Tips For The Not So Green Thumbed

I you’re anything like me then you love spending time outdoors. Whether it is reading a book in the garden, pottering around the flowerbeds and getting dirt under your fingernails or simply taking a walk in the sunshine, I have to spend at least a little time outdoors. I was not blessed with a green thumb however so I’ve spent a fair amount of time online and along the way I’ve picked up a number of tips and tricks. The first thing I learned is that gardening is not a cheap hobby to get into, and if something’s gone wrong it can be expensive to fix. However with a little bit of research and patience you can find and use coupons that help you save on just about everything you need. You should be able to get whatever you need at Kohl's at a budget price if you use Kohl's coupon codes.


Use Clay Pots
Plastic pots are cheaper initially but the truth is plants prefer natural homes! And if you cover the outside of clay pots with a layer of latex paint or clear varnish, they’ll hold moisture for your plants and they’ll last much longer than plastic ones. And if that doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to use clay pots then maybe the fact that they keep roots cool and allow plants to breath better will.

Clay pots have multiple uses as well. If you flip them over and use them to cover up young plants that haven’t yet established their roots they act as great protectors against sudden overnight frosts and freezes. They can also be turned into hose guides that protect your plants when you’re dragging your hose along the bed. Just stab a length of reinforced steel into the corner of a bed, then slip the drain holes of two clay pots over the top, one upside down and one right way up. They can also be used as garden twine dispensers when the twine is placed underneath and fed through the drain holes.


Go Organic
Now this might sound a little ‘child of the earth’ and ‘eco warrior’ like to you but the truth is that natural remedies work better and cost far less than all those chemicals you can buy in stores. Spreading about a quarter inch of used coffee grounds and old tea leaves spread around the base of acid loving plants like raspberries, gardenias and rhododendrons once a month makes them happy and keeps them healthy.

Damping off fungus attacks suddenly and can be quite a problem with young seedlings, but placing chamomile tea leaves around the base once a week or misting them twice a day with some brewed tea will fix them right up. If you have roses then you’re familiar with aphids. Insecticidal soap will help get rid of them but so will a wide strip of tape.

Wrap the tape around your hand (or if you’re a bit squeamish like me then use a brush) and pat the leaves of infested plants, especially the undersides because that’s where they love to lurk. Better yet, if you are a smoker or know a smoker then soak used cigarette butts in water and spray your plants with the resulting liquid. I’m not sure if it’s the tar or the nicotine they don’t like but trust me – this works a charm!