Genius Hacks Every Plant Parent Needs In Their Life
Everyone wants gorgeous houseplants in their home, but not all of us excel when it actually comes to helping these plants thrive. In truth, there’s a lot more to being a good plant parent than meets the eye. So, to all the true green thumbs out there, we salute you — because it’s your helpful hacks that will improve our plant game tenfold! We've weeded out the best tips and tricks that every aspiring home gardener needs in their life.
Mix some cinnamon into your seedling soil
Cinnamon is a natural fungicide, which means it can kill the fungus fed on in soil by gnat larvae. It can also help prevent “damping off,” which is when the lower part of a new seedling stem becomes thin and weak, and eventually collapses and dies.
So, if you want to protect your seedlings and control the number of gnats in your soil, sprinkle a little of the spice into the mix and watch the magic happen.
Water orchids with ice cubes
Orchids are tropical plants, yet they react extremely well to being watered with ice cubes. Simply place three cubes on top of the soil — making sure they’re not touching the leaves or protruding roots — and leave them for a week.
The ice will melt pretty quickly, but then trickle through the soil for the entire seven days, ensuring it stays healthy without the risk of overwatering. It’s weird, but it works!
Fill large planters with crushed soda cans
Have you ever looked at a large plant pot and thought, “Surely there’s no way any plant could need that much soil?” Well, you’d be right – this is often the case! To save yourself some cash on soil, you could try lining the bottom of your planter with crushed soda cans.
Make sure they’re clean, and add a piece of landscape fabric on top to provide a barrier to the soil, and then you’re set! It’ll also have the added bonus of improved water drainage.
Use a mirror to bathe plants in light
Houseplants are notoriously picky when it comes to light. Not enough, too much, not the right type — it's a minefield out there. There's one thing, at least, that has a simple solution. If you're tired of gangly plants that are bending out of shape to try and get more sun, all you need is a mirror.
By placing the mirror in a position that faces a natural light source, you can guarantee a steady stream of sun all around your beloved pot plant. Just make sure that it's not blasting direct sun onto the leaves. Remember that playground experiment with a magnifying glass and some unsuspecting ants? Yep, nobody wants that for their plant pals!