We’ve all been aware that vinegar is not only a delicious chip flavouring but also a brilliant all-purpose cleaner in the home. But did you know that it also has many uses in the garden? The best thing about it is that it’s cheap, and useful for so many things.
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Here are a few ways vinegar can help make your garden beautiful.
1. Kill weeds
You can kill weeds by spraying straight vinegar onto them, being careful not to spray onto plants you want to keep. This is a great option if you prefer not to use commercial poisons in your yard, especially if you have pets or kids using the garden.
2. Keep animals at bay
There is no passionate gardener who doesn’t get frustrated by the neighbourhood cats or possums digging in their soil and doing their business among the plants. By soaking a few old cloths in vinegar and hanging them in low places around your garden, animals will be deterred naturally and without risk or cruelty.
3. Cleaning pots
Terracotta pots are something most people have in their gardens. They’re practical and look lovely and classy without taking any of the focus away from the plant growing in them, but can quickly get dirty and aren’t easy to clean.
Try washing them with vinegar; it will quickly get rid of any built-up dirt and restore their colour.
4. Help plants to bloom
Some plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas thrive in an acidic soil environment. Add one cup of vinegar to around four litres of water and add it to the soil of these plants.
5. Get rid of ants
Ants are a frustrating pest to battle! Mix together equal parts vinegar and water, and spray at the entrance of their nest and on the paths and surfaces you find them on.
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6. Get your seeds growing
The night before planting, soak your seeds in a solution of 500ml water and 125ml of vinegar to help them germinate better.
7. Repel insects
Insects can cause an enormous amount of damage to your garden, and vinegar can help here too. Spray it around the edges of your garden beds to repel them.
8. Get rid of fruit flies
Whether you have an orchard or you just have a few fruit trees, you’ll know the pain of picking your fruit to find they’ve been infested with fruit flies. In a bottle, mix together one cup of water, half a cup apple cider vinegar, a quarter cup of sugar, and one tablespoon of molasses, then hang the mixture in your fruit trees and wait for the pesky flies to get caught!
9. Keep your tools spick and span
After gardening, soak your tools in vinegar for a few minutes and then rinse them off to keep rust from developing.
10. No more mould
Fungus and mould can be disastrous for our plants, but some are prone to it. Brew some chamomile tea, then add two tablespoons of vinegar to it. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray onto any affected plants, and repeat until the fungus is gone.
