A GARDENING expert weighs in on the hacks that have become viral on TikTok to help green-thumbed Brits succeed in their hobby.
Miracle-Gro’s gardening expert Kate Turner shared her views on the latest trends that are gaining millions of hits on the social media app.
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The first videoThere is no right or wrong way to water plants.
“There is such a thing as watering the wrong way, you want to water around the plant and not overhead,”The short clip includes the words of the woman.
And so, according to The ExpressThe green-thumbed expert spoke to a woman who confirmed that TikTok was correct.
“You should never water your plants from the top, so this advice is spot on,” Kate said.
“By wetting the leaves, you promote fungal disease and the water evaporates faster.
“I would always recommend watering in the morning rather than in the evening.”
TikTok video #2It was claimed that planting a bulb with garlic for cooking will produce a new head.
Kate said that this tip was not entirely correct.
“I would not recommend using shop-bought garlic to propagate as you will not know the variety,” she revealed.
“It’s important to know the garlic variety as, generally, shop-bought ones are for cooking only and will have grown in warm weather and therefore needing the same weather to grow new seedlings.
“You should buy garlic plants from UK nurseries or garden centres as they will be specially bred to cope with our cooler temperatures, and they’ll also be more disease resistant.”
A third video was posted by @epicgardening. The TikToker stated that blowing air on new seedlings with a fan will help strengthen them and encourage them to grow.
“You see how these seedlings are wiggling in the wind?” They said it in the video.
“Well, that’s because I’ve set up a fan to actually blow air on them to strengthen the stems and grow nice and sturdy seedlings.
“This is one of the things I see beginner gardeners mess up the most when starting their seedlings indoors, you have to replicate mother nature!”
However, the gardening expert said that this hack isn’t necessarily wrong but it isn’t perfect.
It is sound as it will strengthen the stems and leaves ready for planting outdoors, but it can be hard to do for most home-growners,” Kate stated.
“Instead of using a fan, I suggest gently stroking the seedlings with your hand a few times a day to replicate a breeze.
“If there’s a slight breeze outside and the weather is warm enough, you could put your seedlings near an open window remembering to close it as soon as the temperature drops.”