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Are you aware that certain houseplants actually clean the air, and help reduce allergens that cause breathing difficulties?
If you want a healthier body and a fatter wallet, you should consider having a green thumb!
Here are some very inexpensive, natural, non-toxic ways to have healthier houseplants and a lusher, bug-free garden.
To make seeds sprout more quickly and plants grow faster, add Jello gelatin to the soil. The sugar produces beneficial microbes that act as a natural fertilizer. The nitrogen content of gelatin stimulates growth.
Do you want your garden to be lush and bug free? Try bananas. Dry the peels on a screen and chop them up in a blender. Work the ground up pieces into the soil. Bananas are rich in both potassium and phosphorous which is excellent for plant growth. Banana peels placed around the base of plants act as a natural repellent against those pesky little aphids that invade your garden.
Coffee is very useful as well. In the garden use the cans, both ends removed, as a way to protect newly sprouting tomato plants. Simply sink the cans into the soil, and remove them later when the plants are larger.
Sprinkle grounds around the perimeter of your garden to repel ants and cutworms. Also use the grounds as a natural composting material. They enrich the soil.
Coffee is also good for houseplants. Top off the potting soil with old coffee grounds. Occasionally water your plants with room-temperature coffee.
Eggshells are a wonderful way to add calcium to your garden. Don't sprout seeds in pots, put them in clean dried eggshells instead. When it is time to plant the seedlings in your garden, simply crush the shells and mix them into the soil. Crushed eggshells around the perimeter of the garden act as a deterrent against slugs and snails as well.
Coca Cola spayed on your lawn makes the grass greener. It can also be used as an effective pesticide. Mix a 12 oz. can of cola with 1 cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of liquid dish soap, and spray it on your lawn or plants.
Club soda that has gone flat is great for watering houseplants. The mineral content gives your potted friends new vitality and health.
Peroxide can be used to keep the leaves of your houseplants healthy. Put one ounce of peroxide in one ounce of water, and use it to mist your plants.
Finally, don't use expensive black plastic bags between the rows of your garden to cut down on weeds. Use old newspapers instead. You can also shred them to make an inexpensive mulch and use them to cover plants if frost weather is in the forecast.
Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making. Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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