I’m a gardening whizz – my 13p Aldi nappy hack will keep your flowers thriving this summer
A GARDENING guru has a bizarre trick to keeping your flowers happy as Brits brace for a heatwave.
Green-fingered Shaun Schroeder recommends planting nappies in the soil to hydrate plants slowly and the results sprout wonders.
The 59-year-old expert from Bristol plants roughly 140 hanging baskets and fence planters a year that thrive in summer months.
As highs of 27C approach, he no longer fears the sweltering days spent worrying about water bills as he tends to his beloved plants.
First, the grandfather-of-nine puts water retention gel in the bottom of the the baskets when planting.
The gel costs only a few pounds and comes from garden centres or online, Shaun says.
His other secret? Unworn nappies.
“They soak up the water when you first water the basket, then slowly releases it over the day.
“It’s not something I do myself – but I know a lot of people who swear it works for them,” he told Yorkshire Evening Post.
Nappies can be purchased from supermarkets like Aldi for as cheap as 13p each – a pack of 28 costs £3.59 – making this strange hack an inexpensive solution to keeping your plants hydrated.
The gardening whizz also has another water-saving technique – save all your watering until the sun has set.
If you water while it’s hot, Shaun says, more of the water evaporates meaning you need to be out watering more often.
If you water later in the day, it will soak through the soil overnight in the colder temperatures – preparing your plants for day ahead.
If it’s not too late, he also advises planting flowers in shady spots as they are not fans of direct sunlight.
The best for the shade, Shaun says, are impatiens, fuchsias, hostas and begonias.
Meanwhile, a gardening fanatic has a boozy trick that is great for getting rid of roly-poly bugs in flower beds.
TikTok influencer user Eryn explained how she baited them using beer-soaked napkins before slamming them into a bucket and either kills or releases them elsewhere.
It comes as a savvy homeowner has been flooded with praise after revealing how she transformed her garden on a budget.
Becky proved that you haven’t got to fork out a small fortune to make a difference as she created a “simple DIY flower tower” using bargain buys from Home Bargains.