You’ve bought your first plant. You know the basics of growing your own vegetable in your small backyard. And, you’re now amped – ready to get your hands dirty!
But whether you’re a newbie or you’re a certified plantito or plantita who is looking for ways to help your babies grow healthy, don’t start digging yet until you’ve read these helpful hacks we have compiled which will definitely come in handy for your gardening!
- Soak Your Seeds in Warm Water – If you want to increase the germination rate of your seeds so it will develop into new plants faster, you have to remove its natural defenses by soaking it first in warm water for 24 hours. This method is called “presoaking”. The warm water acts as a signal that it is in the perfect condition to grow. Not all seeds require presoaking, though. It is good to presoak beans, peas, and pumpkins among others. While radish, carrots, spinach, and lettuce are a few of the plants whose seeds don’t need soaking.
- Crushed Eggshells – Aside from acting as a natural fertilizer, crushed eggshells are high in calcium carbonate. Plants need them for building healthy cell walls, or what we call “bones”. The eggshells are also beneficial in the reduction of soil acidity and help for the soil’s ventilation. So, if you’re trying to grow tomatoes, don’t throw your eggshells away.
- Banana Peels – Banana is composed of various vitamins and minerals such as potassium, nitrogen, calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphates, and sulfur. These minerals are extremely helpful to your plants when added to the soil. Topping your compost pile with banana peels that were cut into smaller sizes will also boost the compost’s nutrients in no time.
- Beer or Wine Bottles – If you need to be away from home for a while, your empty beer or wine bottles can help you water your plants while you’re away. After rinsing the bottle out and filling it with water, you just need to stick it face-down into the plant soil. By doing this, the water will slowly drip out, thereby keeping your plant hydrated for a long time. The longer the bottle, the better.
- Sea Salts – Besides egg shells, sea salt is also a remarkable plant fertilizer. Not only does it increase plant growth, but it also generates a high level of resistance to pests and diseases. By utilizing sea salts in your garden, your food will end up with higher levels of vitamins. More importantly, it will taste way better than plants grown without sea salt!
To support and unite the different types of gardeners in the community, ARC Refreshments Corp. launched its long-term program, “Grow as One” campaign, showcasing the company’s resiliency in the new normal. The campaign also calls for sustainable gardening to help lessen the impact of environmental pollution that is slowly killing our planet.
Under the program is a project called, “My Gulay Garden”, initiated by ARC Refreshments Corp. employees; it encourages people to start growing their own food especially in urban areas, and advocates for the use of recycled RC Cola PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles as plant pots. This way, less plastic will end up in landfills and the oceans, and more will end up being useful in our garden.
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ARC Refreshments Corp. is the manufacturer of RC Cola which is otherwise dubbed as the “RC ng Bayan” for its ties with Filipinos as the preferred cola drink for every occasion. Juicy Lemon, Seetrus, Fruit Soda Orange, Arcy’s Rootbeer, and Rite ‘N Lite are the other brands of the company that are known for their equally crisp, well-balanced and satisfying flavors.
