This pandemic, you’ve probably gotten into so many hobbies and excel at them as well, right? It’s okay if you’re still a beginner at something, just remember practice makes perfect, and with practice you need patience so don’t push yourself too hard. Let me guess, one of your hobbies that you’ve tried is probably… gardening! Right? Well, if you are pursuing gardening, you wouldn’t have clicked on this article, hehe. Let me help you out with your gardening skills with these clever, interesting tips and tricks from creative_explained. You’ll get better and learn more in no time!
Egg Shells
When you’re done eating eggs for breakfast, don’t throw away your egg shells silly! Save them for your plants! What you need to do is crush them up into pieces into a bowl and sprinkle it directly over the soil of your plants! Apparently, it gives your plants the calcium they need to grow and it’ll keep them away from slugs, caterpillars and cutworms from munching on your precious plant. Now, isn’t that an egg-cellent idea?
Grow a Pineapple
Hey, are you about to throw away that pineapple? Stop right there. The top of the pineapple is essential if you wanna grow a pineapple.
Twist the top of the pineapple, then peel off the bottom 4-5 layers off because that is where the roots will grow! Leave it out to dry for 2 days. After 2 days, grab a pot with soil and proceed to plant the pineapple top by twisting it into the soil. Now, what you need to do is to only water it from the top off the leaves like this:
Soon the leaves will start to grow outwards, then a stem will grow from the middle and a pineapple tree is born. Now isn’t that a pine idea?
Cinnamon
Use your cinnamon powder for your plants! What you need is to sprinkle a little bit on top of the soil and let the cinnamon do its magic because it encourages the root growth for your plant (your cinnamon is rooting for your plant!!!)
And with its anti-fungal trait, it’ll help to prevent mold and fungi from growing on your soil and keep away gnats from bothering your plant. Now, don’t let the gnats bug you and your plant with cinnamon!
Orange Peels
Another great tip that helps to reduce the food waste just like the egg shells tip, use your orange peels! Take your orange peels and chop them up. Put them into a pot, add in 2 tablespoons of dish soap and 2 cups of water. Then, bring it into a boil before taking it off the stove and let it chill for 2 hours.
Grab an empty spray bottle with a funnel to strain the liquid as you pour it into the bottle.
Voila! What you have right now is a HOMEMADE BUG SPRAY! Spray the liquid directly onto the leaves of your plants to prevent from nasty bugs like aphids, mealybugs and slugs.
Grow a Strawberry Plant
Wanna grow a strawberry plant? Here’s the trick:
Take a peeler and peel the outer skin of the strawberry (basically the yellow seeds you see). As usual, grab a pot with soil and place the peels on top before covering it with more soil. Take care of it as you usually do, and you’ll have a strawberry plant near you because travelling to Cameron Highlands right now doesn’t seem such a good idea.
Pomegranate
Did you know a pomegranate’s peel can turn into a natural fertilizer for your plant?
Yeah! So don’t throw it away the second you’re eating it.
Instead grab the peel and chop them up into pieces before putting it in a blender with some water inside.
Like we’ve mentioned before, it’s a natural fertilizer for your plant as it’s packed with micronutrients like potassium, zinc, iron and copper for your sweet plant to thrive. Just apply it directly to the soil of your plants!
Tomato Plants
Here’s a tip when you’re growing out a tomato plant. Have you ever seen these suckers?
Yep, they’re actually called suckers because they suck the life out of your tomato plant. Well, that sounds a little dramatic. It’s considered relatively harmless to your tomato plant but what it does is reduce its growth as it draws energy away from the main stems. So yeah, I think it makes sense why they’re called suckers.
What you can do is remove them by pinching them off or snipping them with pruners. It’s advisable to prune sparingly if you live in a place with intense summer sun.
Banana Peels
Another day of knowing that all these fruit peels definitely have its own benefits and I think we’re missing out a lot when we throw them away carelessly.
What we’re trying to say here is don’t throw away your banana peels as it’s packed with micronutrients such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc. What you can do with it is place your banana peels on a piece of foil and leave them out to dry in the sun until it turns so dry that you can crush them up into pieces into powder form.
Those banana-peels-turned-powder-forms can now be used as fertilizer for your plants!
Last but not least, use your baking powder!
Your leftover baking soda can be used as a bug spray to protect your precious plant.
Here are some ways you can use them for:
- To prevent your plant from fungicide, get an empty bottle spray and add in 1 tablespoon of baking powder and pour in 1 liter of water. Mix them together and spray where it’s affected.
- To avoid your plants from getting eaten by snails, sprinkle some baking soda around your plants.
- Holes on your green leaves? Must be the feisty bugs, mix some baking powder and corn flour together and sprinkle it all over your plant.
Hopefully these tips are helpful enough to increase your gardening skills! Remember, practice makes perfect and you’re getting there, we’re rooting for you! Happy gardening folks, you’re making the earth a greener place to live in!
