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democratic garden myths are deal throughout the garden earthly concern but much of it is folklore and misinformation . witness out why thing like Epsom common salt and other house remedies often do more impairment than dependable .
you may avoid a hatful of disappointment in gardening by applying some healthy skepticism when tips fathom too good to be true and understanding whyanecdotal evidenceis unreliable .
Popular Garden Myths
When I was starting out as a nurseryman , I remember feel so raring to cram the cognition into my headway so I could raise the garden of my dreams . And , with that impatience total the reflex to grab quick tips to fast - trail success .
But , as you gain experience with each growing time of year , several transformative thing happen .
With experience and learning , we describe the honest basic principle of a goodly , thriving garden , including the importance of sizable , nourishing soil .
We realize that plants grow in their own time , and essay to force things will fare back to seize with teeth us .
Nature has its own timing .
We realise that so - called plague and problems are part of the set of lifetime , and often symptoms , not causes . louse and caterpillars are actually vital food sources for other living thing and become marvelous affair like butterfly stroke . And they ca n’t live on without eating leaves .
And , if any flying fixes ( a.k.a . popular garden myth ) really work — and were good for the garden — they’d be promoted by experient gardeners and professional agriculturalist around the globe .
But they ’re not .
I express mirth when I recollect of the crosscut I examine right smart back when , and cringe at how long it assume me to take fundamental things like grease wellness seriously .
Now , although I ’m older , and the quietus of my life is shortsighted ( uncomplicated maths ) , I bind to the basics , and give the garden all the time in the universe . I ’m in no rush . I have no need for thingmabob or therapeutic .
Where I was so focussed on the ‘ end result ’ in the beginning , now I ’m all about the journey . Yet , things grow better with this feeler and I am feel a much greater atonement than I did when I was in such a haste .
Contents
Here are some rough-cut garden myths that just never seem to fade away .
1Epsom Salt
Read More : Are Epsom Salt Good for Plants ?
There are so many claim about the ability of Epsom salt ( magnesium sulfate ) . Some say they make tomatoes develop better . They make roses bloom bigger ! plant grown with Epsom salt are taller , green , good !
This may be the most - shared garden myth of all sentence .
I heard this so often when I was a beginner gardener that I arrogate there must be truth to it .
But , no . Just because you sum up Epsom salinity to your soil or H2O does not mean it begin credit for successful outgrowth . If anything , the plants did well despite it .
And , regrettably , extra atomic number 12 sulfate is not adept for the environment .
2Eggshells
Read More : Do shell Really Give Your Garden a Boost ?
We humans seem to have this need to chance speedy fixes and clever hacks for everything . And we ’re uncoerced to believe them even if they defy logic .
There are title thateggshellsdo spectacular things for the garden . Some people even put whole eggs in establish yap before adding a plant .
I ’m infer the compulsion with nut and atomic number 20 come from years of advertising where it was practice into us that we must have as much as we can .
When you hear “ Ca ” you imagine secure bones and — healthy plants ? I know , it ’s an odd start but presumably the gardener is think , all live things must need this vital nutrient , right ?
But it ’s not so simple . First , plants and soil are seldom Ca insufficient . And , if there is an issue , it ’s with alimentary intake , intend the works ca n’t take up the available Ca for whatever reason , not that atomic number 20 is not there in the soil already .
The idea that we need to tally eggshell to our gardens for healthy plants is , well , wimp moolah . The clause explains in greater detail .
It ’s not that they ’re harmful . But neither are eggshell doing the wondrous things some say they are .
Related : Tums For Blossom End Rot & Other Misleading Garden Tips
3Vinegar
Read More : Does acetum Really pop Weeds ?
You ’ve plausibly seen the recipes for “ natural ” weed killer whale that include acetum , salt , and dish easy lay , or some combination of these . If you love constitutional gardening , they will obsess you .
I do n’t sleep together why we call up because we have the stuff in our cupboards that it is somehow okay to dump it in our gardens , but we mankind are unusual creature sometimes .
Bottom lineage , acetum is an acid , and an acidic liquid does not separate between plant , weeds , or a anuran who happens to be pose nearby . All will be burned when you spray , but the chances of it actually killing the locoweed at the rootage is slender .
4Earthworms
Read More : Are Earthworms Truly Good for our Gardens ?
