It seems that your source has rediscovered America, but this time he is right – cinnamon is a real treasure in the garden. However, it is not some magic that would “kill the neighbors with envy”, but pure nature with fungicidal (antifungal) properties.
Cinnamon contains the substance cinnamaldehyde, which acts as a natural disinfectant. Here is how to use it in the garden (or with houseplants) in a way that everyone will envy you:
- Natural fungicide: Goodbye to mold
If you see a white coating (mold) on the surface of the substrate or your seedlings suffer from “germ drop”:
Trick: Just sprinkle the soil around the plant with ground cinnamon. It will stop the growth of fungi and mold without having to use aggressive chemicals.
- “Glue” for plant wounds
When you are pruning roses, geraniums or when you accidentally break a branch:
Trick: Soak the fresh “wound” of the plant in ground cinnamon. It works like a liquid bandage. The wound will heal faster and the cinnamon will prevent infection and rot from entering the stem.
- Rooting Elixir (Stimulator)
Forget about expensive chemical rooting stimulants from the store.
Trick: When propagating plants by cuttings (e.g. ficus, basil, geranium), soak the end of the cutting in water and then in cinnamon. Cinnamon will promote root formation and at the same time protect the young cutting from rotting in water or soil.
- No more ants in flower pots
Ants hate cinnamon. It irritates their senses and they cannot get through it.
Trick: If you have an anthill in your greenhouse or in a flowerpot on your balcony, make a “cinnamon barrier” around the plant. The ants will avoid it and will not carry aphids to your plants.
- Liquid spray (Cinnamon tea)
If you want to “pour” cinnamon on your plants, as your title says:
Recipe: Mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in 500 ml of warm water and let it stand overnight. Strain through a coffee filter (so as not to clog the sprayer) and spray on the leaves affected by fungal diseases.
Be careful with one thing!
Use real ground cinnamon (ideally Ceylon, but regular cassia will do). Above all, make sure that there is no sugar mixed in! Cinnamon sugar would cause a disaster in the garden – it would attract all the insects from the area and cause sticky rot.
A little bonus: Cinnamon is also great for repelling mealybugs (those little black flies that fly out of flower pots). Just mix a little cinnamon into the top layer of soil.
Do you have a plant at home that is currently wilting, or are you bothered by ants in your garden? We can take a look at a specific “recipe” tailored to you!