Many of us do not hesitate to throw orange peels in the bin. However, these simple kitchen scraps can bring enormous potential benefits to your garden. Besides simple composting, they can also be used on site as a substitute for chemical fertilizers and insecticides.

Compost

The first and most obvious idea for using orange peel in your garden is composting it. Prefabricated garden compost is perhaps the best natural fertilizer... To be well balanced, it must contain two types of ingredients: carbonaceous materials (eg dry leaves, straw) and nitrogen-rich organics (manure). Citrus peels are an excellent source of nitrogen, which is needed by all plants in the early stages of their development.

On horticultural forums, I often come across the opinion that orange peels should not be composted. A variety of arguments have been made in support of this claim, from the fact that citrus peels can kill friendly worms and beetles, to the fact that blue mold loves to grow on it.

However, I want to assure you that this type of kitchen waste can be safely added to compost, since:

• The aromas contained in peels from oranges and other citrus fruits used as organic pesticides are very volatile and quickly decompose into harmless compounds. Therefore, they do not cause any harm to the soil inhabitants.
• temperature inside correctly folded compost heap so high that it leaves no chance for mold spores to survive. Mold grows only in a cool environment and dies at a temperature slightly higher than room temperature.
• the peel of most store-bought oranges is coated with a special weak antimicrobial compound. This is done so that the fruit does not have time to deteriorate before the moment of sale. This coating will not affect the quality of your compost in any way, but it will prevent mold from growing on your orange peel.

Some gardeners do not like composting orange peels as they are not easily biodegradable waste. However, it is enough to simply grind the peel into smaller pieces, as its decomposition will proceed at a much faster rate.

Orange peels as a safe fertilizer

As the orange peel decays, it saturates the soil with nitrogenous compounds. Let me remind you that to speed up this process, the peels must be cut into small pieces and buried in upper layer soil (to a depth of no more than 5 centimeters). In addition to nitrogen, such fertilizer is able to give the soil sulfur, magnesium, calcium and many other super- nutrients... By the way, banana peel also makes an excellent top dressing for garden and garden crops- how to cook it correctly, you can read in.

Natural insecticide

Probably, every gardener has to deal with ants and aphids on the site. These ubiquitous pests can be successfully dealt with not only with the help of aggressive chemicals, but also with the help of ordinary orange peels... And the thing is that they contain limonene, a natural substance that destroys the protective wax coating on the bodies of insects, as a result of which they suffocate and die. In addition, the peel has strong smell, which perfectly drives away aphids from plants.

To do this, it is enough to spread the pieces of orange peels around the infected plants, or to pierce holes in them and hang them directly on the stems.

In case you are annoyed by ants, proceed as follows:

1. Peel one or two oranges. Use the pulp for other purposes, and peel the peels of most of the white fibers.
2. Place the leftover orange in a blender and pour about 50-60 milliliters of warm water into it. Close the blender and turn it on for 60-90 seconds at high speed.
3. Gradually add a teaspoon of water to the resulting mixture until it becomes liquid enough for watering.
4. Find an anthill in your area and pour the liquid directly into the ant's burrows. It's okay if part of the insecticide falls by - gradually it will also be absorbed into the soil and produce the desired effect.
5. Repeat the procedure as needed. If there is more than one nest in the area, prepare more solution and spill all infected areas.

Other uses

Limonene, which is abundant in orange peels, also repels ticks and fleas. Create a natural spray for your dog - boil the crusts in water, after 2-3 hours of infusion, strain it into a sprayer and treat your dog's coat. According to the latest scientific data, limonene is non-toxic to warm-blooded animals and causes the death of insects by acting on their sensory nerves in the peripheral nervous system... By the way, this spray will also save you from the annoying attention of mosquitoes and other biting creatures while working in the garden - just spray it on your clothes and open areas body and a couple of hours of quiet work are provided for you.

If you do not grow vegetables on the site, then you can place the crusts in shallow plates and place them near flower beds... After a while, you will notice how many bright butterflies begin to flock to the smell of oranges, which are very pleasant to watch.

