5 Frugal & Natural Garden Tips

I choose to not use chemicals in my garden spaces.

There are many natural (and free) ways to take care of garden problems. In fact you probably have the ingredients in your home right now.


#1 Cinnamon:

1. I use cinnamon to deter ants, inside or outside. 

If I pour a straight line of cinnamon, the ants do not cross it. If there are gaps, they will go through the gap. But my experience has been that the ants get to the cinnamon line and turn around.

2. I also use cinnamon as a rooting agent. When I have a cutting, I pour a little cinnamon on a paper towel. Then I turn the stem all the way around in the cinnamon until it is completely coated, and plant the cutting.

Cheap cinnamon will do the trick!

Take advantage of cinnamon fungicide control by making a cinnamon spray for plants. Stir some cinnamon into warm water and allow it to steep overnight. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter and put the results into a spray bottle. Spray the stems and leave of affected plants, and mist the potting soil in plants that have a mushroom problem.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Benefits Of Cinnamon On Plants: Using Cinnamon For Pests, Cuttings, & Fungicide https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/using-cinnamon-on-plants.htm

Take advantage of cinnamon fungicide control by making a cinnamon spray for plants. Stir some cinnamon into warm water and allow it to steep overnight. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter and put the results into a spray bottle. Spray the stems and leave of affected plants, and mist the potting soil in plants that have a mushroom problem.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Benefits Of Cinnamon On Plants: Using Cinnamon For Pests, Cuttings, & Fungicide https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/using-cinnamon-on-plants.htm

#2 Coffee Grounds: 

1. I use it to deter snails and slugs around my plants. They particularly love to munch on my hostas.

2. It is one of the very best free fertilizers. 

As a matter of fact, when I lived in Texas, my neighbor had Starbucks hold bags of coffee grounds for her. And when we were out and about doing our Meals On Wheels route, we often stopped to pick them up.

Here's what it adds to your garden soil:
Nitrogen: 2.28 percent
Phosphorus: 0.06 percent
Potassium: 0.6 percent 

Just work the coffee grounds into the soil.

3. Use it as a thin mulch. Don't lay it on thick or you'll have fungus problems. 

#3 Baking Soda:

1. Spray to Treat and Prevent Powdery Mildew
Spray Recipe: 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon of dish washing liquid. 

Mix all the ingredients together and spray plants weekly. Apply on overcast days to prevent any potential foliage from burning.
  
3. Discourage Gnats In Soil & Fungus On Leaves
Spray Recipe: Mix in 1 gallon of water, 4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon biodegradable soap. 

Mix well, spray infected foliage or soil as needed. 

#4 Egg Shells:

 Source

1. Use to start seedlings. Once the seed sprouts, you can plant it directly into the garden, which will add calcium to the soil.

2. For a slug and snail deterrent, rinse and then crush when dry. Sprinkle coarsely crumbled egg shells around plants.  

3. When planting tomatoes or peppers, add approximately 1 dozen crushed egg shells per plant to the planting hole to prevent blossom end rot.
  

 #5 Epsom Salt:

1. Use as a fertilizer spray. Dissolve 2 tbsp. Epsom salts in 1 gallon of water. Then mist plants. 

Epsom salt contains sulfur and magnesium.

If you have any frugal and natural garden tips, please share in the comments. 

Please do your best to stay away from chemicals in your garden. 

A natural garden is a happy garden.

Plus pets and birds will be safer as well.

To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, work the coffee grounds into the soil around your plants. Leftover diluted coffee works well like this too.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Composting With Coffee Grounds – Used Coffee Grounds For Gardening https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.ht

To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, work the coffee grounds into the soil around your plants. Leftover diluted coffee works well like this too.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Composting With Coffee Grounds – Used Coffee Grounds For Gardening https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.