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Plant Drop event sends 1,000 plants home with UT college students

Students timed the event to challenge a University of Florida Plant Drop distribution event

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Students in a class called Plant Science 115 organized a Plant Drop at the University of Tennessee.

Their goal was to give away 1,000 houseplants in two minutes during the busy lunch rush along the Pedestrian Walkway.

Horticulture lecturer and arborist, Andy Pulte, got the idea from a student club at the University of Florida. Students there gave away 1,000 plants in three minutes. 

No, they didn't drop plants off a roof. It's like a song drop, when a song drops, or is released, at a specific time.

Credit: WBIR
The students planted the seedlings this summer

Teaching Assistant Brooke Keadle said the Plant Drop started at 12:30 and ended two-minutes 15-seconds later. 

Credit: WBIR
Coleus is a hard-to-kill houseplant perfect for college students

She said they had college students in mind when they selected the plants to give away. 

"We picked Coleus which is an easy plant. It's for students. We wanted them to be able to take it back to their dorm room or their apartment and not have it die because of lack of light because we don't have great natural lighting in dorms," she said. 

Credit: WBIR
Brooke Keadle celebrates with a high five after the 2 minute 15 second Plant Drop

The Department of Plant Sciences conducts academic, outreach and research programs in agricultural and natural resource plant sciences.

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