In one of the previous articles, we gave everything general advice regarding how to use tangerine peels with benefit. In the same publication, it will be told about what benefit this secondary New Year's product can bring in the upcoming or even closer current summer season.

Protecting the garden from the moth

In gardening, quite often a task appears, the name of which is the moth. It is this small pest that is able to deprive a person of the kind-hearted part of a good harvest if its number exceeds the possible rate.

Citrus fruits will help to correct the position of the prophetic, and preserve the fruits of hard physical labor. To this end, it is recommended to collect 0.5 liters of tangerine skins, pour them into a 10-liter bucket and fill with water. Then all this is infused throughout the day, and boiled for another 15 minutes.

As soon as the product has cooled, it should be mixed well, filtered and seasoned with 30 grams of urea. The resulting solution is recommended to be sprayed fruit trees beginning to form buds in early spring, and then the moth butterfly will not dare to settle on them and leave its offspring. In the event of a rainy spring, such a tangerine broth will need to be sprayed before the flowers bloom on the trees.

Fighting ants

Ant colonies are the source of countless troubles on suburban area... These small creatures are able to sneak into the house in search of delicious food, spoil young plantings
vegetable crops, cultivate aphids, the damage from which is truly great. Moreover, despite the minimum size, it is very difficult, but acceptable, to get ants out of your territory. One of the options for eviction involves the use of gruel from fresh mandarin peel. From a couple of fruits, you need to remove the skin, and grind it in a blender (rub it on a grater).

The porridge is then mixed with a little water until puree. The latter must be laid out along the paths that the pest has laid along the beds and gardening area in total. If there is a full-fledged anthill on the site, it is allowed to water it with dry citrus powder, diluted in a large number liquids. The disadvantage of this method lies in the fact that ants, rather than everyone, have not left a vegetable garden, but will radically change their habitat, choosing, for example, an obscene piece of land behind a farm building or under a fence.

We brave cats

For reasons known only to them, representatives of the feline family love to lie on a flower garden or newly-sprung crops, completely killing faith in an excellent harvest.

So that this does not happen to your plantings, it is permissible to proceed further: in problem areas, lay out the sleeping coffee brew mixed with freshly grated citrus peels.

And it is allowed to primitively scatter the skins over the flower beds and beds, only they will have to be changed later than the entire watering or rainstorm.

Eliminate aphids and small caterpillars

Tangerine, orange and lemon peels twisted in a meat grinder help to get rid of aphids, scale insects and small caterpillars.

For this purpose, the following spray mixture is prepared:

• Three kilograms of fresh skins, chopped with a meat grinder, must be poured with 10 liters
  heated water;
• The composition in a glass container is tightly corked and sent to a warm and dark place for 5 days;
• Then the mixture is perfectly filtered through cheesecloth, and is rapidly poured into small bottles of lemonade or beer;
• The latter are tightly closed and filled with sealing wax / garden varnish, and placed in a cool place. There, it is allowed to keep them close until the moment of use.

Application of this homemade remedy from aphids and the rest of the above pests, it happens like this: take 100 g of the finished tincture, mix with 10 liters of water, and spray the plants that need treatment with the resulting solution.
Another option for how tangerine peels can be used in gardening is to prepare a composition that helps get rid of pests such as thrips and spider mites. A peel of a couple of citrus fruits is taken, crushed, and poured with a liter of heated water. The container with the blank is placed in a dark room for a week, then a little liquid toilet soap is poured into it, and everything is filtered through several layers of gauze.

With such a means, it is allowed to spray the plantings on which the colonies of aphids are located, spider mite or thrips. This is done once a week, and the number of treatments depends on the number of pests and the scale of their harm. In addition to each of the above, it is worth adding the following: citrus peel allowed to dry and lay out directly in the holes or grooves, prepared for planting potatoes, seedlings or carrots. If you believe experienced summer residents, such a technique allows you to protect the coming harvest from intervention Colorado potato beetle and wireworm.

As you can see, get eco-friendly products from your personal plot not as difficult as it might seem.

The people's piggy bank is rich in recipes for drugs that can get rid of about all pests, you just need to experiment and keep your hands on it. Good harvests to you!

