14 Weird Tricks That Actually Boost Flower Growth

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Every gardener has their “thing.” Some swear by moonlight pruning. Others bury rusty nails or whisper to their hydrangeas like it’s a secret club. And while a few of those habits are nothing more than charming rituals, others turn out to be weirdly effective. The kind of weird where your flowers suddenly bloom like they’re entering a county fair.

That’s what this list is all about. Strange little tricks that sound like gardening folklore but actually do something. Some are backed by science, some by years of happy accidents. All of them are low-cost, low-effort, and oddly satisfying.

If you’ve got flowers that could use a boost, or you’re just curious what a diaper is doing at the bottom of a petunia pot, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it.

1. Stick Gelatin Powder in the Soil

It sounds like something you’d do for dessert, not daisies. But unflavored gelatin — the kind that comes in little paper packets and looks suspiciously like powdered glue — is packed with nitrogen. And nitrogen just happens to be one of the three things flowers need most (right alongside phosphorus and potassium).

Here’s how to use it:

1. Grab a packet of plain, unflavored gelatin (no sugar, no colors, no Jell-O).
2. Mix it with 1 cup of warm water and stir until fully dissolved.
3. Add 2 to 3 cups of cool water to dilute the mix.
4. Pour the solution directly into the soil at the base of your flowering plant.

That’s it. No weird rituals. No waiting period. Just a quiet little nitrogen boost. Use it about once a month during the growing season and watch your flowers act like they’ve had a strong cup of coffee.

2. Water with Aquarium Water

If you’ve got a fish tank, you’re sitting on a goldmine. And no, not because of the fish — because of their poop. That cloudy, slightly questionable water you dump out during tank cleanings? It’s basically liquid plant food.

Aquarium water is loaded with nitrogen, trace minerals, and beneficial bacteria. It’s gentle, organic, and flowers love it. Especially container flowers that need regular feeding but hate synthetic fertilizers.

Here’s how to do it without creating a mess or inviting a family of snails into your begonias:

1. Use freshwater aquarium water only. No saltwater. Your flowers are not sea anemones.
2. Only collect water during regular tank cleanings — don’t scoop it out mid-week like a soup stock.
3. Pour it directly into the soil around your flowers. Avoid the leaves unless you’re trying to attract confused cats.

It’s a weirdly satisfying way to reuse waste and sneak in nutrients without spending a dime. Plus, your fish get cleaner water and your flowers get dinner. Win-win.

3. Water with Rice Water

This one comes from kitchens, not garden centers. The next time you rinse rice before cooking, don’t pour that cloudy water down the sink. Your flowers want it more than your drain does.

Rice water contains starch, a bit of phosphorus, and micronutrients that soil microbes love. When the microbes are happy, the plants are happy. And when the plants are happy, you get better blooms. Simple.

Here’s how to make it useful without turning your garden into a sticky science experiment:

1. Rinse your rice as usual — once or twice is enough.
2. Collect the rinse water in a bowl or jug.
3. Let it sit for a few hours to come to room temperature.
4. Use it to water the base of your flowering plants. No need to dilute.

Just don’t use it if you’ve added salt or oil. This isn’t a salad dressing. It’s a budget-friendly bloom booster your plants will actually notice.

4. Use a Tiny Bit of Epsom Salt

If your flowers look tired, pale, or just generally unimpressed with life, they might be craving magnesium. Enter: Epsom salt. It’s not just for sore feet — it can actually help plants green up and bloom better. The trick is not dumping it in like you’re prepping for a bath.

Epsom salt is made of magnesium sulfate. Magnesium helps with chlorophyll production, which keeps leaves lush and green. Sulfur supports overall plant health and can help flowers form more completely.

Here’s how to give your plants a gentle pick-me-up without overdoing it:

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt into 1 gallon of water.
2. Stir until fully dissolved.
3. Use this solution to water flowering plants once every 3 to 4 weeks.

Too much and you’ll throw off the soil’s balance, so don’t get enthusiastic with the scoop. This is one of those “less is more” situations.

5. Add Banana Peels to the Soil

Banana peels are basically nature’s slow-release fertilizer. They don’t smell great once they’re buried, but your flowers don’t mind. What they do mind is a lack of potassium and phosphorus — both of which banana peels have in spades.

