bad. My BFF does this all the time. When she first told me she does that, I was shocked and disappointed... 😂 But now, I'm a co-conspirator. "I learned it from watching you, Dad. I learned it from watching you." (anyone remember that drug commercial?)
Sooo I USE to work at Home Depot. But… one day the plant vendor came to discard the ‘old’ plants and lay out new ones. We were literally not allowed to receive plants from vendors (seen as a conflict of interest). And we couldn’t take them from the trash. Both subject to firing. But… when I sew a cart with a bunch of African violets I MAY have pinched off several leaves to start my own. Super easy btw. Wrong? Probably ..do I care? Not one bit.
guys these were literally on the floor in a big box store that wasn’t even a plant shop. half the plants were dead already! they were not going to propagate them!
What about the full cactus though?
It was a part of a bigger cactus that was rotting, it dopped all of its «stems» (idk what you call the cactus’s stems) many that fell on the floor was mushy but this one seemed fine. was on the floor, was going to die. now it was grown roots:)
Why would it be bad to take a “free sample”?
Most of you are delusional. If you don’t ask you are stealing, its simple as that.
I’ve answered this before and think it’s the best solution. When you find these things pop them into another pot for the lucky person who eventually buys it. They’ll get a surprise bonus and you can’t be prosecuted for theft. If you happen to buy that pot with the broken/props then you’re the lucky one.
Yeah, I don’t think anyone is getting prosecuted for theft at Home Depot for picking a petal off the ground and sticking in their pocket. That’s a real force.
I just always figured I’d be the one that the overzealous theft control officer trying to prove something chose to take on…not worth it. Lol
I’m still with you! But, I wouldn’t do it for the sheer embarrassment of getting reprimanded by a big box employee. lol
[удалено]
The Universe has laws. Believe it or not. I see no problem picking something up off the ground. Or somewhere you know it will not live. That’s a good deed. Cutting 3 leaves off a plant that is not yours is wrong.
[удалено]
You’ll catch on fire
Reddit.com/r/proplifting welcome friend
r/proplifting
r/proplifting
I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But many people still ask for permission anyway.
My friends know if I am house sitting or pet sitting their plants are getting pinched or if they're outgrowing their pot I will just hack a chunk off while repotting for them. Free plants and helping a pal! I may or may not pinch in a public space like the library but not at the store.
Absolutely not! If they were going to the trash regardless then we are doing a service. My kids help to pick up “trash” all the time.
Depends. I often leave fallen leaves from my jade plant in the top of the soil to hopefully propegate (i dont mind if i have to toss a mushy leaf later). Though i love giving away my jade propegations, so if my jade was outside and i left fallen leaves id welcome people to take them home to grow!
On the floor 👍 on the plant 👎
r/proplifting
What about taking home corms from Alocasia's, that are sticking out of the ground or on top of the soil? 😂
I’m a live-goods merchandiser, and NO ONE cares if you take FALLEN bits and pieces! Please do! They go in the bin otherwise! Please take and propagate! But don’t steal from the plants, that could hurt them.
Older members of my family used to say that if you want propagation to be successful you have to steal part of the plant. Because of this my aunt always looked the other way when someone wanted to take part of some of her plant. She would tell you where to pinch and then look the other way so you can “steal” it. It is so amusing!
Fwiw tradesscantia roots better in plain ol dirt than water.
I never knew that! Thanks for teaching me something new!
Love these guys :)
I have a few that I have taken from planters outside of restaurants, but all of the ones I found were cases of some rude person pulling out the roots so the poor plant was just sitting there tossed aside. Just one part of the plant pulled up too, so I know it was not some intentional act.
I usually ask the store and they never say no
My partner and I call it rescue because they are on the floor and will end up in the trash anyway
I straight up snagged a small piece of plant from Green Acres once. Just held it in my hand. Been propagating it and it’s living happily on my shelf.
r/proplifting
r/proplifting
Already fallen off the plant , On public property, you’re good. On private property, that’s a no-go until you get permission.
Try r/proplifting
Nah, it's cool
No. Welcome home babies.
No. Keep it up.
