What can you do with aluminum foil over plants? Admittedly, that sounds like a strange idea… But aluminum foil is a big help for our plants. I’ll explain that to you here. And you will see that it will make your life easier. It is also a good way to reuse the aluminum that we no longer use in the kitchen because it comes into contact with our food. And since I hate wasting what I have in my cupboards, I also use it in the garden.
Here are four effective uses of aluminum for our plants.
1. makes it easier for seeds to germinate
What do seeds need to germinate? warmth and humidity. I’m sure you know what I’m getting at. We will create these favorable conditions artificially. Choose a container in which you will sow the seeds. Then line the bottom with aluminum foil that is a little too large so that it sticks out of the container. Place a layer of soil, your seeds, moisten them and cover them with soil. Fold the aluminum foil over the soil. But be careful: you shouldn’t close it too airtight. This paper traps heat through its material that attracts the sun’s rays. Even better! It retains good moisture. This allows the seeds to germinate faster.
2. Protects your plants from cold
While we’re on the topic of the thermal properties of aluminum foil, here’s my little personal trick. I reuse the aluminum foil I used in my oven to insulate my flower pots. This way nothing is wasted. I live in the mountains and the cold period is quite long. The most sensitive plants suffer from this. That’s why I wrap each pot with this paper. It insulates you from the cold. It also captures the sun’s rays to warm the earth during the day.
3. Keeps birds away from fruit trees
Anyone who has a small orchard in the back of the garden knows the problem: the birds eat all the fruit. So good that there will be almost nothing left for us if we don’t act quickly. To scare away birds, hang aluminum strips over the branches of your cherry, plum, peach or pear trees. The sun reflecting on the silver side creates a light that disturbs the birds. This means they don’t come any closer and leave the fruit alone.
4. Protects the trunk of fruit trees
It’s not just birds that come to help themselves! There are also slugs, snails, ants and rodents. They come not only to eat the fruit from the trees… …but also from the bushes, such as raspberries. And I don’t even want to talk about the strawberry plants they feast on. To prevent this, wrap the trunk with aluminum foil. This means the beetles can no longer climb the tree. Why is that? Because this film is slippery. In addition, the metallic taste bothers the snails. So it’s not very decorative, I admit that. But it is effe