Oct 27 2008
Plant Care Products In Your Kitchen
If you’ve ever visited your local nursery and got sticker shock, take a look around your kitchen. You may not have to leave home!
Aspirin. An aspirin in the water keeps your cut flowers fresher, longer. But an aspirin dissolved in a half-cup of water makes a fine homemade rooting compound. Just dip the end of the stem in the aspirin-water, then stick it in the soil. If your new plant needs more encouragement, water it with a weaker solution of aspirin water. (I’ve used this successfully with fresh herbs that have been in the fridge for a week!) Use plain, generic aspirin — unadulterated, noncoated, un-baby aspirin.
Eggshells. Ground-up eggshells provide calcium for your soil, and help break the soil up if it’s compacted. Eggshells left to “brew” in a (closed, please!) container for about 3 days makes a great fertilizer. It’s also quite … ummm … aromatic. But it works!
Coffee Grounds. Coffee grounds (used ones) feed your plants, loosen up the soil, and self-compost over time.
White Vinegar. Kill weeds by spraying white vinegar directly on them. It’s cheap, natural and organic, and won’t leach nasty stuff into your soil. Do not spray any non-weeds; this stuff is very effective — though it may need to be used more than once to completely knock out a stubborn weed.
Soap (castile or organic dish soap). Kill aphids by spraying with a solution of 1 tablespoon of plain, organic soap to a gallon of water.
Got your own recipes? Please share!
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