I’m a gardening pro – 20 weird but useful hacks you can use to boost your garden
GEN Z are getting green fingered and adopting a ‘grow your own’ approach - thanks to social media.
Research of 2,000 adults found almost half of 18 to 27-year-olds have caught the gardening bug in the last 12 months.
Of those, over two thirds saw their newfound hobby blossom thanks to social networking, with Instagram, TikTok and Facebook the most popular platforms for advice.
But with hashtags like #allotmentuk and #growyourownfood on the rise, 34 per cent of all adults have also found unusual hacks to help their produce thrive.
These include using old teabags and egg shells, while one in 10 even use their body hair as a natural plant fertiliser.
And 11 per cent have even gone as far as using hair from their nether regions to grow their fruit and veg.
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But 80 per cent weren’t actually aware that body hair is nutrient rich and could be used as a natural plant fertiliser.
Fiona Atkins, male grooming expert for Philips OneBlade, which has partnered with gardening and topiary experts to launch the 'Hairy Harvest' - a pop-up where passers-by can get a quick shave and take their trimmings home to help their own plants grow, said: “It’s no secret that the cost of food shopping keeps rising.
“More and more people are looking at how they can start growing their own produce at home – particularly the younger generations.
“So, we wanted to highlight the little-known fact that body hair is the perfect nutrient-rich DIY fertiliser to help Brits in their gardening endeavours.
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“As the nation trim, edge and shave their hair, we want to empower them to stop letting their discarded hairs go down the drain and put them to good use so they can start their very own hairy harvest in their back garden.”
The research also revealed reasons Gen-Z’s are picking up their trowels, with saving money, fighting the cost of living crisis and improving their mental health among the most popular motivations.
While 43 per cent simply wanted to get outside more, with 35 per cent wanting to grow their own produce.
The study also revealed 21 per cent of men have picked up gardening in the last year, compared to just 17 per cent of women.
With three in 10 males preferring to spend time outside on their veggie patch as much as watching Match of the Day or playing video games.
Of all respondents, 57 per cent have a keen interest in pruning their shrubbery, with 21 per cent inspired by TV shows they’ve watched.
With 63 per cent of garden growers serving up dishes made up partly or entirely of produce from their own backyard.
It also found more than half of all adults agreed you can’t beat the fresh taste of homegrown food.
The research, carried out for the grooming tool via , found 39 per cent think gardening is trendier now than it was two years ago.
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King of the jungle and Philips OneBlade ambassador, Sam Thompson, who appeared at the opening of the event taking place in London Fields between the 24th and 25th May, added: “If I’d known all along how valuable my hair was to help plants grow, I would have saved my shavings more often.
“Zara gets so fed up with my beard and body hairs all over the bathroom so maybe now I can collect it and throw it on the flowerbeds.”
UNUSUAL GARDENING HACKS BRITS HAVE TRIED TO IMPROVE THEIR GARDENS:
1. Throwing used teabags onto the soil
2. Using egg shells as fertiliser
3. Using banana peels as fertiliser
4. Sprinkling cayenne pepper to ward off pests
5. Using used coffee grounds as a fertiliser
6. Growing new fruit/vegetables from leftovers vegetable roots/seeds
7. Using potato water to water plants
8. Singing to my plants
9. Sprinkling cinnamon on the ground to deter cats
10. Talking to my plants
11. Using baking soda to make the soil more alkaline
12. Destroying fungus with cinnamon
13. Using white vinegar as a plant feed
14. Using coconut powder as a fertiliser
15. Making beer traps for slugs
16. Using fish from the fireplace as fertiliser
17. ‘Plant’ plastic forks to keep animals away
18. Using bones as a fertiliser
19. Using pubic hair as fertiliser