Latest news with #GardenFootprint
Newsweek
7 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Plant Owner Accidentally Feeds It Creatine—Internet Wants Answers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Creatine is a popular performance enhancer for athletes, known for helping muscles power through short bursts of activity. But what happens when you give it to a plant instead? One Reddit user who goes by Best_Sheepherder5438 shared a photo of a plant on a table. The August 6 post, titled "I accidentally put creatine in my plant," quickly gained traction, earning 1,200 upvotes and a flood of comments from amused and curious gardeners. To get to the root of the matter, Newsweek spoke with Mike Carthew, a geography specialist focusing on ecology and climate change, and owner of the gardening education site Garden Footprint. He said: "Spraying a plant with creatine is a creative experiment, but it probably won't smash out a personal best on the bench press. Creatine enhances the fueling of muscle cells, but plants run on an entirely different energy system—they make their own energy from sunlight, CO₂, and water via photosynthesis." He added: "They have no pathways to use creatine directly, so the most that might happen is soil microbes metabolizing it into nitrogen compounds. In short: you won't have done any harm, but stick to liquid seaweed fertilizer in future and keep the creatine for yourself." Reddit Reacts Many users leaned into the humor of the situation. "You are going to walk in one day and hear a deep voice say, 'Bro, can you spot me?' In all seriousness, flush the soil out and hope for the best," one commenter wrote. "Ok here's a more important question. Did you drink miracle grow? Is it working better then creatine? Let me know!" asked another. A third commenter shared a story: "My nan had an orchid on her window, and honestly I'd never seen one as plentiful or luscious as it. It easily had 40 flowers on its stems. I asked what she did that kept it so amazing. 'When I finish my redbull I rinse the can with water and water the plant.' Never had the guts to try it myself." "My husband's grandma has the same luscious orchids and she told me her secret was to give them black coffee once in a while. Just a drip of black coffee mixed with water," another user revealed. Coffee Grounds and Plant Growth A stock image of a man watering his indoor plants. A stock image of a man watering his indoor plants. Ольга Симонова/iStock / Getty Images Plus Coffee in the garden isn't just an old wives' tale. In fact, science suggests it can have real benefits. Overusing chemical fertilizers can harm soil, making it harder for plants to grow naturally. The coffee industry, however, produces a significant amount of waste—particularly used coffee grounds—that could help fix this problem. These grounds are rich in natural compounds that improve soil structure, boost nutrients, and support plant growth, while also reducing food waste and environmental pollution. In a 2024 study, researchers tested how different treatments—chemical fertilizer, worm compost (vermicompost), and used coffee grounds—impacted the growth of red radishes and soil quality. They experimented with coffee grounds mixed into fertilizer at various levels (5 percent, 10 percent, 25 percent, and 50 percent) and as a top dressing in doses of 0.5 g, 1 g, and 2.5 g. The findings were striking: the 0.5 g coffee ground top layer produced the tallest plants (average 18.47 cm) and heaviest weights (average 27.54 g), while the 50 percent vermicompost treatment yielded the largest leaves (average 58.32 cm²). The researchers concluded that used coffee grounds could be an eco-friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers, boosting both plant growth and soil health while promoting sustainable agriculture and recycling.
Newsweek
11-08-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Resident Wakes Up to Noise From Neighbor—Left Baffled by What's in Backyard
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Reddit post about a noisy neighbor has taken an unexpected turn—because the culprit isn't a loud partygoer or a barking dog, but a strange contraption hooked up to a tree. On August 6, Reddit user GnomeErcy shared a photo that quickly went viral, earning more than 35,000 upvotes. It shows two car batteries connected to a garbage can and a backyard tree. The post's caption read: "My neighbor's tree, I'm 99 percent sure, has Dutch elm disease." It is caused by three Ophiostoma fungi species, states Britannica. Despite early U.S. eradication campaigns in the 1930s–40s, the disease persists wherever the highly susceptible American elm grows. While at first glance the setup baffled onlookers, the mystery was soon solved. A stock image of an elderly couple and neighbor are in conflict near a wooden fence. A stock image of an elderly couple and neighbor are in conflict near a wooden fence. JackF/iStock / Getty Images Plus "This pump is injecting fungicide into the elm tree in an effort to save it. Good on him!" one user wrote. The original poster later confirmed: "So funny enough, someone that works at the company that's doing the work saw this post, came over, talked to my wife, and confirmed what they're doing—treating it for Dutch elm disease." Reactions ranged from admiration to amusement. "It's like a medical infusion pump, but on a whole different scale," one commenter said. Another joked: "Never seen a tree on life support before." Why the Tree Needed 'Life Support' Newsweek spoke to Mike Carthew, a geography specialist focusing on ecology and climate change, and owner of the gardening education site Garden Footprint. "What you're looking at is basically a life-support system for a tree," Carthew explained. "That bin-and-battery setup is a trunk injection rig, pumping fungicide straight into the veins of an elm to stop Dutch elm disease. "The disease, caused by a fungus spread by bark beetles, can kill a healthy elm in a single summer. "By delivering treatment directly into the tree's vascular system, arborists can stop the fungus without spraying chemicals across the wider environment. "It's a targeted, almost surgical approach: drill tiny access points in the trunk, hook up the pump, and let the tree 'drink' its medicine. Done right, it buys the tree years, even decades, of extra life." Although he generally avoids chemical treatments, Carthew believes this targeted approach is better. "It's precise, effective, and far kinder to the environment than blanket spraying," he said. Newsweek reached out to u/GnomeErcy for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
