According to one expert, you might have a stockpile of just what your plants are craving this season.
On social media, master gardener Nikki Amore (@sow_viable) provides advice to fellow fans of at-home agriculture.
She shared one of her best-kept secrets in a video that brought viewers on a field trip to the cabbage patch.
If certain plants in your yard are failing to thrive, they could be suffering from a lack of nutrients, Amore explained.
If it’s boron they lack, the solution is probably in your home already.
“Boron is the second-most widespread micronutrient deficiency in soil,” Amore explained in a caption.
“Brassicas like cabbage have high boron requirements,” she added.
In a comment, she explained what to look for if you suspect a boron deficiency is impacting your garden.
“Boron deficiencies usually occur in sandy soil with low organic matter,” she wrote.
In cabbage, for example, a boron deficiency is often indicated by “small cabbage heads or yellowing of young leaves.”
“Leaves can also be curled down or deformed,” she warned.
Luckily, Amore continued, “I keep my cabbage plants happy with borax.”
The powerful cleansing agent is chock full of boron, and it’s safe to use outdoors.
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“Borax can be used in the garden to fix a boron deficiency in your soil,” Amore said.
She demonstrated, mixing a tablespoon of borax into a gallon of water in her watering can.
Then, she took it outside, where her cabbage plants – already treated with the solution earlier in the season – were thriving.
You can even begin applying borax before you put seeds in the ground, she said.
“I start out adding a little borax in the soil when planting and one more time a few weeks before harvesting by water application,” she said.
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