So I have a handful of stale chilly powder, ajwain seeds & soft drinks at hand. I know the chilly powder can be mixed with water and the resulting solution be sprinkled on plant to keep some insects at bay. I also read an article over the net whereby Coca Cola can be poured in a swallow container to attract all slugs. But does it work with all soft drinks? Anyone tried it? Any more uses you can think of for these 3 items?
I put stale or "flat" soft drinks in the compost pile. The sugar content does a bit of good. Chili powder sprinkled directly on plants will deter chewing insects, and sprinkled on the ground will keep dogs and cats away from plants (gets on their pads and burns a bit). This of course is assuming the chili powder still has its "bite". What are ajwain seeds and how do you use them? I've never heard of them, so am very curious. Love learning new things on the Stew!
I make sure to dump my "soaking whatever hurts" water with epsoms salt in it out under the japanese maple tree. The extra magnesium helps to keep the tree redder throughout the summer.
Will try them out for sure! Bishops Weed. They are spices and used (sparingly) in food here. I personally dislike its strong scent but guess that's subjective. Read more here: http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Trac_amm.html
My hometown encourages us to use water wisely. You would be surprized at how much liquid goes down the drain. I save all my leftover black coffee and tea, flat soda, and the rinse water from doing dishes. The tea, coffee, and soda are poured into a gallon milk jug. I add this to my three gallon watering can, add a gallon of the rinse water and feed and water my herbs and flowering plants. They love the nitrogen boost from the coffee and tea. The soda has a lot of sugar.The zinnia and impatiens are fed this solution once a week. Basil especially loves the sugar water. I dilute everything so it's not overly strong. Stale and expired herbs? Cinnamon sprinkled around the back door will deter ants. Basil and rosemary are sprinkled around the pet area outside to control odor and insects. Add expired spices to a crock pot, toss in a few slices of fresh lemon and six cups of water. Turn the crock pot on low and let it simmer all afternoon. It will fill the house with a delicious aroma. Much better for the environment than sprays.
