Remember the Pooleaf, those ballpoint pens that look like an indoor plant when bundled together into a cup? Yeah, that was pretty cool. These Sprout Pencils can also turn into a plant, except instead of artificial plastic flora, it can grow into real herbs when buried in soil.
A pencil with a seed inside, you can use it like any regular pencil for writing, sketching, and tapping on the desk any time you get anxious and fidgety. Rather than merely be thrown away once it’s gotten plenty of use and all you have left is a tiny stub, you can put the remnant of the pencil into a pot with some soil, give it some water, and wait for the herbs to shoot out.
Created by Democratech, the Sprout Pencil is made from cedar with a water-activated seed capsule at the end of the tip. Ten different herbs are used (basil, calendula, cherry tomato, cilantro, dill, marigold, mint, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme), with each pencil labeled with the corresponding type of seed that’s placed inside. Once its small enough that using it as a pencil becomes cumbersome, simply plant it into soil using the unsharpened end, then care for it with regular watering just like regular herb seeds. Depending on the kind of herb, it should begin sprouting within 7 to 20 days.
Oh yeah, since the seed capsule is water-activated, you’re not allowed to get the pencil wet until you’re ready to plant it. Yes, dude, that includes not chewing on the tip the way you do with regular pencils.
The Sprout Pencil is available from Amazon, priced at $19.95 for a pack of eight.