Ian's Gardening Tips
Our Grounds Supervisor, Ian, has shared some gardening hacks to help you with your flora and fauna that you may find useful at home or at your Holiday Home.
Ian's top 5
1. Fertilize Your Plants with Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are a wonderful garden fertilizer, rich in phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, and magnesium. They can also serve as pest control against slugs and snails. Some even say they boast natural anti-fungal properties, which is a huge win for anyone hoping to grow healthy produce.
2. Use Cayenne Pepper to Ward Off Pests
Anyone with a garden knows pests can devastate anything and everything in no time at all. Rather than reaching for the latest and greatest chemical, consider using Cayanne pepper. Cayenne will not harm your plants, but it will keep unwanted animals and bugs from munching on all your hard work. All you need to do is sprinkle a quarter cup throughout your garden every few days and you will begin to see healthier plants without chewed-up leaves and half-eaten fruit.
3. Make a DIY Weed Killer with Vinegar
Looking for an alternative to commercial weed killer? Vinegar is a quick and easy way to rid yourself of those garden invaders trying to choke out your crops. If you cannot manage the weed problem with small, frequent weed pulling sessions, you can create your own homemade weed killer concoction with 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of table salt and 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap. Mix them all together, pour the solution into a spray bottle and get after those weeds.
4. Boost Garden Nutrients with Banana Peel Juice
Bananas are full of nutrients that plants love, like potassium, potash, calcium, and sulphur. Throw your unwanted banana peels in a blender with a little bit of water, blend the mixture up and pour it around your roses and tomatoes to give them a little nutrient boost.
5. Water Gardenias With Fizzy Pop
This sounds way out there, doesn’t it? But using fizzy drinks will provide a little extra acidity in the soil, which gardenia blooms love. Do not overdo it with this garden hack. A little bit of this sweet treat goes a long way in encouraging more lustrous blooms. Give them a little drink at the beginning of the season and only repeat once more for the best results.
Happy Gardening from the Shorefield Country Park Grounds Team.
