Tuesday tips...4/18

[plantdoctor]

This is the place to give a tip or ask a tip.  Any topic...cleaning, gardening, cooking, shopping, etc.

1)When your shoes are stinky and sweaty, put a tea bag in them over night.  It absorbs the excess moisture as well as the odor.

2)  You all have heard about "the right tool for the right job."  That certainly holds true when digging dandelions.  The use of a dandelion tool is great in digging dandelions and also other weeds to help get the entire root system without disturbing the surrounding plants in your garden or leaving a hole in your lawn..

Dandelions can’t be eradicated by simply pulling off the leaves. Use a dandelion digger after a recent rainfall or watering, when the ground is softest. Position the digging end in the soil, parallel to the dandelion root. Push the digger down into the soil, angling it toward the center of the plant and turn the digger to pry the weed upward by the root.  There are short handle tools or longer handle ones for those with problems bending over or getting on your knees to dig.  I even have a garden all purpose pocket tool with a tiny dandelion digger that I have used.

 

[bloominguy]

I could use several of those if only I could get into mu neighbors yard.  They have a hedge of Dandelions that make my daffodils look sick. 

My tip of the day I would like to share is when planting large pots instead of putting rocks in the bottom I use Styrofoam broken into small pieces in the bottom of the pots before adding dirt.  Makes the pots lighter and easier to move around than rocks. I use the hard type that electronics come packaged in, like a TV. 

[mnwildflowers]

Lair-I do the same. Really makes those pots easier to move and helps with drainage.

[Gayle]

Charlene, that is my favorite garden tool.  I use it for digging all weeds.

If you run out of laundry detergent, you can use a small amt (key word is small) of dish detergent until you get to the store.

And not really a tip I guess, but I use the dryer balls rather than dryer sheets.  I've been using them for quite a few years now & clothes come out of the dryer just as nice as they do with the use of dryer sheets or adding liquid to the wash.  The only difference is no scent.

[plantdoctor]

Good tip, Lair.  I sometimes use styro and I also put empty water bottles in some of the larger containers.  

Gayle...I always wondered if those dryer balls worked and now I know they do.  Maybe I will give them a try.  Charlene

[Auntcon]

I have a washer ball and also a dryer ball. I think they both help.

I have used crushed aluminum pop cans in large pats also-they will not blow around if they come out and also they are light weight.

I used my handy steak knife to dig the dandies yesterday.

[pintobeanzn4]

I also use styrofoam in the bottom of large pots, or what they call popcorn styrofoam. I have a bit of that left for this year.

[bwatcher]

My dandelion digger of choice is a big serrated edge knife. I got them for a $1 at Goodwill, so I got 2. 

[carross]

In the big containers I use pine cones, I have lots of blue spruce trees, so I don't run out of pine cones. 


In shoes that smell I put baking soda.

[tealbird]

Used the 'digger'

Used the foam peanuts- but putting them in mesh bags helps when I transplanted or repotted.  They didn't fly all over.

Bad luck with light weight in bottom of pot. Small base and rounded top. aqua of course. Was gone over the 4th of July and help didn't put it in up stair hall way. Big wind blew it over and broke pit. Saved pieces for me. For 20 some years I put the largest pot up in front of a clay pot with other aqua pots. Loved seeing that much.  But the bottom was filled with light weight and it blew over and didn't roll in one piece.

So that is my words of warning - keep some bottoms heavy if it is smaller and round. JMO and expirence.

Alma