Look the best fertilizers for feeding indoor plants at home. Recipes for more than 20 natural folk remedies are presented: yeast, sugar, banana peel, succinic acid, wood ash, eggshells and citrus peels.

And also other homemade natural fertilizers along with medical and kitchen secrets.

Home fertilizers for indoor plants: popular top dressing

Various products and substances are successfully used to feed indoor plants with natural fertilizers at home.

The most popular household fertilizers are banana peels, sugar, yeast, succinic acid, wood ash, and eggshells.

Fertilizing indoor flowers with a certain substance or product has its own characteristics and rules of application.

The effectiveness of home fertilizers and folk remedies also varies significantly and generates debate.

Reviews of florists and the arguments of specialists can be drastically different.

Therefore, the use of folk remedies or home fertilizers as feeding indoor plants is a purely individual matter.

1. Feeding indoor plants with yeast

Yeast is a popular home fertilizer for indoor plants and flowers. They contain hormones, including cytokinins, which regulate cell division, as well as auxins, thiamine, and B vitamins.

• Due to this, yeast contributes to the active growth of domestic plants and their full development.

Fertilizing indoor plants with yeast has been repeatedly studied by scientists. It has been scientifically proven that yeast accelerates the mineralization of organic matter, produces nitrogen and phosphorus, and also increases the activity of microorganisms in the soil mixture.

Thus, feeding indoor plants with yeast at home is close to fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.

RECIPE FEEDING OF ROOM PLANTS WITH YEAST:

1. 10 grams of dry yeast (sachet) and 3 tbsp. l. stir sugar in 10 liters warm water... For a smaller volume: 1 g dry yeast + 1 tsp. sugar per 1 liter of water.
2. The resulting solution is insisted for 2-3 hours.
3. Before feeding home plants with yeast, the infusion is stirred with water in a ratio of 1 to 5, and then the indoor flowers are watered.

LIVE YEAST:

1. Dissolve 200 grams of yeast in 1 liter of water.
2. Before use, mix the solution with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.

FEEDING ROOM FLOWERS WITH YEAST REVIEWS:

For maximum effect feeding houseplants with yeast must be supplemented with calcium and potassium - eggshell powder and wood ash.

1% YEAST EXTRACT:

1. Dissolve 10 g of live yeast in one liter of water.
2. The plant is fed once a year in the spring.

REVIEWS: some experts believe that feeding with 1% yeast infusion is equivalent to feeding with a seasonal dose complex fertilizer for indoor flowers.

2. Wood ash - as fertilizer for indoor plants

Wood ash is a very effective home fertilizer for indoor plants. It contains many nutrients: phosphorus, iron, sulfur, magnesium, potassium, zinc and calcium.

In wood ash, phosphorus and potassium are readily available for plants.

The editors of the "Holiday of Flowers" magazine believe that feeding house flowers with wood ash is a very powerful and safe folk remedy. Wood ash is considered to be the best organic fertilizer for indoor plants.

APPLICATION - LIQUID FEEDING:

1. 3 tbsp. l. ash (about 25 grams), dilute in 1 liter of water.
2. Insist the solution for a week, and then water the indoor plants once every 10-14 days.

DRY: 1. Wood ash is mixed with potting soil before planting in a ratio of 1 to 50.

IMPORTANT! In addition to feeding, wood ash also disinfects the substrate. Begonia, geranium, fuchsia, cyclamen and other indoor plants are very fond of ash.

3. Top dressing of indoor plants with sugar

To feed indoor plants, sugar is used as a source of glucose, which provides energy for various processes in the plant.

And as an excellent building material to stimulate the formation of organic molecules. Glucose to be great building material must be well absorbed by the plant.

This is only possible with sufficient concentration. carbon dioxide... Otherwise, the sugar will feed the root rot or mold.

Therefore, in order to avoid such an effect, the feeding of indoor flowers with sugar must be supplemented with a preparation with effective microorganisms ("EM") ("Baikal EM-1" or "Vostok EM-1").

