Brilliant Hacks For Gardeners
There are so many advantages of having an impressive garden. You’ll be able to invite all your friends and family over and show it off. But maintaining a beautiful garden can be very expensive. Especially if you decide to decorate it with water features and stonework. However, creating a pretty outdoor area doesn’t have to cost you the earth. With just a few simple tricks, you can turn an unsightly, overgrown garden into your very own blooming corner of paradise! Try these awesome hacks for gardeners on a budget.
Make Your Own Markers
You will need plant and flower markers, so you remember which seeds you have planted in each patch. Rather than buying a fancy bunch, why not think about making some yourself? This gives you the chance to get really creative and add your own personality to your garden. You can use milk bottles, cut into strips and shaped to your desired shape. Ice cream sticks are also a good option.
Add Coffee To Your Soil
Coffee gives us a buzz when we drink it, and coffee grounds also give plants a buzz when you add it to their soil! You can use it two ways: as a fertile compost or very rich fertiliser. Mix used coffee into your compost to add extra nitrogen. This will promote your plants’ growth. You can also sprinkle used ground coffee on top of your soil. It will then act as a fertiliser, allowing nitrogen to soak through the earth to your seeds.
Cuttings
If a friend or relative has beautiful plants or flowers, get a cutting from them. Growing cuttings is an excellent, cost-effective way to produce new, identical plants (clones) of your favourite varieties. Roses, succulents, azaleas, geraniums, pelargoniums, hydrangeas, fuchsias and herbs are the easiest to grow from cuttings.
The best method or outdoor plants and flowers involves taking 10cm semi-hardwood tip cuttings during summer to early autumn, dipping them in rooting hormone, and placing them in a mix of peat and sand. Using clean, sharp tools, cuttings typically root in water or soil within 4–12 weeks.
Start Seedlings using Leftovers
Don’t throw away your leftover food! Not only can you use it for compost, but some things may be suitable for growing seedlings in. Items such as used lemon halves and egg shells are perfect for this. Carefully fill your chosen items with seedling mix and plant a seed in each. Once the seedling has started to grow, it is ready to plant outside.
Mulches
Mulches are used to improve the quality of the soil. They can also be used to improve the appearance of your garden, as they give a decorative finish to the soil. Not only that, but they help the soil to retain a lot more water. This greatly reduces the number of times you will need to water your garden as mulches generally reduce watering by 60%! It also acts as a great deterrent to some pets.
So there you have it! Making and maintaining a thriving garden doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Follow these tips to help improve your green fingers and to make life out in the garden much easier!
