Do you have a strong interest in gardening? And you wish you had a lovely garden but the upkeep would cost you a fortune? These 10 uncommon and reasonably priced hacks are must-try!
Gardening is more than a hobby. For seniors, it’s an activity that implies physical, mental, and emotional benefits. It provides cognitive stimulation, stress relief, but also social opportunities. With the right tools and hacks, gardening can be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. It’s a beautiful way to stay active and connected to nature. So, if you haven’t already tried it… what are you waiting for?
10 Weird Gardening Hacks You Need To Try ASAP
Everyone loves simple, quick, and affordable gardening hacks! Here are some that will help you solve some common problems we have to deal with this season. We made a list of 10 weird but amazing gardening hacks that actually work. So, if you want to get creative with your gardening, here is where you should start.
1. Use coffee grounds to fertilize your plants
Who doesn’t love coffee? Just think about enjoying a fresh cup of coffee in your garden after you have just finished cleaning and gardening. Drinking coffee is really one of the best daily routines we all have. But have you ever thought that coffee can be an important ingredient for your plans? It’s essential if you want to keep snails and slugs away. Coffee grounds are rich in potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and magnesium. It also has natural anti-fungal properties. Isn’t that amazing? So, stop spending your time and money searching for all kinds of chemicals and opt for the natural and healthier way.
2. Use plastic forks
Don’t throw away any plastic folks! They can be a huge help in your gardening process! Placing forks in the soil around your plants will keep away uninvited guests like raccoons, squirrels, or cats from wandering into the garden. Placing them right can also help the plant grow beautifully upright.
3. Use cinnamon to destroy fungus
Go and grab the cinnamon from the kitchen! It’s time to bake! Ha ha, I’m joking! It’s time to eliminate all the fungus found around your plants. It helps root cuttings and has anti-fungal properties, preventing damping off disease in young seedlings. Some gardeners say you can even sprinkle it on potted plants with mushrooms.
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4. Use vinegar to get rid of garden invaders
Do you want to get rid of those garden invaders but don’t know how? Vinegar is the answer. If you are dealing with weeds and other invaders, vinegar is the cheapest and quickest trick you can use in your garden. With the frequent weed-pulling sessions it may be hard to get rid of all that weed, so you can create your own homemade weed-killer concoction, using 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of table salt, and 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap. Mix everything, put the solution in a spray bottle and you are ready to attack the invaders.
5. Use cayenne pepper to stop pests from devastating your garden
If you love gardening, you know how bad pests can be for your plants. Basically, they can destroy everything in no time at all. Consider the cayenne pepper rather than any chemical invention to keep unwanted guests away. Keep in mind that cayenne will not harm your plants. All you need to do is sprinkle your plants every few days and you’ll see significant improvements rapidly. Animals and bugs will stay away from your work, and you’ll see healthier plants without chewed-up leaves and half-eaten fruits.
6. Use chamomile tea for your seedlings
Like cinnamon, chamomile is used for its anti-frugal properties. Chamomile tea is used to prevent damping off disease that tends to crop up among new seedlings. Damping-off can cause seedlings to rot at the soil line, ultimately killing the young plants. You can even step a little chamomile tea or spray a little of it on your seedlings after transplanting them into the garden. In addition to its antifungal properties, tea also has antibacterial benefits. It can help protect seedlings from bacterial infections that might otherwise hinder their growth or cause them to fail.
7. Use soda to water Gardenias
Gardenias are very beautiful flowers but they require specific care to thrive. Soda can be surprisingly efficient in their case. Soda, like Sprite or 7-Up, contains sugars that can provide a quick energy boost and stimulate flowers’ growth, especially during the flowering stage.
Also, the carbonation in soda can help a lot with soil aeration. This improved soil aeration facilitates better oxygen exchange and water absorption, creating a more favorable environment for root growth.
Best practices:
- use soda at least once a month to avoid potential buildup of sugars and other additives in the soil;
- use caffeine-free sodas to prevent any potential negative effects from artificial color and caffeine.
8. Use banana peel juice to boost garden nutrients
Bananas are full of nutrients that plants love such as potassium, potash, calcium, and sulfur. So, stop wasting banana peels if you are a professional gardener. Throw your unwanted banana peels in a blender with a little bit of water, and use the composition obtained around your roses and potatoes to give them a little nutrient boost.
Potassium helps with overall plant growth, strengthens the root system, and improves disease resistance.
Calcium is important for the cell walls of plants, promoting sturdy growth.
Magnesium and sulfur are crucial micronutrients for photosynthesis and the overall metabolic function of plants.
9. Use empty milk jugs to protect your plans
Milk jugs can be used for a lot of different purposes and if you have enough place to store some of them, please do it ASAP. They can be creative containers for overwintering plants as well as protecting young ones during spring and cold snaps. You can cut the top of the jug and place it upside down over your seedlings or you can place them in a circle around each plant to provide heat.
10. Use soap to protect your nails
Last but not least, is the hack that will teach you how to maintain your hands and nails clean while gardening. Even though, most of the real gardeners love to feel the dirt on the body every now and then, nobody wants to be seen like that. The aspect of dirt under nails is probably one of the worst ones.
Your nails can get easily dirty when you are gardening, especially when you are doing it daily. Every professional gardener knows how annoying dirty can be in the evening after spending a productive day in the garden. But we found the best hack and want to share it with you. All you need to do is rug your nails over a bar of soap before going into the garden. The soap will form a barrier that won’t let the dirt sit on your skin.
As you already know, spray bottles are a must in the garden. So, we recommend you a great set that can be found on Amazon. The set contains 4 bottles. It’s a MUST-HAVE for every professional gardener.
Before leaving, make sure you check out another related article: Top Brilliant 10 Tips for Keeping Your Garden Green While Away.