APPLICATION: feeding indoor plants with sugar is made with a prepared solution - 1 tbsp. spoon for 1 liter of water.

Some growers sprinkle the soil mixture with sugar on top and then water it - 1 teaspoon for a pot up to 10 cm in diameter.

GLUCOSE: maximum efficiency from feeding houseplants with sugar, you can get it by replacing it with glucose. V this case the recipe is as follows: 1 tablet of glucose per 1 liter of water.

IMPORTANT! It is recommended to feed indoor flowers with sugar or glucose no more than once every 30 days.

4. Succinic acid for indoor flowers

Succinic acid is formed during the processing of natural amber and has useful properties... It helps to better assimilate substances, strengthens the immunity of plants.

Succinic acid is not a fertilizer, but an auxiliary additive, which is often used for soaking seeds, rooting cuttings, as well as for spraying and watering.

Succinic acid for indoor plants use in tablets:

1. A solution for feeding indoor flowers is prepared at the rate of 1 tablet (0.25 g) or powder per 1 liter of warm water.
2. The resulting solution is sprayed with leaves, shoots or watered with roots to quickly restore the plant.

REVIEWS: Aglaonema, arrowroot, ficus, fat woman, begonia, prickly pear, oleander, chlorophytum, haworthia and citrus fruits are especially fond of feeding with succinic acid.

Succinic acid tablets

IMPORTANT! It is recommended to water domestic flowers with succinic acid once a year, and for cacti and succulents (prickly pear, haworthia) once every 2-3 years. An overabundance is not dangerous, but it will bring little benefit.

• To accelerate the growth of young shoots, you can spray the ground part of the plant every 3 weeks in spring and summer.
• The solution is suitable for feeding for 3 days.

5. Eggshell fertilizer for indoor plants

Eggshells are a popular and controversial natural fertilizer for indoor plants. It contains a lot of calcium, but in a difficult to access form and reduces the acidity level of the substrate.

In addition, calcium loves a small number of types of home flowers, and an excess of the substance contributes to the occurrence of chlorosis.

• Therefore, feeding the eggshells of indoor plants should be carried out carefully and start with small dosages.

APPLICATION:

1. Eggshells are crushed, mixed with potting soil during plant transplantation.
2. Make an infusion on eggshells and water.

INFUSION:

1. Dried and crushed eggshells are poured warm water 1 to 5.
2. Insist for 15-20 days, stirring every 3-4 days.
3. The resulting infusion is watered with home plants 1 time in 30-40 days.

DRAINAGE: eggshells can be good drainage. To do this, during transplantation, a 2-centimeter layer of crushed eggshell is poured onto the bottom of the pot.

EGG PROTEIN FERTILIZER FOR INDOOR PLANTS:

1. Stir 1 egg white in 200 g of water.
2. The solution is placed in a dark and cool place (basement, cellar, but not a refrigerator (!)).
3. After a week, we dilute the solution in 2 liters of water and water the indoor flowers.

• The smell is specific, but the plants actively respond to such feeding.

6. Fertilizer from banana peel for indoor plants

Banana peels are a popular natural fertilizer for indoor flowers and plants. It contains many nutrients, especially rich in potassium.

Banana peel dressing for indoor flowers is made in various ways.

Here we will give the most popular and simple recipe, while others are described in a separate material.

1. Fresh banana peel, thoroughly washed with warm water and dried (battery, oven).
2. Dried banana skins are poured into a coffee grinder and crushed.
3. Banana peel powder is poured on top of the potting mix and poured with water (once a month). It can also be mixed with soil during plant transplanting 1 in 10.

7. Top dressing with citrus fruit fertilizer

Peels from lemons, tangerines and oranges are an excellent natural fertilizer for indoor plants and flowers, which will stimulate their growth and strengthen the immune system.

Top dressing from citrus fruits at home perfectly repels many pests and reduces the likelihood of diseases in indoor flowers, and also introduces nitrogen into the soil.

APPLICATION - WINTER:

1. Chop and fill fresh citrus zest liter jar 3/4, and then fill the entire jar with water.
2. The zest is insisted for 24 hours, then the infusion is filtered and mixed with water 1 to 3.

