No new leaves. No fresh shoots. A plant that was once thriving suddenly seems to have stopped growing altogether.

Before you give up on it, Alwar-based gardener Krishna (@gharkibagia) suggests checking one thing first: is the stem still green?

If it is, he says the plant may still be worth tending to.

Krishna, who shares practical gardening tips on Instagram, recently demonstrated a homemade mixture that he uses on plants that look weak or have stopped putting out new growth. His recipe begins with something most Indian kitchens already have: a handful of rice.

Start with a handful of rice

Take a glass of water, add a handful of rice and let it sit for some time.

Krishna then adds half a teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon of vinegar. He mixes everything together and leaves it for about an hour.

Next, he strains the mixture and dilutes it with one litre of........

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