15 top gardening hacks

Recipe: Spray pure white vinegar directly on weeds, taking care to avoid desirable plants.

Why It Works: Vinegar is highly acidic and can kill weeds by drying them out. It’s an effective and eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides.

Recipe: Dip the cut end of a plant cutting into honey before planting it in soil.

Why It Works: Honey has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties that protect the cutting from infections while promoting root growth.

Recipe: Bury a container up to its rim near affected plants and fill it with beer.

Why It Works: Slugs are attracted to the yeast in beer and will crawl in, but they won’t be able to crawl out, effectively trapping them.

13. Sugar for Pest Control
Recipe: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in a quart of water and spray on plants infested with aphids.

Why It Works: Sugar water can attract beneficial insects like ladybugs, which feed on aphids and help control their population.

Recipe: Brew a cup of chamomile tea, let it cool, and use it to water seedlings.

Why It Works: Chamomile tea has natural antifungal properties that can help prevent damping-off disease and other fungal issues in young plants.

Recipe: Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.

Why It Works: Baking soda reduces soil acidity, which can lead to sweeter tomatoes by reducing the plant’s absorption of acidic compounds.