SPRING AND SUMMER:

1. If you collect the peel from citrus fruits in winter to feed indoor flowers in spring and summer, then put the dried peels in a liter jar by 80% and pour boiling water.
2. After the broth has cooled, it is diluted with water 1 to 5 and watered to feed the plant.

IMPORTANT! It is recommended to feed indoor flowers with citrus fertilizer at home in this mode: 1 time every 30 days - autumn / winter and 2 times every 30 days - spring / summer.

Natural folk remedies for feeding indoor plants:

8. Onions - the protector of indoor plants

Fertilizer from onion husks takes a worthy place in plant feeding at home, as it contains many trace elements.

Feeding indoor plants with onion tincture is an excellent prevention against many diseases and pests due to phytoncides.

APPLICATION:

1. 25 grams of onion husks (about a handful) are poured with a liter of hot water and boiled for 7-8 minutes under a lid and over low heat.
2. The broth is infused for 3 hours, and after it cools down, house plants and the top layer of the soil mixture are filtered and sprayed.
3. Top dressing with a decoction of onions is carried out about once every two months.

IMPORTANT! A special feature of onion fertilizer is that it must be prepared before each feeding of home flowers.

Plants are fed by spraying, therefore, the maximum benefit will be for those species that do not have glossy or pubescent leaves.

9. Garlic

Garlic is a powerful prophylactic against fungal diseases in indoor plants.

APPLICATION:

1. 150-200 grams of garlic (cloves) are chopped and poured with one liter of water.
2. The mixture is tightly closed with a lid and infused for 4-5 days, and then filtered.
3. To feed indoor flowers, the infusion is diluted with water: 1 tbsp. spoon for 2 liters.

IMPORTANT! Garlic fertilizer is suitable for watering and spraying plants - once every 10-14 days.

10. Aloe juice

Aloe juice is a well-known natural stimulant for rooting cuttings, while it can also be a fertilizer for indoor flowers. Feeding with aloe juice strengthens the plant's immunity.

APPLICATION:

1. Cut off 3-4-year-old aloe lower leaves and put in a bag, and the bag in the refrigerator to make the juice "softer".
2. The next day, the juice is squeezed out of the aloe leaves and diluted with water - 1 teaspoon per 1.5 liters of water.
3. Houseplants are fed by watering or spraying no more than once every 14 days.

2nd RECIPE FROM AN EXPERIENCED FLOWER GROWER FROM MOSCOW:

1. 6-7 branches of aloe are chopped (cut with a knife into small pieces), placed in a 3-liter jar and poured with boiled warm water.
2. Insist for a week in a dark place.
3. 200 grams of infusion (glass) is diluted in 3 liters of water and watered with natural fertilizer indoor flowers at the root.
   

11. Slept coffee

This natural fertilizer is widely used by many flower growers. Drinking coffee makes the nutrient substrate looser and lighter, increases acidity and the amount of oxygen.

PECULIARITIES: an increase in soil acidity does not have a positive effect on all indoor plants. Feeding drunk coffee is recommended for azaleas, hydrangeas, lilies, ripsalis, roses and many evergreen species.

APPLICATION: coffee grounds mix with potting soil.

12. Tea brewing

Some growers feed home flowers by pouring tea leaves like mulch on top of the ground, but we do not recommend it, since sciarids (black flies) are easily bred in the tea leaves.

APPLICATION: dormant tea as a fertilizer can only be used in this version.

1. The tea leaves are dried, collected in a separate bag, and during the transplantation of indoor plants, they are mixed with a soil mixture in a ratio of 1: 3.
2. It is recommended to feed with tea only indoor flowers with a delicate root system - begonia, peperomia, violet and others.

REVIEWS: sleep coffee and tea leaves, according to experts, it makes sense to use only as drainage.

13. Aquarium water

Aquarium water has a neutral pH and contains many substances that stimulate the growth of indoor plants, and therefore is a fairly good natural fertilizer.

APPLICATION: house flowers can be fed with aquarium water only from March to June, and no more than once a month.

Feeding indoor flowers: kitchen and medical secrets!

