Gardening Secrets

Having a garden can give you a very rewarding feeling when everything is growing and healthy. I also find gardening very relaxing; it allows me to escape from the rest of the world. However, maintaining a garden can become expensive so I have made a list of great gardening secrets that you can use in your own garden. Not only are these secrets cost efficient but they will also help you maintain a healthy garden.

• If you're staring your plants from seeds, you can sprinkle ground cinnamon powder on the soil to prevent fungus from growing.
• Adding aspirin to the water you use to root a plant will assist with root growth and water absorption.
• If you have a lot of crabgrass, dandelions, or plantain weeds then your soil is acidic. However, if you have peppergrass, ironweed, or pennygrass weeds your soil is alkaline.
• You can add lint from your laundry dryer to your compost pile or even till it into your soil and it will help retain the moisture.
• If you have a pet that sheds you can use their hair in your compost pile to raise the nitrogen level. Left over hair from a haircut will work just as well too.
• If you find that your compost pile won't heat up fast enough, you can add comfrey leaves to speed up the process.
• Seaweed is very good for a compost pile. Just make sure you rinse off all of the salt water first. The salt isn't good for your garden.
• If you have recently cleaned a fish for eating, you can bury the scraps around your vegetable plants.
• Crab shells and egg shells can be sprinkled around your tomato plants to boost the calcium level of the soil.
• After you have boiled eggs, allow the water to cool down. Then, pour it around the plants in your garden. This will help add calcium to the soil.
• Plating basil plants next to your tomato plants will actually help deter pests from attacking your tomato plants.
• Planting hot pepper plants next to your squash plants will help deter pests from attacking your squash plants.
• Spraying spoiled milk on the leaves of your rose and tomato plants will actually help prevent virus and fungus problems.
• To enhance the color of your roses you can sprinkle 1/2 cup Epsom salt around each mature bush.
• Dental floss can be used to tie climbing roses.
• Equal parts of water and antiseptic mouthwash can be used to help get rid of aphids.
• If you have an ant problem, you can mix 4 teaspoons of boric acid and 1 cup of sugar into 3 cups of hot water. Soak this mixture into cotton balls and the ants will get poisoned from the mixture.
• Bury a small container to the rim in the soil. Pour beer into the container and slugs will be attracted to it and drown. Do this every night to help control a slug problem.
• Sprinkling coffee grounds around the base of your plants will kill snails and slugs.
• Pouring boiling water onto weeds that grow in the cracks of cement will kill them and the seeds that may be hiding.
• Soak garlic cloves in water in a sealed jar. Water your plants with the water and it will help to repel pests.
• The rinds from citrus fruits like lemons and oranges will help keep cats away from your garden because they don't like the smell.
• Parsley and tansy plants will help attract ladybugs which can help control certain pests.
• Lavender plants will keep ticks away from your garden.
• If you're planning on using a terracotta pot, soak it in water first that way it won't take water away from your plant.
• Lining the bottom of a flower pot with a coffee filter will prevent soil from spilling out of the drainage holes.
• Coating your gardening tools with petroleum jelly can prevent them from getting rusted during the winter.
• Spraying your lawn mower's blades with cooking oil can keep the grass from sticking to them.
• When you prune your plants, make sure you cut at an angle to help prevent from diseases.
• If the bottom leaves of your tomato plants are turning yellow between the veins, you should add iron to the soil.
• You can scrape your fingernails over a bar of soap before you start gardening. This will keep dirt from accumulating under your nails.
• If your hose gets lots of kinks when you coil it, leave the water on next time. This will prevent the kinking problem.
• You can use old mini blinds for garden markers. Just cut them to the desired length and write on them using a permanent marker. Then, stick them in the soil near your plants.