Readers Respond: Gardening Quick Tips & Solutions

Responses: 455

By Marie Iannotti, About.com Guide

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I recently bought new blinds had to be cut to fit didn't want to throw the pieces away. I cut in to 6" pieces and used as plant markers. found had to use pencil to write on, felt pen didn't stay on and neither did permanent markers. but heavy pencil did.
—Guest AnnaMae Snyder

I too have fruit trees and harvesting the top fruit was a problem until I found one of those baskets that has foam in the bottom and hooks on one side and it attaches to a long pole. That along with a ladder works great for me.
—Guest Dayle Greer

Normally I detest fanny packs, but a thought hit me. I have an acreage and there is glass, nails and tin everywhere from the last one hundred years I think. I called up a friend who use to wear one all the time and asked if she had an extra I could have. When I am in my garden or yard, I have the fanny pack on and put all the nails and such that I find into it. This saves me time in staying on track instead of always heading towards the garbage can to throw the things I have picked up away.
—femaleagrresor

I take a gallon bottle or milk jug and fill with 6 cups Ammonia and 11 cups water. Fill spray bottle with it. Gets slugs too small to see and the small ones don't really go for bait. It gets slugs when there are too many and lots of sizes and in places you can't lift them off of with a knife and stab. Yes I am merciless. Every morning and I try to at dusk. Yes your plants will love the ammonia. Won't hurt them a bit. No hot sun.
—Guest Christine

I read in a magazine that cucumber slices on a piece of tin foil will attract the grubs. They eat the cucumber, can't digest it and die. I put some out in the garden and within 10 minutes it attracted slugs along and other bugs and so far have left the leaves on my plants alone. It's definitely worth a try.
—Guest joancasey_457

Use aluminum soda cans for plant markers. Just cut cans to desired shape with scissors. Label with permanent marker or scratch on info with a scribe. They last forever. An added bonus is that cutting the cans sharpens your scissors.
—Guest fderfield

Just put out a shallow pan of beer and watch them go at it, or maybe you'd rather not watch. Slugs can't resist beer, yet they can't survive it either. They effectively commit suicide, and save you the trouble... except for clean up which is not too bad. At least they're not squashed. Place the beer dish someplace where pets can't reach it, of course. We don't want to make a lush out of the pooch or kitty.
—twomilehill

Any kind of deterrent that causes a lingering painful death is horrendous. If you don't have the guts to just step on it, ending it's life in a more fast and humane way, you shouldn't be around soil in the 1st place. A 2nd alternative would be to scoop said slug onto your spade and sling him as far away from your garden as possible. Depending upon his sense of direction you might have to do this again in a few weeks. A 3rd alternative is to catch and release or sling said slug into the garden of someone you don't like. Thus making said slug and you also very happy.
—Guest Joanne Little

I have all kinds of fruit trees...apples, peaches, pears. etc. At the top of the tree is of course hard to get fruit, so I inflate an air mattress, or you can use another cushion, and put it under the tree. Then with a hoe or other tool, I shake the top branches, and if the fruit is ripe, it will fall into the mattress undamaged. This way, I can salvage more fruit without damage.
—Guest Milton Ammel

Rhode Island Red, probably you haven't heard the salt water spray mentioned is that the salt will also damage your hosta if it gets on it. I use straight table salt and go 'slugging' after dark and catch them while they are traveling to their favorite meal. Your spray would work here of course. I make a spray of 2 drops of dish soap and two teaspoons of ground red pepper and spray my hostas and any other plants that I don't want eaten. It seems to work for me. I have tried everything, but nothing is perfect, the danged things still get their kicks by putting holes in some of my favorites. I hope this helps.
—Guest toomuchtodo

Use a small, 6-8 inches across, plastic pan used under flower pots, and pour a few ounces of beer in them. Set them in the garden and watch the slugs disappear !!
—Guest Leon Bunkley

I recycle the plastic plant information markers. I turn them over to the unprinted side and mark them with a china marker with the name of the plants I want to identify in my garden.
—Guest fala

I use pieces of old carpet for paths in my garden. When it becomes so dirty that the weeds grow in it, I toss it, and change the paths.
—Guest Lorraine Barksdale

I propagate Hardy Outdoor Plants by seed and Cuttings. I sow and set the seed out in the open Full Sun setting in 2 1/4, 3 1/8 inch propagation pots in carry flats on plastic ground cover material. After sowing the seed I take another carry flat, turn it upside down and affix it with twist ties to the carry flat with pots and place a section of screen wire over the top held with small bricks to hold the s/wire in place. I can add moisture with my mist nozzel with out disturbing the seeded in pots. It gives me protection from the Birds etc. and even a heavy rain as the rain hits the screen wire and trickles in the seed mix. The seed get the needed full sun setting to germinate. Works well for seed that need their cold treatment also and or spring sown seed. Very cost effective.
—Guest Randy Gibbs

I do all my gardening in large and small pots. The best mulch is the rubberized type, a little costly but I buy the broken bags at a 1/3 the price. [Note from Marie: Broken Bags of mulch are a great buy, but be careful with the mulch made from recycled tires. It can leech things into the soil that you wouldn't want in your vegetables.]
—Guest Norm

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Marie Iannotti
Gardening Guide