Gardening Tips
Posted: July 17th, 2013, 7:53 pm
If ants attack ripening wall fruits, lay a band of tar mixed with a little sugar at the bottom and around tree base.
To get rid of the pests from your plants, burn dry leaves and twigs in your lawn. The smoke that results from the burning will get rid of the pests. In this old dried cow dung can also be used for smoke.
Boiling water destroys ants’ nests. Boiling water poured on to weeds between pavings kills off surface leaves and retards their growth.
When ants attack your plants, sprinkle a little turmeric powder around them and the ants will vanish.
Here is a recipe for home-made fertiliser - mix together superphosphate of lime, sulphate of ammonia, sulphate of potash and steamed bonemeal flour in the ratio of 7:5:2:1. Mix in water, 1-2 oz. per gallon.
Make your own slug killer by mixing crushed, block methylated spirit with dry tea leaves or bran. Spread in circles around the plants to be protected.
Aphids and whitefly can be kept at bay by spraying with a solution of detergent liquid and water in the same proportions as for washing dishes.
Don’t forget to remove and burn all diseased plants or the healthy plants may also get infected.
Old net curtains make good bird deterrents when draped over soft fruit bushes or vegetable patches.
Individual seed pots can be made from papier-mache egg cartons filled with potting soil.
Don’t throw away the ashes after the garden bonfire has cooled. You will get your own potash when you use this ash for your plants.
To improve yield by retaining moisture, place well-dampened newspaper mixed with grass cuttings in the bottom of a trench being prepared for runner beans.
Use ‘neem’ leaves to enrich the flowerbeds instead of fertilisers.
Bury your old leather boots and shoes under the soil in your garden. When they eventually rot, they add a good number of nutrients to the soil.
If your garden hose has holes in it, don’t throw it away. Instead, make a few more and use it as a sprinkler for your lawn or vegetable patch.
For healthy indoor plants, sprinkle some gelatine powder on them, once in a month.
For a cheap and good tonic for rose plants, add 25 gms of Epsom salt to 4½ litres of water. Water your plants with this solution every few weeks
Crumbled eggshells make excellent calcium supplement for the potted plants
Dry tea bags and coffee powder make excellent fertiliser for your garden.
To eradicate squirrels from your garden, spread mothballs all over the garden. Squirrels will not uproot the plants.
Banana skins baked in an oven and buried under the soil around rose plants will give them potassium and help you get some lovely blooms.
Most houseplants respond well to a light sprinkling of coffee residue on top of the soil.
Pour some detergent water into the pot when you find ants attacking your plant. This will not harm the plant but will kill the ants instantly.
Tonics and vitamin tablets, which have crossed their expiry date, make excellent manure for the plants, especially rose plants.
Do not throw away any vegetable scrapping. Collect, dry and burn them. Use the ash as compost.
Sprinkle some mustard seeds and water on soil to get rid of insects and pests.
Water your plants with water to which some soda has been added. The plants will be healthier, with more foliage and flowers.
Boil neem leaves in a small aluminium vessel and cool. This decoction, when sprinkled on plants, will keep pests away.
To get rid of the pests from your plants, burn dry leaves and twigs in your lawn. The smoke that results from the burning will get rid of the pests. In this old dried cow dung can also be used for smoke.
Boiling water destroys ants’ nests. Boiling water poured on to weeds between pavings kills off surface leaves and retards their growth.
When ants attack your plants, sprinkle a little turmeric powder around them and the ants will vanish.
Here is a recipe for home-made fertiliser - mix together superphosphate of lime, sulphate of ammonia, sulphate of potash and steamed bonemeal flour in the ratio of 7:5:2:1. Mix in water, 1-2 oz. per gallon.
Make your own slug killer by mixing crushed, block methylated spirit with dry tea leaves or bran. Spread in circles around the plants to be protected.
Aphids and whitefly can be kept at bay by spraying with a solution of detergent liquid and water in the same proportions as for washing dishes.
Don’t forget to remove and burn all diseased plants or the healthy plants may also get infected.
Old net curtains make good bird deterrents when draped over soft fruit bushes or vegetable patches.
Individual seed pots can be made from papier-mache egg cartons filled with potting soil.
Don’t throw away the ashes after the garden bonfire has cooled. You will get your own potash when you use this ash for your plants.
To improve yield by retaining moisture, place well-dampened newspaper mixed with grass cuttings in the bottom of a trench being prepared for runner beans.
Use ‘neem’ leaves to enrich the flowerbeds instead of fertilisers.
Bury your old leather boots and shoes under the soil in your garden. When they eventually rot, they add a good number of nutrients to the soil.
If your garden hose has holes in it, don’t throw it away. Instead, make a few more and use it as a sprinkler for your lawn or vegetable patch.
For healthy indoor plants, sprinkle some gelatine powder on them, once in a month.
For a cheap and good tonic for rose plants, add 25 gms of Epsom salt to 4½ litres of water. Water your plants with this solution every few weeks
Crumbled eggshells make excellent calcium supplement for the potted plants
Dry tea bags and coffee powder make excellent fertiliser for your garden.
To eradicate squirrels from your garden, spread mothballs all over the garden. Squirrels will not uproot the plants.
Banana skins baked in an oven and buried under the soil around rose plants will give them potassium and help you get some lovely blooms.
Most houseplants respond well to a light sprinkling of coffee residue on top of the soil.
Pour some detergent water into the pot when you find ants attacking your plant. This will not harm the plant but will kill the ants instantly.
Tonics and vitamin tablets, which have crossed their expiry date, make excellent manure for the plants, especially rose plants.
Do not throw away any vegetable scrapping. Collect, dry and burn them. Use the ash as compost.
Sprinkle some mustard seeds and water on soil to get rid of insects and pests.
Water your plants with water to which some soda has been added. The plants will be healthier, with more foliage and flowers.
Boil neem leaves in a small aluminium vessel and cool. This decoction, when sprinkled on plants, will keep pests away.