Whether you like getting your hands dirty or not, gardening is an activity that you should definitely pursue. It is one of the best ways to add greenery to your home, play with the dirt and absorb sunshine. And it offers you great respite from stresses and monotony of daily life. Gardening can make you healthier too.

Just try these insanely clever gardening tips that can transform a rookie gardener into a professional.

1Removing Salt Deposits

removing salt deposits

Clay pots can develop salt deposits. But you can easily remove them by combining white vinegar with rubbing alcohol in equal parts. Just spray it through a bottle on clay pots. According to Paul James, host of the show ‘Gardening by the Yard,’ you can even apply the mixture with a plastic brush. Just make sure that the pot is dry before you place a plant in it.

2Seal your Nails

seal your nails

The only reason some people dislike gardening is that it leads to accumulation of dirt under fingernails. But that’s an issue you can easily deal with. Just draw your fingernails across a bar of soap before working it the garden. The remnants of the soap will fix inside your fingernails and create a preventative layer over it. Once you have finished working in the backyard, you can easily use a nailbrush to take off the soap, which can be easily removed in comparison to dirt.

3Use Car Wax

use car wax

If your gardening tools are giving you trouble, just use car wax as a lubricant on them. Apply car wax using a washcloth or other discarded piece of cloth and your tools will work as good as new! You can use it on anything, from scissors to gardening shears.

4Choose Plants Wisely

choose plants wisely

Whether you have an outdoor garden or an indoor one, ensure that you choose your plants wisely. Understand the conditions in which a plant will thrive and ask your local stores for a recommendation.

Also Read- Top 10 Indoor Gardening Tips You Must Try

5Broken Dishes & Stones for Plant Labeling

Broken dishes labelling

If you are new to planting or gardening, the chances are that you will forget which plants were planted where. To remember that, you should probably get some broken or unused dishes and use them as a label. These dishes will not just help you remember the plants and their requirements, it will even add an aesthetic touch to your garden, or just use flat face stones to label plants. Make sure that you use permanent markers to label plants clearly. Otherwise, try these creative plant label markers.

6Test Old Seeds

test old seeds

Don’t know whether those old seeds are worth use and hard-work? Then test them out on a wet paper towel. All you need is a wet paper towel and those seeds. Deposit the seeds on a paper towel and then, seal it with a plastic bags. If they germinate, then they are good for plantation.

7Prevent soil from leaking out of pots

Prevent soil from leaking out of pots

It’s a trouble that most rookies and professional face. Soil tends to leak out of pots, particularly clay ones. The best way to block that is to use coffee filters. They can prevent soil leakage. All you have to do is line up the bottom and 1/3rd side of the pot with these filters. And you can even use coffee grounds to repel bugs or critters.

8Easy Measuring Trick

Easy Measuring Trick

Don’t want to use tape measure over and over again? Then use long-handled tools. Just measure them once on a flat area and you can then use it to measure anything in the garden, including the distance between seeds.

9Use little clay pots

Use little clay pots

Do you want to protect young plants from sudden and overnight freezes? Then use small clay pots. They are excellent cloches.

10Give Plants ‘Vegetable Soup.’

Vegetable soup

If you boil or steam vegetables and have leftover water, don’t throw it. Instead, pour the water in water potted plants. They will be nourished with this leftover vegetable soup.

11Maintaining Soil pH

soil ph

Coffee and tea grounds can be used for keeping pH of the soil on acidic side for plants like camellias, blueberries and gardenias.

12Dry Herbs

dry herbs

Dry herbs with this single trick. Lay a sheet of newspaper or tissue in the car and arrange the herbs in a single layer. Roll up car windows and you will have herbs dried to perfection. And of course, your car will smell great.

13Biodegradable Planters

Biodegradable planters

Want small plants at home? Try toilet paper rolls to plant them. They make excellent planters. You can try these tips to start a garden using toilet paper rolls.

Go ahead! Pursue the passion for gardening with these clever tips.