14. WATER AFTER DEFROSTING THE MEAT

The main danger is the risk of the appearance and development of unwanted microorganisms.

15. WATER AFTER WASHING ROUPS AND POTATO BREW

Some growers feed indoor flowers with water, which remains after soaking legumes (peas, beans, lentils) or potato broth.

The bottom line is that starch enters the water, which energizes the plants.

16. BROKEN VEGETABLES

top dressing with decoctions of vegetables is popular with some flower growers, but there is no scientifically proven positive effect on indoor plants.

Therefore, the editors of the "Flower Festival" magazine do not consider the broth after vegetables to be a good fertilizer.

After June, there is no need to stimulate active growth of green mass in most plant species. And feeding more often than once a month leads to excessive reproduction of algae and further gardening and acidification of the soil mixture.

17. BREW OR REAL DRIED MUSHROOMS

A natural stimulant for soaking seeds before planting will definitely not harm, but no scientific results have been found.

18. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

1. 25 grams of 3% hydrogen peroxide is diluted in a liter of water.
2. The resulting solution can be sprayed or watered on plants.

Feeding a weakened plant should be carried out several times until it looks better. Spraying indoor plants protects them from disease.

19. Iodine

Iodine is often used to protect against fungal diseases and powdery mildew and it is also a good growth and flowering stimulant.

1. 1-2 drops (1 ml) per 1 liter of water.
2. Water around the edge of the pot so as not to burn the root system.

They are fed every 7-10 days to restore a weak and withering plant.

• In other cases, it is enough to feed indoor plants with iodine once in spring and summer.

20. MANGANTSOVKA

21. Castor oil

Top dressing with castor oil has a very good effect on flowering plant species at the time of bud setting (budding) - 1 tsp. for 1 liter of water.

22. TOOTHPASTE

This top dressing is suitable for indoor plants that love alkaline soil.

1. Dissolve 20 ml of toothpaste in 1 liter of warm water and water the indoor flowers.

23. TOOTH POWDER

This recipe helps well against root rot.

1. 2 tbsp. tablespoons of tooth powder, 2 tbsp. spoons wood ash and 1 tbsp. spoon copper sulfate mixed in 100 grams of water.
2. We move the soil near the root of the plant and water it with the resulting solution.
3. We transfer the plant to a dry place

The most famous and effective home fertilizers for feeding indoor plants are considered. We will be glad if it becomes easier for you to feed indoor flowers, and they will respond with their beautiful appearance.

ADDITIONS TO THE ARTICLE:

If you have a favorite indoor plant fertilizer at home, please share your recipe with us.

Florists will be grateful, as will their pets!

Waste in the garden: how peels, shells and hulls will save your garden

Garden waste can be an excellent fertilizer for many plants. What we used to throw in the trash can is a natural food for vegetables, herbs and berries. And some waste in the garden creates a natural protective barrier against pests and diseases.

Collecting eggshells, for example, is not difficult, and the benefits from it are colossal. In addition, the use of natural fertilizers is environmentally friendly: the garden is not overloaded with chemical compounds. And the economic benefit is obvious - you don't have to spend money on expensive substitutes.

Eggshell

The shell of one egg weighs almost ten grams. During the winter season, such an amount of valuable fertilizer is collected that it will be enough for several beds. The shell contains elements from almost half of the periodic table: calcium, potassium, silicon, phosphorus and many other substances. Use it as a powder, infusion or crushed fragments. A finely dispersed substance is absorbed best by plants and microorganisms, so the shell is passed through a coffee grinder, a meat grinder or broken by hand with a hammer. The main rule for collecting eggshells is to wash it from protein residues, dry it and store it in a cardboard box. This will prevent the appearance of a foul smell.