These nutrients support strong roots and encourage bigger, brighter blooms. Plus, banana peels break down fairly quickly, adding organic matter to the soil as they go.

Here’s the simple (and not gross) way to use them:

1. Chop the banana peel into small pieces to help it decompose faster.
2. Bury the pieces a few inches deep, at least 3 to 4 inches away from the plant stem.
3. Water normally and let nature take it from there.

Avoid tossing whole peels on top of the soil unless you like raccoons. Bury them properly and your flowers will get the nutrients without the neighborhood drama.

6. Play Classical Music Near Plants

No, your flowers won’t suddenly start waltzing. But some gardeners swear that playing classical music — think Bach, Mozart, or anything without screaming guitars — helps plants grow better. And there’s a bit of science to back it up.

The idea is that sound waves and vibrations may stimulate growth by gently stressing the plant in a way that encourages stronger stems and more resilient flowers. Plus, if it’s calming for you, it’s probably not terrible for your garden either.

If you’re curious (or just want to see what happens), try this:

1. Place a speaker a few feet from your flowering plants.
2. Play instrumental music for 1 to 3 hours per day — ideally during daylight.
3. Stick with soft, steady rhythms. No thrash metal unless your zinnias have opinions.

Will it double your blooms overnight? No. But it won’t hurt, and it just might make your mornings in the garden a little more enjoyable.

7. Use Cinnamon on Seedlings

Cinnamon might seem more at home on toast than in a flower bed, but it’s a surprisingly effective natural antifungal. If you’ve ever had a tray of seedlings suddenly collapse for no good reason, you’ve probably met “damping-off” — a soil-borne fungus that loves moisture and hates cinnamon.

Cinnamon won’t fix bad soil or bad luck, but it can keep your young flowers from getting wiped out before they’ve even had a chance to bloom.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Sprinkle a thin layer of ground cinnamon across the surface of seed-starting soil.
2. Apply just after sowing, and again if things start looking suspiciously fuzzy.
3. Store your cinnamon somewhere dry — it clumps fast when exposed to moisture.

Bonus: it also repels some pests. And your seedlings get to grow up smelling vaguely like breakfast.

8. Stick a Matchstick in the Soil

It sounds like something out of a garden superstition, but old-school gardeners have been sticking matchsticks in the soil for decades — and not just for show. The heads of traditional wooden matches contain phosphorus and magnesium, two minerals that help boost flowering and overall plant health.

As the match slowly breaks down, it releases a tiny bit of those nutrients into the soil. It’s not a substitute for actual fertilizer, but it’s a quirky little supplement that might give your flowers a small edge.

Here’s how to do it without setting anything on fire:

1. Use old-fashioned, non-safety matches — the kind with red or brown tips.
2. Stick one or two matchsticks vertically into the soil, an inch or two away from the base of the plant.
3. Let them sit. No need to light them. No chanting required.

It’s not magic, but it is kind of fun. And if nothing else, it’ll make your garden look like it has secrets.

9. Place a Penny in the Pot

It sounds like something your grandma might’ve done just for luck — and honestly, she might’ve been onto something. Old pennies (pre-1982 in the US) are mostly made of copper. And copper happens to have antifungal and antibacterial properties that can help keep root rot and certain soil diseases in check.

It’s not a miracle cure, but it’s a harmless little hack that adds just enough intrigue to feel satisfying. Plus, it’s free. And oddly charming.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Use a penny minted in 1981 or earlier (you can check the date — they’re 95% copper).
2. Push it about halfway into the soil, near the edge of the pot. Don’t bury it too deep.
3. Leave it there. It’ll slowly oxidize and do its quiet, invisible work.

It won’t make your flowers explode with color overnight, but it might help keep fungal issues at bay. And hey, your plants now officially have a lucky charm.

10. Tuck in a Diaper at the Bottom of the Pot

Yes, an actual diaper. Clean, of course. It turns out the same thing that keeps babies dry can help keep your flowers from drying out too fast. The absorbent gel inside a disposable diaper can hold a surprising amount of water — which means fewer wilted blooms and less frequent watering.

This trick is especially helpful for hanging baskets, window boxes, and any container that tends to dry out quickly in the summer heat.

