Tip your glass to "Tips, Tricks and Ol' Wise Tales"

The world is full of advice. We (GRN) searches high and low for great quips that are meant in good fun and are only to aide you in success as a grower. Each week we hope to share some favorite tips we've unearthed. Find them here in our blog, as well as on our social platforms. Take the advice you want, and ignore what you need. It's only meant to help and make things more efficient and economical in the long run.

On to our first "Tuesday Tip,"

Now that we've got your attention and peaked interest, here's our first Tuesday tip.

Tip #1 - SAVE YOUR CORKS

The holidays have surely left a plethora of these biodegradable bad boys handing out around your home. Save them and recycle them in your growing start pots this spring!

Compost or Mulch

Once you use a wine cork to line the bottom of your planting pots you will never start plants again without them! Not only is this good for the environment by recycling, it saves so much on planting medium costs!

Cork is wood- a natural fiber. The cork is bark, which is a good soil additive Scientifically, corks come from cork oak, Quercus suber, and provides a natural lipid polymer called suberin. It restricts water transportation across cell walls, making it hydrophobic. They could naturally assist in water drainage like perilite. Perfect for gardening in wet areas.

In laymans terms, they repel water from its surface, reducing water and nutrient retention and they maintain their cork structure for a long time. This could be a double edge sword- they take a while to break down so we recommend putting them in a blender to chop up before placing in your pots. This will naturally assist in drainage and help to fill container space. This example by fellow grower & gardener was spotted on a Pinterest page and shares a great a example.

"They repel water from its surface, reducing water and nutrient retention and they maintain their cork structure for a long time... naturally assisting in drainage."

Art

From birdhouses to fairy gardens and pathways, corks add a unique charm in art form. We love the ideas shared by Seventeen Three's, Audrey Farley. Wouldn't these charming little mushrooms be a fun addition to a fairy garden! In parusing the internet we found so many great ideas to turn wine corks into an art form.

Plant Markers

Get creative then place your corks on the end of a skewer. Write plant names and dates on the cork, then plant at the end of each row. These are a perfect way to recycle your corks. Morning Dove Cottage created some very cute, yet simple ones we found showcased on their blog. Look how easy and adorable these are!

Save the Bees

Corks are the perfect bouy for the bees in a water vessel. Simply put on your water for bees to have a safe place to land and avoid drowning. They are perfect to throw in a basin filled with water. The bees will thank you later with an abundance of pollinated crops. We share this idea from DIY Enthusiasts, who also has many other great ways of creating a bee watering station.

Share your tried and true tips!

We'd like to hear your tips and feature you on one of our weekly tips and tricks. Share Here! If your tips is selected, a goody will be sent your way as a thanks for your engagement in our feeds. Thanks and tune in next Tuesday for the next tip.

Enjoy growing together!