Image Credit: Sandra Rojo

by SHIFRAH COMBITHS

10 Plant Hacks to Upgrade Your Green Thumb

Image Credit: Kristan Lieb

Whether your thumb is green or…not so green, whether you have one plant or a jungle’s worth, here are some plant-care tips that can help keep your greenery not only alive, but lush.

Image Credit: Ashley Poskin

Use a banana peel to dust your plants’ leaves

Bananas also supposedly can help repel aphids, and it’s a great reuse tip for when you’re done with your snack.

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

Use hard-boiled egg water to water your plants

Eggshells are rich in calcium, which helps to neutralize the pH in soil. When you hard-boil eggs, a bit of the calcium ends up in the water, so your plants might love it.

Image Credit: Lana Kenney

Water plants with bathwater

As long as your plants aren’t edible, there’s little harm in stealing a scoop of water from the bath to water your plants.

Image Credit: Amelia Lawrence

Water with an Epsom-salt solution

Mix two tablespoons of Epsom salt into a gallon of water and use that to water your houseplants to encourage bushier, happier, more flowery plants.

Image Credit: Amelia Lawrence

Use a chopstick to support leaning plants

If your plants need a little help as they grow, you can use the wooden chopsticks from your takeout like small plant stakes.

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Make a vertical garden from an IKEA bag holder

Think you have no space for plants? Think again. IKEA’s VARIERA bag dispenser can be repurposed as a wall garden—you just need some moss and soil.

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Use eggshell halves to start seedlings

You don’t need to buy tiny pots to start your seedlings. Save your eggshells for a while—crack them carefully!—and fill them with soil to get your seeds started off right.

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

Use ice cubes to water your plants

Leave three-ish ice cubes on top of the soil once a week, and let the ice melt down and nourish your plants. The benefits: You won’t risk a leak and it will help keep you from over watering.

Image Credit: Cat Meschia

Add your used coffee grounds to soil

Rinse your used coffee grounds, and rake a bit of it into the topsoil of your plants. The coffee will also help deter some pests and attract earthworms.

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Place a coffee filter in the bottom of your pot

If you’re concerned about dirt flowing out of the drainage hole, a well-placed coffee filter will calm your fears.