A gardening expert has shared a hack which allows you to turn your everyday waste into “pure gold for your plants”.

A gardening expert on YouTube has shared a “dishwasher sponge gardening hack,” which promotes healthy plant growth and keep them watered. The cost-effective trick will only set you back 43p and you more than likely will have a spare sponge lying around in the back of the kitchen drawer.

The YouTube video has gained over two million views, and sees the gardening expert encouraging people not to throw away their gardening sponges highlighting their value in nurturing plants. The video starts by disinfecting the sponge and soaking it in soap and water for an hour.

Once the hour is up, then you will need to cut up the sponge into smaller pieces. In the video, the expert said: “Once we have all our sponge cut, we are going to start using it to benefit the soil of our pots and plants. And we are going to use the sponge to fill one of these pots.”

The cube sponge cutouts are then incorporated into the plant pots and gradually absorb nutrients and moisture promoting plant health and longevity. The gardening expert added: “What happens is that they have already begun to absorb the nutrients from the soil itself and the moisture from the soil that I have added to the bucket.”

Then they repotted a plant on top of the layer of sponge and filled in the pot with more soil. The layer of sponge will retain moisture and plants will remain hydrated for a longer period of time.

Moreover, the sponge’s gradual release of absorbed nutrients acts as a natural fertiliser dispenser, eliminating the need for frequent applications and reducing waste. Gardeners can rest assured that their plants receive optimal moisture and nutrients without needing to constantly monitor or check on their plants.

One person who was thankful for the hack commented: “This is a great idea for hanging baskets. I’m going to try it.” Whilst another said: “Love this and it made so much sense, especially on the long trips away, thanks for sharing!”

A third person commented: “Genius idea! Why on earth didn’t I know this before? Thank you.” A pack of sponges from Aldi cost 79p, with each sponge costing 13p. Or you can get them from Asda where a whole pack of eight costs 43p or each individual sponge costs 5p.

Source: mirror.co.uk