Keep cats and weeds out of garden by using one store cupboard ingredient
There’s nothing more frustrating than battling with weeds in the garden, but there are simple measures you can take to prevent and eliminate them. Moreover, one straightforward trick can not only deter weeds, but can also keep cats away from your garden, thus maintaining outdoor areas in good condition. Gardening expert Ish, known as gardening.with.ish on TikTok, revealed that a single common condiment is all you need to keep pests and weeds away from your lawn. In an insightful video, he detailed how individuals can create simple homemade solutions using this ingredient to ward off unwanted visitors. This advice will prove useful this autumn, providing a simple task people can undertake before spending less time in the garden during the colder months. Recently, another hack was shared which is said to also keep weeds at bay. Ish stated: “Today in the garden, I’m going to show you how a simple 35p white vinegar can do a lot in your garden. First things’s first, white vinegar is really good at repelling unwanted pests like ants, mealybugs and even cats too. “What you want to do is take a spray bottle, and fill [it with] 50/50 white vinegar and water, and spray around the edges of the borders. Not directly on the plant. The smell for ants and mealybugs destroys the pheromone trail, meaning they get a little bit confused and go elsewhere, and cats absolutely detest the smell, so it keeps them away from your borders.” As he went on, Ish revealed you can also create your own weed killer using white vinegar, and it’s quite straightforward to make. He advised people to clean out an old spray bottle, then add a tablespoon or two of salt along with a dash of washing-up liquid. When you fill this up with white vinegar, he explained it creates a useful weed spray. Ish mentioned you need to apply it directly onto the leaves, and you should see results “in a matter of hours.” What’s more, he noted the ingredient can also be incredibly useful for cleaning gardening equipment. If yours have become a bit rusty, he described how soaking them in some white vinegar can help dissolve the rust and clean them up. Ish explained there are numerous applications for the affordable product in the garden, so it’s always useful to keep some at home. Since he posted the video, it’s been watched hundreds of times, and people were quite impressed. Fellow gardeners confessed they thought the advice was “great”, and they appear eager to give them a go. One even claimed the weed mixture “works perfectly.” What are the advantages of white vinegar? You may not realise, white vinegar can kill weeds by scorching and destroying their leaves, but it’s primarily a contact killer. This means it only affects the areas it reaches and works best on small, young or annual weeds, particularly on a hot, sunny and calm day. Meanwhile, stronger, perennial weeds with deep roots have the capacity to survive and regrow, so you may need to repeat the process a few times to see results. To achieve success, it’s best to use a higher-strength vinegar (20% to 30% acetic acid) or add washing-up liquid to a 5% solution, as this can help the vinegar stick to the leaves and burn the plant. Not to mention, cats detest the smell of the stuff too. However, it may not keep them away for good, as the process requires regular reapplication. You can create a deterrent spray by mixing white vinegar with water, and by including other scents that cats dislike, such as lemon juice or rosemary, as this can enhance its effectiveness. You should apply the mixture to areas where cats are a problem, like gardens or furniture. However, it’s important to test it on an inconspicuous spot first to ensure it doesn’t damage surfaces or plants. This should assist you in keeping cats at bay.
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