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Gardening Hacks 101 For Small Homeowners

To have a healthy garden, all gardeners must follow essential procedures, such as keeping pests at bay and selecting suitable soil and we offer some basic gardening hacks to make life easier.

13/09/2022

Owning a garden is nothing short of a blessing. Gardening improves the soil, the wildlife, and your health. It's a fantastic way to lower stress, establish goals, and learn to care for something. Additionally, it's a wonderful approach to increasing sustainability at home.

The garden is your own personal haven of tranquility, nature, fresh air, and, of course, sunlight. Whatever is the size and design of your garden, be it a tiny balcony, a large courtyard, or an acre of land, it can constantly be upgraded into something magnificent to suit.

These little green miracles can brighten the day after a busy routine. To have a healthy garden, all gardeners must follow crucial procedures, such as keeping pests at bay and selecting suitable soil. Here are some basic gardening hacks. Let's discuss them point by point.

1. Plant in a Pot

Planting in a pot requires a lot of pots that are all the same size so they can nest inside one another. Plants should be placed in double pots and buried at ground level. Lift out the top pot and replace it whenever you desire a change. This technique is also quite effective for bringing indoor plants over the winter.

This technique makes experimenting with plant and flower colour and arrangement simple while quickly switching out annual plants. This gardening technique has become very popular because it complements our contemporary way of life. There are also a few tips to make garden design easier.

2. Bottle Self-Watering Hack

One benefit of drinking a lot of wine is that you won't need to buy one of those pricey, complicated irrigation systems because you'll have everything you need to keep your garden watered when you go on summer vacation, the same applies to plastic bottles that can be recycled into practical watering stations for plants..

For a wine bottle, simply drill a small hole in the top or cork, fill the bottle with water and set it upside down in the soil. For many days to a week, the water will gently flow out.

3. Use Old Cans to Save Soil

Life on earth depends on soil and you can save on soil usage easily if you have old cans and prefer to recycle than toss out. Crush the cans and fill the bottom of deep planters with the crushed cans The cans enhance soil drainage and produce air pockets for enhanced soil aeration. This solution is far better than using rocks or pebbles that make the flower pots heavy.

It's not difficult to create a healthy and attractive garden, but it does require time, patience, and appropriate knowledge. You can also recycle household plastic waste for use in the garden to leverage the waste plastics.

4. No Watering Can? No problem!

Don't worry if you don't have a watering can. There are many other tricks to recycling plastic milk containers into watering cans. Let's discuss one of them.

Plastic bottles can be used for it. Remove the label from the plastic bottle you plan to use. Determine where the holes should be placed on the bottle's side. Make holes in the square with a nail or thumbtack. On the opposite side of the bottle, make a pouring hole. You can also add designs up to your choice. Fill the bottle to the top using the U-shaped hole after carefully closing it. To water your plants, tilt the bottle over them.

5. Spacing Out Seeds with Muffin Tin

Take a muffin tin and press it into the dirt to make evenly spaced indents for your seeds or plants. You can line the remaining portion of your garden or raise a bed using the tin as guided in the picture. Even changing the spacing for various seeds is possible using mini-muffin tins.

It's important to remember that not all seeds respond well to this technique. Some seeds need to be spaced out differently depending on the type.

6. Cardboard Seed Tube

Save the paper towel and toilet paper tubes for a quick and environmentally friendly way to start seeds. The tubes should be cut into two lengths and placed in a waterproof tray. Plant the seeds after adding potting soil to the tubes. Plant the seedlings in the cardboard tube as soon as they are prepared to be transplanted into the garden.

To prevent the tube from wicking moisture away from the roots, make sure to maintain the tube below the soil's surface. You may also make a light bulb terrarium for this purpose.

7. Plant Hydration With Old Sponges

Water that collects at the bottom of pots can cause root rot. To fix this problem, cut up old sponges and put them in the pot's bottom.

The sponges create the necessary air space while capturing moisture. They also help to stop water from draining out of the bottom. The sponge keeps the moist soil longer by acting as a water storage container.

8. Herbs Repel Bugs and Mosquitoes

Basil is a culinary herb that helps keep flies and mosquitoes away. It is one of the strongest plants and gives off a strong scent even when the leaves aren't crushed.

The most effective herb for warding off insects is basil. Mint is a pleasant herb that is also quite efficient at repelling mosquitoes naturally. So, it is also used in mosquito prevention.

9. Use Epsom Salt

Epsom salt is well recognized for its use in home remedies. It helps the garden shine to the brightest. Like commercial fertilizers, Epsom salt contains magnesium, which promotes chlorophyll formation, seed germination, and nutrient uptakes, such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

Most plants thrive with a monthly ratio of two tablespoons to one gallon of water. Epsom salt can also be diluted with water in a spray bottle and used as a foliar spray. The plant grows much faster when misted.

10. Check Soil pH At Home

Some people spend money on a lab test to determine the pH of their soil, but you can get a general idea on your own using common cleaning supplies.

• Take some mud and make a contact with white vinegar. It is alkaline if white vinegar fizzes when being contact with mud.
• If there is no change, take some new clump of mud. Add baking soda to it. If it bubbles, the mud is acidic.
• And if there is no reaction in both the cases, the mud is neutral. You can grow your own food if your soil pH is better.

11. For Climbers, Use Fences And Walls

A fence or a wall is frequently the best option if you want to enjoy the garden in peace and quiet without being bothered by curious neighbours or bystanders. Sadly, privacy screens often lack style and seem to contrast with the otherwise lush garden.

Fortunately, climbing plants in nature offers a fantastic answer to this issue. Climbing plants gracefully find their way up walls and fences while looking fascinating with their vibrant blossoms and lush leaves. There are other climbing plants besides ivy that you may use to cover fences and walls with greenery.

Bonus Tips

Here are the three bonus tips for gardening. If you have a lot of egg shells, ground them up and scatter them in the garden to add calcium to the soil. Alternatively, scatter bits of shell about your plants to help keep insects away.

Instead of tossing banana skins into the trash, throw them into flower beds to enrich the soil.

Baking soda reduces soil acidity, resulting in less acidic and sweeter tomatoes when sprinkled around tomato plants.

Plenty of clever ideas may be used to play with in the backyard, even in small areas.

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Author Bio
Claudia Jeffrey is currently working as an Editor at Crowd Writer. She loves planting and has a beautiful home garden on the rooftop. Claudia often shares her knowledge and ideas with her readers and blogs at Word Count Jet.

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