I see folks at the nursery buying several trays of the same plants that could easily be propagated with a little time. A perfect example is a spider plant. You can even get this plant for free from a friend who has one. It will continually send out a stolon with a "baby" spider plant at the end. All you have to do is cut it off, and plant it in a pot. Within a few weeks, roots will form. Then you will have a whole new plant that will also produce plants. You will never have to buy a spider plant again. There are tons of plants that propagate easily. So instead of spending $30 on a big, beautiful plant, buy only a few of them, when they are small, for a few dollars. Here are some examples of plants that will propagate: Mother-in-law tongue/Snake Plant Devil's Ivy Coleus Begonias Arrowhead Swedish Ivy Philodendron African Violets (takes a long time)
This is a good tip for those who are plant lovers. People who love plants fully understand what you meant, but to some who buys plants for decoration would not understand and would rather buy plants in volume to either as a decoration or just leave it there.
That's what my dad does, he cuts a branch on one of his trees, then he does something to it and it grows into a new plant. A good way to save money indeed.
My mother used to take a piece of the root of a plant and transplant it to another pot and it would grow. Sometimes she would take a whole piece of a plant and do the same thing. I am not sure how it all works but she's done it many times. She would also save the seeds from fruits and veggies that we bought from the store and dry them out and grow them the next season.
If you are interested in planting something prickly then bougainvillea can also be easily propagated. All you need is to get a few cuttings from somewhere or buy a potted plant. It grows really fast so you won't need more than one plant. From this one plant you'll get enough cuttings to grow more bougainvillea than you will ever want to see. Propagating definitely does help save money.
My mom owns a big garden and till today she has never gone to the nursery. I think it is a great idea to take it from a friend of yours or your own relatives. I think it is quite a good way to save some money and also make a good garden.