We ’re always told how not bad worms are for our gardens , but it ’s not as straight forward as we ’ve been lead to believe . While not a garden myth per se , there is an interesting history .
The insect currently enrich our gardens in North America originated elsewhere . The worm that were native to our land thousands of years ago are all give out . Species brought from the other parts of the world are now our wormy friends . It was an intrusion we never noticed ! But fortuitously , they are okay in our gardens . Although , they do alter the eco - systems of timber .
Other component of the man , include the UK and France , are now experiencing the takeover by invasive flatworms , as they out - compete native coinage , and brings great concerns .
So , while insect have long been welcome to North American garden , not all worms are created equal , and there are some new , destructive invasive species fan out faster than we can stop them .
5Talking to Plants
Read More : Does Talking to plant Really Make Them develop Better ?
I ascertain an ad for IKEA have two similar houseplants . They had schoolhouse children speak nicely to one plant , and harshly to the other . The full point was to show how bullying affect hold up matter . After a month , the poor belittled plant was wilt and dying . The other was prosper .
But was this a real experimentation with valid termination or an advertising political campaign with a forced message ?
Spoiler alert : it ’s a gimmick that ignores skill and assumes the great unwashed are moron .
We can do well .
6Dish Soap
Read More : Is Dish Soap Safe for the Garden ?
Along with acetum and salt , dish soap is often recommended for garden gadfly restraint and weed kill . It ’s so frequently touted as “ raw ” or “ harmless”—two affair that are often not synonymous — that I start wondering if it ’s the same poppycock used for washing dishes ! Just a glimpse at the ingredient lean and it ’s passably clear it ’s neither lifelike nor something we should put on our plants or into garden soil .
7Banana Peels
show More : Are Banana Peels Good for the Garden ?
I think this is how it goes : bananas are a good origin of K , and flora involve potassium , so they must do something special in the garden , correct ?
Spoiler alert . Yes , they are fine in the compost pile , but no , they do not have plant - growing superpowers . And they take a foresighted time to decompose .
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8Coffee Grounds
record More : Are Coffee Grounds Good for the Garden ?
“ I deck my deep brown primer justly in the garden and everything grows like half-baked ! ”
“ Coffee grounds keep snails off ! ”
The claims just keep coming ! in all probability because we have such a surplus of coffee grounds and would love a happy ending .
But the fact is that while coffee berry ground are fine in temperance in the compost stack , they do not have extraordinary powers in the garden .
9Avocado Seeds
Read More : Are Avocado Seeds Safe to Eat ?
There are all sort of claims online saying avocado seeds can bring around thyroid issues , cancers , and more . But view as on ! Is there any science behind these claims ?
No . Just use them to maturate raw plants and disregard the grievous tik tok trends .
10Salt
Read More : Is Salt a Good Weed Killer ?
Have you seen those recipes for a ‘ instinctive ’ smoke cause of death using vinegar , dish soap , and salt ? Does it kill weeds ? Are there any negative side - result ? Read this before you head to the kitchen to mix up a batch .
Basically , these formula are tell you to through a bunch of inorganic gunk into your garden . Do n’t . Just do n’t .
11Houseplants and Air Purification
Read More : Do houseplant Really make pure the Air ?
We ’ve all heard it aver that one of the many benefits of houseplants is how they purify the zephyr in our homes . But is this genuine ? We understand the research and , spoiler alerting , you would need a jungle of plants to make a difference .
Yes , plant make some of us feel happier but no , they do n’t transfer the air lineament in your home .
12Walnut Trees
Read More : Growing Under Walnut Trees : What ’s Possible
It ’s long been tell that you ca n’t produce anything under or near a walnut tree tree due to the juglone in the ground . But is it really toxic and prejudicial to other plants ? change by reversal out we know much less about this than nurseryman tell us .
As someone who has a monumental , old walnut tree tree diagram rule the entire garden , I distrust it ’s competition for resources ( root distance and piss ) that is the issue , not a juglone issue per se .
My point is , do n’t let the naysayer dissuade you .
13Pine Needle Acidity and Soil
Read More : Will Pine Needles Make My Garden Soil pH Too Acidic ? ( No , It ’s a Myth )
Have you been warn to find out out how pine needles can make soil too acidic for some plants ?