Ways to use eggshells:

• To deoxidize the soil. With acidic soil, eggshell - the best solution... Collect natural source calcium for the whole garden is problematic. However, when planting crops, crushed shells can be poured into the hole - so the plants will also receive nutrients.
• To protect plants from the invasion of slugs and moles. The sharp edges of the white debris prevent pests from reaching roots and leaves.
• For feeding domestic plants. Broth (1 liter of water for 2 tablespoons of powder, leave for a week) water the house plants. Exceptions: azalea, pelargonium, gardenia, hydrangea, pansies, camellia, ferns. They love acidic soil.
• For healthy crop growth. Calcium dressing is loved by many gardeners and garden plants: salad, carrots, onions, peppers, watermelon, eggplant, flowers, stone fruits.
• For drainage. A layer of crushed shells of 2 centimeters will protect the roots of plants from decay.

Onion peel

Onion peel contains a large amount of nutrients - these are vitamins C, PP, groups A, B; and organic acids; and minerals. In addition, it has bactericidal properties. The husk can be used both in its usual form and as a decoction.

Ways to use onion peel:

• Help with pest control. Husk destroys aphids, thrips, spider mites, Colorado potato beetle. In the infusion (a liter of husk is brewed with two liters of boiling water, insisted for a day, filtered), add the crumbled laundry soap... Damaged plants are sprayed with this solution (diluted in a 1: 2 ratio with water). With some insects, you will have to be persistent and use the infusion until the pests disappear.
• Help in disinfection. It is useful to water the soil with an infusion of onion peels before sowing seeds.
• Help in plant healing. If you water the yellowing or fading leaves of cucumbers, zucchini, then you can restore the former greens. The following solution is useful: place the husk in water, bring to a boil, stand until cool, dilute with water and water the leaves. After a while, the plants will regain their color.
• For watering domestic plants. The husk solution disinfects the soil and fights pests.
• For storing food. Powdered onion skins will preserve many of the harvested vegetables during storage in cellars. To do this, you just need to pour onion powder with root vegetables.

Banana peel

Banana peels are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. The rind itself makes up almost half of the fruit. How much good goes into the garbage can! But banana peel has such properties that no other product can argue with it. The peel can be frozen, dried (in the oven and on a radiator), grinded, and made into a solution. It is worth remembering that the crusts are pre-washed in hot water, trying to wash off the top layer, since producers soak them in chemical compounds before exporting fruits.

Ways to use banana peel:

• Replaces potash and phosphate fertilizers. Banana contains a lot of potassium. It affects the growth and development of vegetables and berries.
• Saturates with nitrogen. Nitrogen is vital for the soil, without it the land becomes poor and infertile. Instead of chemical fertilizers, a banana peel will do.
• Helps grow indoor plants. Begonia, cyclamen begin to grow rapidly after banana feeding.
• Promotes the rapid development of the green part of the plant. If you dig a peel into a hole under the seedlings, then the crops will grow quickly and form a powerful aerial part.
• Wipe the leaves with a wax coating of indoor plants. This makes them cleaner and shinier.
• Helps fight aphids. The peel buried next to the plant repels pests.

Orange peel

Orange peel is a natural insecticide. There are much more essential oils and vitamins in the peel than in the pulp, but when eating oranges, the peels always go to the trash. And the zest could be of great benefit to the garden. Rinse the orange thoroughly before peeling. hot water to remove chemical deposits. The zest is dried, crushed or used fresh.

Ways to use orange peel:

• Helps in the fight against garden ants... Using a blender, we make a mushy substance from water and crusts, and pour it into the anthill in a thin stream. Insects can't stand the smell of oranges. It is a sustainable and proven way to kill ants without resorting to chemicals.
• The dried crusts will help to light the stove or fire faster and will keep the fire going much longer. This will help essential oils... In addition, the citrus aroma will spread everywhere. If a fire is made in the forest, then the smell of zest will scare away mosquitoes and midges.
• In addition to the method of contact with fire, the zest will help to avoid contact with bloodsucking and other methods. Rub with fresh peel open spaces on the body. Mosquitoes cannot stand the smell of citrus fruits.
• Saturates the soil with nitrogen as it decays. Buried pieces of zest also give the earth magnesium, calcium, sulfur.
• The limonene in the orange destroys protective layer in insects, from which they die. The peel is an effective weapon against aphids, tips and spider mites.
• Butterflies are attracted to orange peel. So for gardens or meadow apiaries, the crusts become bait for insects to pollinate the plants.
• Cats do not like the smell of oranges, so the zest will help protect indoor or flower bed plants from the invasion of pets.

