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Houseplant Woes? Reach for the Cinnamon!
Spring has sprung, and many of us are cleaning house – including house plants! One tip every houseplant lover should know about is the occasional use of cinnamon. Cinnamon comes from the bark of a tropical tree, and has some amazing antifungal, antibacterial, and drying properties that come in very handy around the house.
Accidentally break a stem on your precious houseplant? Make a clean cut and the base of the break, and dust liberally with powdered cinnamon to keep the cut from becoming infected and killing your plant. A cut stem end dried with cinnamon will heal faster.
Have you had it with those little black gnats that buzz around your houseplants? Those are fungus gnats feeding off of the rich damp compost in your plant pots. Lucky for you, cinnamon is a poison-free way to keep the fungus at bay, which then discourages gnats, naturally!
Is your beloved green buddy covered in aphids and mealy bugs? Follow this easy cinnamon “tea” recipe to discourage those dastardly plant suckers from ruining your plant! This “tea” also works wonders on ridding your plant pots of ant infestations. You’ll need:
- 4 tablespoons cinnamon powder
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dish Soap (Link opens in new window.)
Bring all of the ingredients to a simmer for 10 minutes. Once cool, strain into a household spray bottle, and add 1 tablespoon dish soap. Spray the affected plant top to bottom, including the potting mix surface. For the best effect, leave the spray on the leaves over-night, and wipe the leaves down with a damp cloth the next day. Repeat this process several times to make sure the bugs know they aren’t welcome!
With a little help from a common pantry spice, your plants can do better, naturally. Oh, and as long as you have it handy, why not make some snickerdoodles?