Garden: 5 Grandma's Recipes That Work

If you like to garden, you've probably heard of these old tricks that can be used to enrich the soil or to scare away pests. But are they really effective? We have selected 5 grandmotherly recipes that work for you.

1- Use banana peel as fertilizer

It may sound a little weird, but this tip really works!

To use banana peel as fertilizer, simply cut it into pieces and throw it into the planting hole of your crops.

As they decompose, banana peels provide nutrients to plants as long as you water regularly.

For this grandma's recipe to work, you also need to make sure to bury the banana peels at least 20 cm deep.

This precaution prevents some animals (like your dog, for example) from digging up and digging up this precious natural fertilizer.

2- Sprinkle the soil with eggshells to prevent slugs

This other grandmother's garden recipe also works. Yes, but with certain conditions!

If you want to protect your plants from slugs using eggshells, you must :
- crush the shells into large pieces.
- spread them around your plants in such a way that they form a thick protective crown.
- renew the operation very often.

In fact, this trick is effective because the shells form a barrier that snails and slugs cannot get through.

On the other hand, other garden inhabitants such as birds feast on these shells, especially in spring when they need calcium to lay their eggs.

That's why you need to be vigilant and regularly rearrange the shell barrier at the foot of your plants.

3- Spray black soap against aphids

Another well-known grandmother's recipe for gardeners is to use black soap as a natural treatment for aphids and diseases.

Again, this trick works under certain conditions. Be careful to choose your black soap carefully, which should be pure and liquid.

Also be sure to never use it in direct sunlight to avoid burning the plants.

The procedure is to dilute 3 tablespoons of black soap in a liter of warm water and let this insecticidal mixture cool before spraying it on the plants, preferably in the morning or evening.

To treat foliage diseases, you can also mix one teaspoon of black soap and one tablespoon of baking soda in one liter of water before spraying this remedy on the leaves.

4- Use coffee grounds as fertilizer

Coffee grounds are another natural and free fertilizer that you can use in the garden by simply collecting them from your kitchen.

But beware: this grandmotherly recipe should be used sparingly because coffee grounds are acidic.

You must also make sure to:
- dry it well before using it, otherwise it can go mouldy
- well mix it with the soil (if you just spread it on the surface, it attracts flies and gnats).

As long as you follow these few precautions, you can use it to turn hydrangeas blue, enrich your vegetable garden soil, or activate your compost.

Some people claim that coffee grounds also help scare away slugs and ants.

5- Use cinnamon as a preventive treatment

Thanks to the essential oils it contains, powdered cinnamon is said to have a preventive effect against diseases and insects.

You can try this grandma's recipe which costs a little more for the most disease-sensitive plants.

After sowing or repotting, simply spread the powdered spice in a thin layer on the potting soil.

The scent of cinnamon would also scare away ants and cats.