Waste in the beds, as we have seen, become good helpers for plant development and pest control. Just keep in mind that there is always something useful in every organic product, and this benefit must be used correctly.

In a previous article, we gave general advice on how to use tangerine peels to the advantage. In this same publication, it will be told about what benefits this New Year's by-product can bring in the upcoming or already current summer season.

Protecting the garden from the moth

In gardening, a problem often arises, the name of which is the moth. It is this little pest that can deprive a person of a good part of a high-quality crop if its amount exceeds the permissible norm.

Citrus fruits will help to correct the situation, and preserve the fruits of hard physical labor. To this end, it is recommended to collect 0.5 liters of tangerine skins, pour them into a 10-liter bucket and fill with water. Then all this is infused throughout the day, and boiled for another 15 minutes.

As soon as the product has cooled, it should be mixed well, filtered and seasoned with 30 grams of urea. The resulting solution is recommended to spray fruit trees that begin to form buds in early spring, and then the moth butterfly will not dare to settle on them and leave its offspring. In the event of a rainy spring, such a tangerine broth will need to be sprayed before the flowers bloom on the trees.

Fighting ants

Ant colonies are a source of numerous troubles in a suburban area. These small creatures are able to sneak into the house in search of delicious food, spoil young plantings.
vegetable crops, cultivate aphids, the harm from which is truly enormous. Moreover, despite the minimal size, it is very difficult, but possible, to remove ants from your territory. One of the options for eviction involves the use of gruel from fresh mandarin peel. From a couple of fruits, you need to remove the skin, and grind it in a blender (grate).

The porridge is then mixed with a little water until puree. The latter needs to be laid out along the paths that the pest has laid along the beds and the garden area as a whole. If there is a full-fledged anthill on the site, it can be watered with dry citrus powder, diluted in a large number liquids. The disadvantage of this method is that the ants, most likely, will not leave the garden, but will radically change their habitat, choosing, for example, an unnecessary piece of land behind a farm building or under a fence.

We brave cats

For reasons known only to them, representatives of the cat family are very fond of lying on a flower garden or newly-sprung crops, completely killing hopes for a good harvest.

To prevent this from happening to your plantings, you can do the following: in problem areas, lay out a sleeping coffee brew mixed with freshly grated citrus peels.

Or you can just scatter the skins over the flower beds and beds, only they will have to be changed after each watering or rain.

Eliminate aphids and small caterpillars

Tangerine, orange and lemon peels twisted in a meat grinder help get rid of aphids, scale insects and small caterpillars.

For this purpose, the following spray mixture is prepared:

• Three kilograms of fresh skins, chopped with a meat grinder, need to be poured with 10 liters
  heated water;
• The composition in a glass container is tightly corked and sent to a warm and dark place for 5 days;
• Then the mixture is well filtered through cheesecloth, and quickly poured into small bottles of lemonade or beer;
• The latter are tightly closed and filled with sealing wax / garden varnish, and placed in a cool place. They can be stored there until the moment of use.

The use of this homemade remedy for aphids and the other pests mentioned above is as follows: 100 g of the finished tincture is taken, mixed with 10 liters of water, and the plants that need treatment are sprayed with the resulting solution.
Another option for how tangerine peels can be used in gardening is to prepare a composition that helps get rid of pests such as thrips and spider mites. A peel of a couple of citrus fruits is taken, crushed, and poured with a liter of heated water. The container with the blank is placed in a dark room for a week, then a little liquid toilet soap is poured into it, and everything is filtered through several layers of gauze.

With this tool, you can spray plantings on which colonies of aphids, spider mites or thrips are located. This is done once a week, and the number of treatments depends on the number of pests and the scale of their damage. In addition to all of the above, it is worth adding the following: citrus peels can be dried and laid out directly into the holes or grooves designed for planting potatoes, seedlings or carrots. According to experienced summer residents, this technique allows you to protect the future harvest from the invasion of the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm.