EMPTY ROLLS: The cardboard is a useful material for gardeners (Image: Jorge Aguado Martin/Getty)
Most households get through several toilet rolls each month and the cardboard tubes are either thrown away or put in with recycling. However, gardeners might want to hang on to them as they can be reused in a number of ways.
A green-fingered expert, who posts on TikTok as @gardening.with.ish, recently shared three ‘nifty’ uses for old loo rolls in the garden. The free ongoing supply of clean cardboard can be repurposed for growing seeds, enriching the soil and supressing weeds.
“The first thing you can do with your cardboard tubes is make little seedling pots,” said Ish. In his video, he had a three-litre plant plot containing six loo rolls filled with compost and ready to be sown with seeds.
MORE GARDENING TIPS
Once the seedlings start to grow, after three or four weeks, he said the tubes should be put into a bigger pot or straight in the ground. The thin cardboard will slowly decompose over the following months and cause very little root disturbance, reports the Express.
The second use for loo rolls is in making compost. “You can simply just chuck the tubes in,” said Ish, then pile on layers of organic material. “The worms absolutely love this stuff. It will break down and give you some pretty good compost.”
His final suggestion involves two different ways of using loo rolls in raised beds. “Cut up one of these tubes and lay it flat on the ground and all of a sudden you’ve got yourself a really good weed membrane,” said Ish, with the added benefit of protecting young plants from pests like slugs and snails.
You can also flatten the tubes and bury them underneath raised beds to stop any weeds growing through, but you’ll need quite a few. “Another benefit of doing it round about now is that it will also work as a really good thermal layer against frost,” he added.
Ish signed off by asking his followers if they’d ever tried using loo rolls in the garden. One person said: “I always use these for seedlings. I also use egg cartons.” Another added: “I’ve put my sweet peas in loo rolls for the last few years and I leave them in the greenhouse till early spring then pot them on before planting out. Works perfectly.”
LOO ROLL POTS: Ideal for starting off salad leaves or carrots (Image: t sableaux/Getty)
Stock up on loo roll 🧻
This article contains affiliate links and we may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more.
Prices correct at the time of publication.
READ NEXT
Comments are closed.