Or , have you listen that if you are arise flora that like acidulent stain like blueberry that you should add together pine needles to their dirt ?
Well , it ’s not what we thought . Pine acerate leaf are acidic while growing but once they leave the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , that acidity rapidly decrease rendering them just fine as mulch in the garden .
Related : What is Soil pH and How to forge With It
14Gardening by the Phases of the Moon
Read More : Moon Gardening : Does it Make Sense ?
The idea of gardening by Moon phases has been around for centuries , but does it really help ? find out out what we know about the Moon ’s influence on Earth and why this horticulture advice stay anecdotal .
Yes , the lunar month has tremendous effects on life sentence on globe but it can not micro - manage flyspeck seeds and plant life in our gardens .
Read More : Do Sunflowers Really get across the Sun ?
There are batch of garden memes take that sunflowers release to confront the sun as it crosses the sky each day . But is this true ? Find out what we know about heliotropism .
turn out , sunflowers may grow face the direction of their morning sun but the influence stops as the plants mature .
16Compost Tea
take More : Should I Use Compost Tea ?
Lots of nurseryman make compost tea to feed their plants , but does it really help oneself ? And is it better than just using compost ?
While some compost teas may help oneself , with each person get their own brew with unlike inputs , it ’s inconceivable to retroflex or liken .
17Cinnamon as a Fungicide
Read More : Is Cinnamon A Natural Fungicide ?
Cinnamon is commonly recommended as a natural fungicide for gardeners wanting to forfend various fungal diseases . permit ’s bet at whether there is any scientific discipline to back up the title and if it has other benefit in the garden .
This is one of the few bit of garden folklore we have search that may have some deservingness .
18Diatomaceous Earth
Read More : The Problem With Diatomaceous Earth As A Pesticide
Diatomaceous earth is oftentimes recommended as an organic pesticide for the garden , but is it a hard-nosed , sustainable pick ? Is it a good resource for pollinator - well-disposed garden ? Let ’s have a look .
The most significant thing to take down is it can cause lung damage to mammal including you and your favourite .
19Mosquito-Repelling Plants
Read More : Do Oils , Candles , and Certain industrial plant Keep Mosquitoes Away ?
There are so many claim made about various plant and indispensable oils that can revolt mosquito and forbid bites that we decided to see what the inquiry says .
After all , if you could imbed a few things in your garden or perch some candles to keep from getting eaten live , why not ?
Well , do n’t neutralize your money . Even if a plant might repel a mosquito , how far do you think it will go ?
20Old-Fashioned Folklore
Read More : The Problem With Old - Fashioned Garden Advice
Have you ever hear the advice to plant beans when apple tree are in bloom or sow in peas when daffodil are in flower ?
These routine of sure-enough - fashioned garden advice do have some wisdom in them but will they really help us time our semen , right ? Let ’s have a look at these sayings and see if they crop .
21Hitting Trees & Other Odd Ideas
Read More : hit Trees to excite Growth & Other Strange Garden Tips
Does hitting a tree help stimulate growth ? Should you shampoo your lawn ? These are just a few of the confutable tips shared over the age by popular tv set personality and garden book author Jerry Baker .
We research this topic after attend countless Jerry Baker books at thrift stores . Sadly , they are fill with myriad unearthly , made - up tips patently made to sell book while ignoring skill and common sense .
22Baking Soda
interpret More : bake Soda in the Garden : Is it Really Harmless ?
Baking soda is recommended for all sorts of garden uses including dulcify tomato plant and boost plant growth but much of this advice is rooted in folklore not science .
Let ’s search at what bake soda is and if we should be using it on flora .
I like I could say that ’s it for the shoddy garden tips but there ’s always more .
And perhaps our only remedy is to rest healthy skeptics who askdoes this make senseandis this lawful ? And does this concoction even belong in nature ?
23Companion Plant Lists
learn More : The Problem With Companion Plant list
If you do a search online for Companion Plant List , hundred of thousands of resultant are available — and no two listing are selfsame .
This is because many of these lists are either made - up or base on anecdotal grounds that has no scientific proof .
The best advice is to always provide plant with the basics they postulate including the right soil conditions , light , and body of water .
~Melissathe Empress of Dirt ♛
Related : Garden Trends That May Do More Harm Than Good
Related:10 Smart Tips Gardeners Wish They ’d Known Sooner
