We all want to spend big on our plants, and during lock down it is increasingly more difficult especially when you can’t touch and personally view what you’re purchasing. Well, look no further than some fun, crafty ways to reuse things you have in your house. I am *positive* you’ll be surprised by at least one of these, and if you’re not I’ll buy you a beer!
1. Banana peels. After you’ve gone for your 2 km jog before sitting at your home office desk all day, and you’re ready to blast the berries in the NutraBullet – remember that banana peels are high in potassium and great for plants. Simply soak the banana peels for a few days in a sealed container, and use that water on your plants as a natural fertiliser.
2. Bamboo chopsticks. These are wonderful, and countless times the Chinese restaurants I’ve been frequenting on Uber Eats give me more than my fair share, I never want to throw them away! Chopsticks are a great way to hold up your plants, as well as poke holes in the soil when you are planting cuttings. Simply poke them around in the soil in a circular motion, and you’ve dug your plants their own little trench to drown those roots!
3. Twine. This is one we ALL have. Go raid you drawers, you 100% own a ball of it. I personally found 4 half used rolls when I was spring cleaning the other day. Why do we own it? To wrap gifts? Who is even getting gifts right now?! Either way, twine is abundant, cheap, and holds your plants up to poles (or literally anything else) very efficiently. It is natural, and blends in beautifully.
4. Teabags. When you’re done with your nightly cuppa, don’t throw out ya bags! These bags contain organic matter, which increases drainage while maintaining moisture, promoting earthworms, increasing oxygen levels, and maintaining soil structure for a more beautiful garden. Indoors or out – you’re onto a winner!
5. Cinnamon. Cinnamon not only smells good, but if you have some of those annoying-ass little fungus gnats, it helps maintain a barrier on the top of your soil. This is the same for lemon/orange peels too – they hate it, but it smells so goooood.
6. Fireplace ash. Yes, winter is over but you’re in BBQ season! Charcoal from the BBQ is an amazing drainage system for plants. Ash helps to alkalinize soil, which is convenient for different types of plants in your house or garden beds as they all have different levels of PH. In a perfect world they would like to be as close to neutral as possible! Mix it in with your soil or sprinkle it on the top. You can also paint your face like you’re going to war, but that’s not going to help your plants… that part is just for fun.
7. Eggshells. I love potato salad, it’s like, the best thing ever out of the fridge on a warm day, especially when your mum makes it! A good potato salad has 2 ingredients that it just can’t work without: spuds n eggs. Eggshells are great to mix in with your soil, eggshells have comfortable levels of calcium carbonate, along with small amounts of protein and other organic compounds. Did you know on average we eat 150-200 eggs each, per year?! Your plants will love you! Mash them up when they’re dried, or pop them in the blender then blend them into your soil mix. Once your spuds are peeled you can also soak the skins in water and use the water too, double whammy courtesy of a simple, but very tasty salad.
8. Coffee rinds. Yes, once you’re done with your percolation, the ground excess can fertilise garden beds beautifully. Smells amazing, too!
9. HAIR. You read that correctly. We aren’t advocating you go and shave your head; we’re just letting you know that human and pet hair contain loads of magnesium, making it a wonderful fertiliser. It does, however take 2 or so years to break down. What you do with this information is entirely up to you…
10. Empty glass bottles. Lock down has been rough on everyone – maybe you have 10 or 100 empty wine or gin bottles you don’t want to bring out to the curb because you’ll break your back trying to wheel the bin out. You’re not an Olympian, you’re just a human who likes to be buzzed. Anyway, back onto the topic – you can use these to propagate your plants! Trust me, giant Golden Pothos vines in a fancy gin bottle look MINT, and you’re recycling in your own way too. Win win, so drink up!
Some of this may be info you already knew, but if it’s not and you’d like to know more – subscribe to us through the website so you can read Bec and my utter nonsense on a regular basis. Thanks for reading! Email us at hello@talkdirt2me.com.au or through the website if you have any questions or would like to chat.
K