Here’s how to do it (without raising eyebrows at the garden center):

1. Take a clean, unused diaper and cut it open.
2. Scoop out the absorbent gel and mix it with potting soil. Or, for less mess, place the entire diaper gel-side up at the bottom of the pot before adding soil.
3. Plant as usual. Water thoroughly the first time to activate the gel.

It’s weird. It’s a little ridiculous. But it works. Just don’t explain it to guests unless they really want to know.

11. Water in the Morning Only

It’s not exactly weird, but it’s definitely underrated. A surprising number of gardeners water whenever they feel like it — lunchtime, sunset, right before bed. But if you want happy, blooming flowers, morning is the sweet spot.

Watering early gives plants time to absorb moisture before the heat sets in. It also lets leaves dry off during the day, which helps prevent fungal diseases like powdery mildew and black spot.

Here’s how to get it right:

1. Water between sunrise and about 10 a.m. if possible.
2. Aim at the base of the plant — not the leaves.
3. Water deeply and less frequently, so roots grow down, not sideways.

It’s a simple shift, but it makes a difference. And your flowers will look noticeably perkier by mid-morning, like they’ve just had their coffee.

12. Milk + Water Mix for Powdery Mildew

Yes, milk. The same stuff you pour on cereal can help prevent one of the most common flower-killers out there: powdery mildew. This dusty-looking fungus shows up on leaves and buds, especially in warm, humid weather — and milk can actually stop it in its tracks.

The enzymes and proteins in milk have mild antifungal properties. When sprayed on leaves, it can prevent spores from spreading and even help protect new growth.

Here’s how to mix it:

1. Use a 50/50 mix of milk and water — any kind of milk works, but skip anything flavored or sweetened.
2. Pour into a spray bottle and apply to affected leaves once or twice a week.
3. Spray in the morning so leaves have time to dry during the day.

Your garden may smell like a dairy farm for a few minutes, but the results are worth it. And it’s a lot gentler than most store-bought sprays.

13. Talk or Sing to Your Plants

It feels silly. And it definitely looks odd if your neighbors can see over the fence. But talking to your plants isn’t just a wholesome pastime — it might actually help them grow.

The idea is simple: when you speak, you release carbon dioxide, and your voice creates tiny vibrations in the air. Both of those things can stimulate plant responses, especially in younger, more sensitive growth.

Is it scientifically proven? Sort of. The research is mixed, but enough gardeners have tried it and noticed a difference to keep the tradition alive.

If you’re willing to give it a go:

1. Talk to your plants once a day. Just a few minutes is enough.
2. Keep your voice gentle — think bedtime story, not breaking news alert.
3. Or sing. They won’t judge. Even if the cat does.

At the very least, you’ll feel better. And your garden will seem just a little more alive.

14. Chamomile Tea Spray

Chamomile isn’t just good for winding down after a long day — it also makes a surprisingly effective anti-fungal spray for your flowers. If you’re dealing with delicate seedlings or flowers that always seem to catch a case of the fuzzies, this one’s for you.

Chamomile contains natural antiseptic and antifungal properties. A gentle tea spray can help prevent damping-off in seedlings, fight powdery mildew, and even reduce leaf spot. All without any chemical nastiness.

Here’s how to make it:

1. Brew a strong cup of chamomile tea — one bag per cup of hot water.
2. Let it cool completely (room temp is fine).
3. Pour into a spray bottle and mist leaves lightly every few days.

It won’t cure everything, but it’s a good first defense. Plus, it smells like a sleepy afternoon in a meadow, which never hurts.

I’ll admit, the first time I sprinkled cinnamon on seedlings or stuck a match in a pot, I felt like I was making witch soup. But over time, these odd little tricks turned into habits. And the blooms? Bigger, brighter, and definitely sassier than before.

Not every garden needs gelatin or chamomile tea. But sometimes it’s the small, unexpected things — the ones passed around in garden clubs and scribbled in the margins of old books — that make the biggest difference. So try one. Try five. Or try them all, if your flowers are looking a little bored.

Worst case? You end up with a garden that smells faintly of milk, tea, and banana peels. Best case? You get flowers that look like they know something the neighbor’s petunias don’t.