Remember, kids, the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.

Adam Savage (Mythbusters) has one of the all time best quotes, "Remember, kids, the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down." 

This quote, at it's core reminds us that any discovery, curiosity that we have is valid if we learn something and document it.  Memories are documentation too, just informal.  It's with that sentiment that I present to you today's project. 

I have been lusting after my neighbors hydrangeas, they are so beautiful!  Knowing that you can grow them from cuttings, I took a shot.  Villainy isn't something that they have a proper school for, so we have the next best thing, YouTube.  I watched a few videos, shrugged, what did I have to lose?  Then because again, I am a firm believer in science... I documented it to share with you, my loyal subjects. 

One of the branches was hanging by thread, so I snipped it, it had a lovely flower on it with a hitchhiker!!

Let me make this part clear, this isn't so much a how to plant clippings, as a how I made this medium size experiment in gardening while spending barely anything, all on a whim.  Okay, disclaimer is in place -

I got this racist bullsh*t "newspaper" the other day, I considered putting it in my cat's litter box, or burning it... but then the universe was like, use hate to grow something beautiful... thus, I have free liner for my recycled pots.

*And yes I blurred the name because even villains hate racist @$$holes and they aren't getting any free press from me.*  I just wanted to highlight that I followed Patricia Noah's, Trevor Noah's mother, advice - I took that racism, swirled it around in the love of Jesus and sent it back!  Although in this case, it's more mother nature, but same message applies.

My only cost - $6 for root growth hormone (small business purchase), I reused pots and soil I already had.  Balled up the paper, filled with dirt, prepped cuttings and then planted.

Fun fact, I learned the more humid, the more likely root growth will occur... guess that means I am making a greenhouse!  This is where it becomes more instructional - using an old plastic tub, mulch bag and a small rope/thick twine - I created a make shift greenhouse.

I started by cutting one side of the mulch bag off so it's a single sheet of plastic.  On one long side I found the middle and cut two small slits.  I ran an end of the rope through it's respective hole, then pulled through till the middle of the rope looked like the picture above.

Next, I cut slits, one to two inches apart, around the bag, weaving the rope through them, this is the same thing we used to do in preschool.  One side at a time, weaving this rope through the plastic so it can cinch when tightened.  I made the spaces longer on the sides, smaller at the corners.  I also sized it so that the rope would be just under the rim of the tub, I did this by pulling the plastic down and snipping under the rim, just make sure you still have enough plastic for the other side (a chip clip or something like it would have made this a LOT easier).

Then, when I got to the handles of the tub there were holes, I ran the rope through two of them to give it extra security.  Now the plastic may come askew but it won't fly off and become litter, if you have clips you could use those instead for the same purpose.

Once I got around the two corners and back to the middle of the opposite side from where I started, I made sure the rope ended coming from the back to the front (for easy tie later) and started on the other side, same method.

Finally, I had a lot of rope left, I wrapped it around the tub over the plastic (but not through any of the holes), just like we did when we were kids and we'd wrap extra long shoe laces around our ankles and tie in the front.

When I want to water and check on them, I can untie, peek and then seal it back up.

I admit, I have no idea if any of this is going to work, but I've only spent $6 and saved myself about an hour and a half that I would have spent wasting time online.  I will share the progress, good or bad, as it happens.  Maybe by fall I'll have roots and new plants, if I could get two or three I'd be delighted!  One, I'd still be happy.

Who knows, maybe this time next year, I'll have photography of bugs on my own hydrangea!

Till next week, remember - Hate in your heart will consume you too!  And when I take over the world, I'll make the radio stations play more Will Smith!!!