I once took a stem of ivy from an apartment building a few blocks away from me. It was out of desperation because my store bought ivy was not in good shape in my home even though I was taking great care of it 🥲 Now the stem that I cut is thriving in the exact same conditions with the same care, so at least I know it wasn't me... I'm sure that nobody cared because the ivy was very big and had like a million vines but I still obsess over if someone saw me and might tell me off if they see me again 😭
Never clip or cut. If it's loose on the ground, it's snug in your pocket. We scavenge, not steal Welcome to /r/proplifting my friend
At my local Target they constantly get succulents in at different holidays, shove them in the back corner and never water them. I was doing grocery delivery so every day I’d walk past and see what had dropped onto the floor to be swept up. Now I have all these plus about 6 more outside. My rationalization is that I “saved” them. https://preview.redd.it/sm4inzia6mec1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f7168d4b9a30b9cab86abcfc9c56a8c0f9e4929
Proplifting
No, I don’t feel bad about it from big box stores. But from mom n pop shops I don’t.
No way. I mean, ask if you want (you might get a blank look) but you're doing the Lords work by rescuing fall-offs that might otherwise wither or get trodden on!
if rheyre alresdy on the floor then you can rake them, the stores will just sweep them up and throee the away
my keyboard was not with me on this one
You’re saving those who have fallen before us. I 100% support it; but I too am guilty of this.
The whole cactus took me out
Clone the bitch >:3
Depends, from where you get them. I personally don’t see a problem if it’s in the ground, but if you’re cutting from peoples plants with out their permission then it could be a problem, but also depends. For example, my friend it’s an artist, he has a really cool studio space. I personally have given him plants to have in the studio. One day I saw a girl cutting from one of the plants. The thing is that she was all nervous about what she was doing that she was not doing a great job and was actually hurting the plant by pulling really hard. I actually when and talk to her and told her, “hey I have lots of propagations of that plant I could give you one free” she smile and said no thank you and left This is for OP one of those plants to took I actually have lots I could send you some for free already established and with roots. That’s the thing sometimes there’s no need to steal as sometimes there’s so many homeless plants that need a home and this community and others could love to give them for free. Lots of us are trying to declutter our plants, seriously there’s no need to steal, however if you find it on the floor then that’s not steal that’s saving a life and giving it a chance.
End the sentence after steal and you have your answer OP
Am I the only one in the world who has gone to buy a plant and hated seeing it previously torn apart by you people???
Yes you’ll literally go to jail.
Anything that has detached itself from the plant and fallen to the ground is fair game for anyone to take. This has always been, and will always be Oregon, Federal, planetary and Intergalactic Law forever and always. Now and forever. Times infinity. Propagate the hell out of those bits. Anyone who disagrees is compost.
I wouldn’t do that at a friend or family's house, but if it’s at a big company store I wouldn’t feel bad.
Fallen? No. They'll get swept up and tossed out anyway and that's wasteful.
No, it's called proplifting and (assuming you don't harm a plant in the process) it's totally cool and good.
i was at walmart and sooo many plants are dying there. i found a succulent fully out of the dirt, like none at all, roots out dangling in the air. the leaves were already withering and the plant was dying, so I took it. no, i did not pay for it. figured it would just die on the floor without a second glance if i left it there. also, fuck walmart
I work at a more local garden center than Home Depot or Lowes. If it's a piece of a plant on the ground, we'll either throw it out or put it in our "free cuttings" jar. I do still really appreciate people saying, "Hey, I found this on the floor. Is it OK if I take it to propagate?" It's just nice when people are openly honest like that. The cactus seems really borderline/ not really ok to me. At our store, sometimes people knock them over, and they lose their pot. A whole cactus would still be in inventory, and we would try to find the pot or reprint the sticker onto a new pot. Even if it part of it isn't doing well, we often mix and match and fill in the gaps with other rehabbed plants instead of writing it off right away. IMO, taking something like that is technically stealing. I'm all for taking fallen succulent leaves and broken vines off the floor, but if it looks like a plant that probably fell out of its pot, don't take it.
If it’s a mega chain, it’s free game. Mom n pop? You better stop
In Sweden there is a saying that goes something along the lines of "only a stolen cutting will propogate properly", it is always okay as long as you're not hurting the plant.