Having plants around you can be so soothing and therapeutic but maintaining them can be tricky at times. The best thing about gardening is that you can never learn everything about it while talking to other gardeners about their tricks and tips can be fun and add a little creativity to growing your favorite plants. If you also have a gardening bug, here are top 10 gardening hacks to help you:
DIY Drip Irrigation:
Isn’t keeping your plants hydrated in a country like India a full time job? Don’t worry this trick will help you. It uses only a plastic water bottle and mimics drip irrigation by delivering water directly to plant roots.
All you need to do is puncture some holes into the plastic bottle and cover it with a sock. Fill the bottle with water and insert it in the soil with only cap outside the soil surface. The fabric will absorb excess water and distribute it slowly to the plants.
Quit plastic planters and go for grow bags:
Grow bags have a lot of benefits over plastic planters such as
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Promote healthier plant roots
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Shed excess heat through breathable fabric
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Prevents over watering as excess water can percolate through the fabric material
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Can be moved or planted directly in the ground.
Place some bright color objects in your garden:
This hack is all about training the birds to not go after your fruits. You can place red color objects if you are growing strawberries or tomatoes, orange color objects if you are growing oranges. When the birds will try to peck these objects the result wouldn’t be pleasant and they won’t do it again.
Use Coffee grounds to help keep the pests away and enrich your soil:
Do not throw away the used coffee grounds next time! Save up for your garden. Used coffee grounds are an excellent nitrogen source and improve overall soil structure and tilth. It also repels snails, ants and slugs away and attracts earthworms.
Use your old sponges at the bottom of terracotta pots:
They will help prevent root rot by allowing for additional air down there and absorb extra water that might run out the bottom.
Use cardboard or newspaper as mulch:
Mulching is very important for your garden. It helps to suppress weeds, retains moisture and maintains optimum soil temperature. You can use the corrugated cardboards used in packaging of different materials as mulch. You can save your money and recycle the cardboards at the same time.
CAUTION: Do not use the wax coated cardboards that restrict the water penetration to the soil.
Use cinnamon Powder to prevent diseases:
Cinnamon has some anti-fungal qualities. We can use it to prevent and stop diseases.
DIY Watering Can:
Use an old milk jug which is perfect to water your plants. You just need to up-cycle an old plastic jug by piercing holes in its lid so that water can flow through it freely.
DIY Garlic based insecticide:
Blend a clove of garlic and 2 cups of water until smooth. Pour the liquid into a container and let it sit for 24 hours. Filter this solution through a strainer and dilute
Alternative seed starters:
You can use different seed starter items from your like Empty egg shells, citrus fruits such as lemon, toilet paper rolls, Ice cube trays etc
