Gardening: 9 Secret Ingredients That Can Make Your Plants Grow Rapidly

Give your garden an enormous boost by applying everyday pantry items like cream of tartar and olive oil. Some of the significant problems that come with cultivating plants are pests. It may be hard to believe, but when appropriately applied, items that are in your pantry can help your plants grow better by repelling pests — that is not even the best of these benefits.

The ingredients we are about to list are common pantry ingredients that most people overlook but are bound to transform your garden within a short period of time. Let's find them out.

Baking soda

It is one of the most versatile pantry ingredients, but not many are aware that when you sprinkle it on the soil surface, it will act like a fertilizer for your geraniums, coneflowers, daylilies, and clematis, making them bloom faster than you can imagine. This is because baking soda is alkaline, and those flowers thrive in alkaline soil.

Cream of Tartar

Everyone hates seeing ants crawling around the dining table. If you’re not interested in using chemicals to keep them away, then cream of tartar should be an option for you. All you have to do is sprinkle a little on the perimeter of the table or along whatever path the ants use.

Cayenne Pepper

This can be used to repel  squirrels that dig up your bulbs. Simply sprinkle cayenne pepper around your bulb gardens instead of using chemicals. You can do this again if the squirrels return.

Vinegar

White Vinegar can help you get rid of unwanted algae. Just spray it with full-strength distilled white vinegar which is yet another versatile pantry ingredient. It can also be used to turn your pink hydrangeas blue because when applied to the soil, it becomes acidic. So, if you have plants that prefer acidic soil, you can make a vinegar solution spray for the soil.

Liquid Dish Soap

You can get rid of  Japanese beetles by hand-picking them off your plants and drowning them in a mixture of water and dishwashing soap. In fact, it is tough to eliminate them because of their small size and their ability to lurk behind greens and burrow inside the plants. The best method that will pose no danger to your plants is hand-picking, but if you need a faster method then, spray them with a mix of water and liquid dish soap.

Baking Soda for Tomatoes

Baking soda infused soil is more alkaline and this will make the tomatoes you grow on them much more sweeter. To grow these kinds of tomatoes, sprinkle baking soda on the surface of your soil in your tomato garden.

Olive Oil

You can add olive oil onto the cutting and digging surfaces of your garden tools, as well as on your lawn mower blades as it can repel dirt and rust, making it easier to clean them next time.

Baking Soda to Fight Fungus

To be clear baking soda doesn’t kill fungus, however its alkalinity creates an environment that is toxic to fungal growth. To use it for this, stir a teaspoon of baking soda into a liter of water and spray the leaves of your fungus-prone plants.

Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds can attract earthworms and microorganisms — both of which make your soil healthier and more fertile. Remember, fresh coffee grounds are acidic, whereas used coffee grounds are neutral. So, before applying coffee grounds, check if the plant loves acidic or alkaline soil, and apply accordingly.