UK Gardeners Urged To Keep Hold Of Old Dishwashing Sponges For This Purpose

The leaves are coming back to trees, the flowers are starting to bloom and I, personally, a certified Garden Goblin, am looking for any tips I can find this gardening season to stop my beloved plants from dying.

The idea we have of gardening is that it’s a zen-like experience, filled only with peace and love towards the life that we’re bringing into the world.

However, for Garden Goblins like myself that love our gardens but can’t always keep them entirely healthy and have almost entirely given up on houseplants, we need a little extra help. Some hacks, some tips, some assurance that at least a few of our plants will survive these warmer months, PLEASE.

Cue, Simple & Fast’s YouTube video.

How dishwashing sponges can help your plants

In the video, the host shares that instead of throwing away our sponges when they’re not giving our dishes the same polish and shine that they did before, we should save them for our plants.

First, we should soak the sponge in disinfectant for an hour because plants are fussy and don’t want our dirty dish water. I know, I was confused too.

Once the hour is up, then you will need to cut up the sponge into smaller pieces. In the video, the expert said: “Once we have all our sponge cut, we are going to start using it to benefit the soil of our pots and plants. And we are going to use the sponge to fill one of these pots.”

The cubes are then planted into the plant pots and, over time, gradually absorb nutrients and moisture promoting plant health and longevity. The gardening expert said: “What happens is that they have already begun to absorb the nutrients from the soil itself and the moisture from the soil that I have added to the bucket.”

They then repotted a plant on top of the layer of the sponge and filled in the pot with more soil. They assured that this will go on to retain moisture and keep plants hydrated for a longer period of time.

Basically, it saves us Garden Goblins when we forget to water or feed our plants and buys us a little more time.

And, if you’re not chronically unorganised, according to commenters, this is ideal for hanging plants or trips away when you won’t be home to look after your plant pals.

Brb, off to chop up a sponge.