Pick some up under a big tree, crush them, and toss them into the pot. Roots grow strong, leaves stay green, and the plant blooms in a burst that fills the pot, and it can be used for years.

Do you remember when you were in school, in late autumn the school would charge a miscellaneous upkeep fee, or ask parents to send something to the school? Back then elementary schools had no air conditioning and relied on a stove for heat (that gives away my age). Every autumn the school would ask for pinecones, one bag per person! Thinking about it now, I actually miss being a kid, a bunch of friends, going up the mountain with Mom and Dad to collect pinecones, and under some big trees there were even pine nuts! Pinecones really are a great thing! They are absolutely first-rate for growing flowers!

Pinecone

There is probably no one who wouldn't recognize it! The year before last, a colleague at work went traveling in Changchun, and on the way back from hiking brought back a big pinecone full of pine nuts! Usually you can take a stroll anywhere there are pine trees; you don't need to collect many, 2-3 in one flowerpot is plenty.

After picking them and bringing them home, you must disinfect them first. Put them in a large container, pour in a carbendazim solution, and soak for 1 day. After taking them out, dry them in the sun; a good strong sunning makes the disinfection even better!

Then crush the pinecones by stepping on them, putting them straight into a bag and trampling them with your feet. Especially the larger pinecones, try to break them up, otherwise when used as a bottom layer in the flowerpot they drain too much water and the effect is actually worse! After crushing, put them directly at the bottom of the flowerpot, where they do an excellent job of loosening the soil and letting air through.

In addition, you can save some of the crushed bits, put them in a bottle, add a little water, and seal it to ferment. Wait until the pinecones turn black and that's enough. After taking them out, dry them, and mix them with soil to use as nutrient soil. Pinecones contain a certain amount of pine oil, which has a certain sterilizing and disinfecting effect.