my gardener’s favorite trick to save plants

Have you ever seen someone drive nails into a lemon? At first glance, this may seem surprising, but it is a technique that has been used for a long time for many reasons. Today, dear readers, we are going to explore together why and how this practice can be useful to you, as Hervé Vitrebert, a former gardener from my village in Cantal, often advised me. Explanations!

If you only use lemon to enhance the flavor of your dishes or to clean surfaces in your home, you know that it can be used for much more than that! What if you first start by driving some cloves into your citrus trees to use in your garden? The result will surprise you!

Nailing a lemon: the trick that will save your indoor plants

Driving nails into a lemon – Source: spm

Whether it’s for the skin, cleaning, or cooking, lemon has proven itself time and time again. But did you know dear readers that it is also an excellent fertilizer for your houseplants? What if we told you that to ensure its effectiveness you only have to put a few nails in it? To feed your curiosity, we decided to share with you our simple trick to use this lemon and nail combination to breathe new life into your beautiful plants. It’s simple, just follow these steps:

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1. First, take a lemon and roll it on a hard surface.
2. Next, get some nails and just insert them into your citrus.
3. Let the fruit rest for 12 hours in a dry place. (At this time, the nails will release their iron oxide which will naturally transfer to the lemon.)
4. Time is up ? Now remove the nails and squeeze the lemon juice.
5. All you have to do is add the recovered juice to a liter of water.
6. Mix everything well, pour the solution into a spray bottle, and spray your liquid on your houseplants (especially those that prefer acidic soil).

This iron oxide water is beneficial for plants that lack iron and do not grow in acidic soil. This water provides them with a sufficient quantity of these minerals that they lack. No more yellow leaves due to lack of iron, among other things.

And there you have it! It is a very simple and effective method to rebalance the pH of your plants and give them new life. We can see the famous question coming from him: how is lemon beneficial for plants? Read on to understand!

What are the benefits of lemon juice for houseplants?

Lemons – Source: spm

Lemon juice offers countless benefits for plants, including:

1. Balance the pH of the soil: in fact, lemon juice is acidic, so it helps to lower the pH of the soil, especially if the soil is too alkaline.
2. Provide nutrients: Lemon juice is packed with nutrients like vitamin C, antioxidants, and minerals, like calcium and potassium, that are beneficial to plants.
3. Repel insects: yes indeed lemon juice is considered a natural insecticide. Therefore, it is often used to repel harmful insects in a garden.
4. Eliminate bad odors: The deodorant properties of lemon juice not only eliminate persistent odors in the house, but also in the garden (orchard, pond, animal urine, etc.).
5. Promote flowering: the citric acid in lemon juice can stimulate flowering and prevent root rot in some plants, including orchids.

Our lemon nail combo is not limited to this one and only use, think again! It can be used for other purposes, and this hack will shed some light on you (literally and figuratively).

Did you know that with a simple lemon you can make a fire? However, it is completely TRUE! Don’t underestimate this little citrus! In fact, you can turn it into a battery and it has enough power to start a fire. We show you how to do it safely!

Make a battery with a lemon – Source: spm

1. First start by rubbing the fruit between your hands to soften it up a bit (this is necessary to make it easier for you to insert your nails).
2. Then plant the nails at a distance of about 1.3 cm from each other.
3. Then, forming a row parallel to that of the first nails, drive in the zinc thumbtacks.
4. It’s done ? So now, using a piece of wire, attach the first thumbtack to the second nail, then the second thumbtack to the third nail, and so on.
5. Finally, attach a piece of insulated electrical wire to the first nail and do the same to the other end with the last thumbtack. To make it clearer, the copper pin (top line, far right) is the negative pole, and the thumbtack (bottom line, far left) is the positive pole.
6. Your little lemon can now produce around 0.9 volts of electricity, enough energy to start a fire.

To test if the trick works correctly, all you need to do is place steel wool on a dry surface and add a dry fuel, like toilet paper for example. Then all you have to do is touch the steel wool to both poles (positive and negative) to light your fire and voila!

Do you want to charge your phone using a lemon? Here is the demo tutorial video:

Also read: What seedlings should be planted in February 2023?

Caution :

For your safety, dear readers, please note that it is imperative to perform this experiment in a safe place, away from any flammable objects to avoid the risk of fire. It goes without saying that your safety is paramount, especially when it comes to handling fire!

Basically, driving nails into a lemon may seem strange at first, but it’s actually a fun and creative activity. Also, it can have practical and beneficial uses for your home and garden. So why not give it a try?

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