Gardening is a beautiful hobby that not only relieves stress and keeps you healthy but just generally brings joy to our hearts. So whether you potter away in your greenhouse or get stuck in at the allotment, we salute you!
But it can get frustrating if things don't work out. So stop tearing up your turf or letting your potted plants dry out or rot! Instead, check out our 12 favourite gardening tips and hacks below.
1. Easy Lawn Edging Technique
Petrol Grass Trimmer/Brush Cutter (33-52cc)
£136.00
More about the Petrol Grass Trimmer/Brush Cutter (33-52cc)... Trueshopping's petrol grass trimmer is a handy 2-in-1garden tool for lawn and weed removal and maintenance. It features a high power-to-weight ratio and is easy to handle. Perfect for small-to-medium-sized gardens. Includes: petrol base unit,… read more
By using any long-length wood or plank, you can create a straight edge along your lawn or flowerbed and edging becomes an easy task. To do this, you should lay the board flat on the ground while holding it beneath your foot.
Once you're satisfied with the board’s placement, thrust a flat spade along the board’s edge and move it as needed to create a perfect outline!
2. Micro Greenhouse
£19.87
More about the Greenhouse (Easy-Fit Frame and Heavy Duty Cover)... Our 4 Shelf Greenhouse with Easy-Fit Frame is ideal for gardens that are more compact, allowing gardeners to take care of their seedlings and young plants without compromising on space. It… read moreGreenhouse (Easy-Fit Frame and Heavy Duty Cover)
Not every gardener has the facility to grow plants under the roof of a greenhouse. So if you're one of those people, don’t panic - there's a solution for you.
When you're having a hard time starting your seeds or growing your plants without a greenhouse, soda bottles can do the job for you! That's right.
Recycle some 2 or 4-litre plastic bottles by removing the labels and cutting the bottom off. You can then provide your seeds with a 'micro greenhouse' each by covering them with the remaining portion of the bottle.
It will protect your plants from frost, wind, and heavy rains!
3. Plant Hydration With Sponges
It can be a significant problem when water settles at the bottom of the pot and rots your plant's roots. To counter this issue, you can make use of old sponges at home. Simply cut them up and place them at the bottom of the pot before putting soil in.
This trick will keep the plants hydrated since sponges retain moisture as well as create necessary air space. They will also prevent water from flushing out of the pot and act as a water reserve!
4. Coffee Paper Filter As a Dirt Stopper
Most pots sold on the market are efficient enough to hold soil and plants properly. However, problems can arise when you start watering them, and the dirt starts to flow out at the bottom.
So instead of just adding soil on, try this hack. The solution is simple: re-use coffee filter papers at the bottom of the pot to keep the dirt from flowing out.
This way, you can still avoid waterlogging plants while preventing soil from leaking.
5. Self-Watering System
Expandable Flexible Garden Hose Pipe
£6.42
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Many of us love the art of gardening, but we can’t stay with our plants at all times. There's no need to worry though plant parents because there are a lot of self-watering hacks that can keep plants watered while you're out for the day or on vacation.
One easy and efficient way is the use of rolled-up paper towels. Make sure the towels are adequately tied to their ends to prevent them from breaking. Then, dip the ends of the towel in a glass or bottle of water and lay the remaining part across the soil.
6. Fertilize Plants With Cooking Water
Instead of always using tap water when hydrating your plants, you can take advantage of the nutrients that come with the water used from boiling vegetables!
Once it's cooled down, pour the vegetable water onto your plants to fertilize them instead of putting it to waste.
Aside from this, you can also re-apply this water when boiling eggs.
However, do beware of over-watering.
7. Start New Seedlings With Citrus Rind
Citrus rinds are one of the best places to start new seedlings because you can plant them in soil with the peel. You can also use grapefruit, orange and other citrus skins which are the right size for new plants.
For drainage, you can create a small hole at the bottom of the rind. Once the seedlings are ready for planting, you can plant the whole shebang in the ground because the citrus skins will eventually decompose.
Do remember that citrus rinds make the soil acidic so you can only use this gardening hack with acid-loving plants such as radishes, peppers, and the like.
8. Pot-in-a-Pot Landscape
Wooden Planter Box
£59.00
More about the Wooden Planter Box... Not everyone who is an avid gardener has the time to maintain a garden filled with fresh vegetables, fruits and plants. Similarly, some gardens and patios may not be large enough to accommodate your gardening… read more
Sometimes, we get so excited about landscaping our garden that we put small plants wherever we want without considering if they'll look good when they mature! The good thing is, there's a smart way of reorganising your plants with the pot-in-a-pot gardening technique.
Start by burying a pot in the ground where you want to place your plant. Then, instead of de-potting your plant, place it inside the larger pot still in its container (soil and all!).
You can also change out seasonal plants easily and experiment with their colour, type and placement.
9. Using a Plastic Pot in Preventing the Spread of Invasive Plants
There's an easy way to prevent unwated herbs from spreading from your plants’ roots or runners: installing a plastic edge on the ground.
To apply this, you need to cut off the bottom of a plastic pot and retain the borders.
You then bury the plant on the ground with its plastic edges and free your plants from invasive shrubs while also having control over its size.
10. Use Zip Ties to Control Your Climbing Plants (and steel pegs for ground plants)
Galvanised Steel Pegs
£1.99
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Vines always run any which way they want, but we can also control their direction through various techniques. The most effective trick is by fastening them around their stalks to the path we want using zip ties.
However, you still need to give them proper space for movement and growth by not strapping the vines too tight!
11. Grind Eggshells For Better Calcium Levels
Most of us already know about the nutrients that broken eggshells provide to our plants...right? However, grinding eggshells into smaller pieces is a better way to incorporate them as it makes it easier for the soil to absorb calcium.
12. Spray or Disperse Cinnamon Powder on Seedlings to Prevent Diseases
The anti-fungal elements in cinnamon prevent diseases from festering your seedlings. Its great smell in your home is also a plus!
So there you have it - 12 awesome and quickfire gardening tips and hacks! We hope you enjoyed it and get to use some of them soon. And if you're in need of gardening tools, check out the Trueshopping range - just click here.