Why in the world would any one use a blender or a hand mirror as a gardening tool? Well, it seems that the blender is an excellent tool for making easily absorbed soil amendments, and the mirror is a big help when it comes to combating certain particularly obnoxious and destructive garden pests.
Many gardeners keep composting piles working year round and while these are wonderful sources of potassium and phosphorus and especially nitrogen not to mention micronutrients of all description they are not particularly rich in either calcium or magnesium, and plants really benefit from both nutrients.
Calcium is essential for strong cell structure and enhances the absorption of other nutrients. Magnesium is critical to efficient photosynthesis and helps plants to activate important enzymes. There are many other benefits derived from these two nutrients; these are just a few examples.
Egg shells are a great source of calcium – save all off your egg shells – while Epsom salts are soluble magnesium. Grind them both in a blender into fine powder for a side dressing that will boost the health and yield of your veggie plants.
Don’t use the household blender by the way; pick up a used one at a garage or rummage sale.
The hand held mirror makes examining the underside of leaves much easier on both the gardener and his plant. Since many of the insect pests – squash bugs for a prime example- hide under a plant’s leaves and lay their eggs on the underside of them this is frequently the only way to detect and counteract an infestation before it gets out of hand.
Again, a perfectly serviceable mirror can usually be picked up at a road side sale for little expense. But whatever the price paid, these two unusual gardening tools return their value many times over at harvest time.
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