Styrofoam cups can be chopped in a blender and mixed with potting soil in place
of perlite.
Use a new piece of disposable diaper in the bottom of a pot before you add soil. Did you
know that one adult diaper can hold 12 cups of water, so you can see that you will not have to
water a plant as often.
A layer of granulated charcoal on top of potting soil filters out any unwanted additives.
Cut down on watering by drought-proofing terracotta and wooden containers. Line pots with a
plastic garbage bag, cut drainage hole in the bottom, then plant up. Mulch with 2 centimetres of
shredded bark.
To keep bugs out of the soil of your houseplants, simply sprinkle pencil sharpening shavings
on top of the soil.
Place a mothball on the soil of all houseplants that are outdoors one month before you
bring them in to help get rid of any pests that have taken up residence.
Karri Robichaud sent in the following:
Ground up egg shells help to keep slugs from Hostas as well as other plants and add calcium to the soil. If you let they dry they can be crushed up in a zip lock bag and stored for a long time, like over winter.
Coffee grounds should be used sparingly for slug control as they are highly acidic. They great spread around acid lovers like Rhododendrons.
Oasis that has dried out makes good filler in the bottom of large pots to lessen the amount of soil needed to fill the pot as it never riots away. It's a better use then sending it to land fill, it will be there forever.
Adding soda pop to a hose end sprayer helps to riot thatch in your lawn. Never use Diet pop for this, as it is the sugar you want.
Using lemon scented soap added to a hose end spray to water your garden plants on the day of a garden party lessens flying & biting insects in your garden for the day.
Adding a small amount of liquid soap, like ivory, to a hose end sprayer will help the water soak in to the soil, lessening run off.
In The Ground
Save your spent coffee grounds and put some around your roses for nitrogen and some
around the base of your hostas to keep slugs away.
Plant low ground cover plants among your roses to protect them from black spots. The fungus
which lives in the soil is then stopped from bouncing up on the leaves as it rains.