Are Old Bottle Caps The Solution To Your Garden Pest Problem, Or A Waste Of Time?

Garden pests are a common problem that can cause significant damage to your plants. It can be a challenge to learn the best way to protect your plants. Many times, pesticides are bought and utilized as a way to get rid of these pests. The problem with pesticides, including natural pesticides, is that they can also cause undue harm to your plants since they are full of chemicals, even if they are effective in controlling pests. If you want a more economical and effective solution to your garden pest problem, you can reuse old bottle caps at the base of plant stems to act as barriers against slugs and other bugs. Fill these caps with some water or oil and protect your plants from crawling pests that wreak havoc.

There are plenty of eco-friendly ways to keep bugs out of your garden, and this is an excellent DIY solution. Old bottle caps can vary in size and shape, but whether you have metal bottle caps or plastic screw caps, they can all work in your garden to keep pests at bay. You can even take things a step further to use the bottles themselves as traps for various pests including flies, cockroaches, and silver fish near your prized plants.

Physical barriers have a long track record in garden applications for preventing plant damage caused by pests. Rings made of cardboard and tinfoil often work to prevent bugs from scaling plant stems and tree trunks. Sometimes these rings are sticky and work by trapping and killing pests trying to reach your plants.

Many gardening experts believe that this handy bottle cap hack helps to keep crawling pests from reaching your plants. So, how does it work? The caps can act as a barrier at the base of your plant stems, creating a small puddle or trap, so that crawling pests can't wade through it to reach your plant. To use the bottle caps, simply place your bottle cap right next to the plant's stem on the ground. Then, fill it with oil or water. You can repeat this for any plants you worry might be harmed by crawling insects.

The caps can also be beneficial for keeping fungi and bacteria from the soil coming up to damage your stem. Even the small amounts of water in the caps offer added moisture for your plants, on hot summer days.  Not only is this method safe for plants, but it also encourages the use of plastic that might otherwise be discarded, which is good for the environment. Along with this trick, you may also consider adding some plants that can act as natural pest control in your yard or garden.