Why Gardeners Should Use A Spoon For Watering Plants

We’ve written before about how using a paintbrush on your tomato plants can help to ensure a fruitful bounty, as you can use the tool to self-pollinate them.

And now, gardener and author Simon Akeroyd has shared that when it comes time to water your soil – especially if it has seedlings or freshly-sown seeds – a spoon could be your secret weapon.

In an Instagram post, he said that watering soil can help new seeds germinate, but doing so over a large area can be tiring “if you only have a watering can with no attachment”.

Removable heads that attach to the nozzle of your watering can, like “rose” style sprinkler heads, can make the process faster and ensure the even distribution of water.

You can get similar results with various hose attachments, the gardener added.

But, Akeroyd continued, “my tip for a wider distribution of watering is to attach a spoon to the end of your nozzle”.

He does that using cable ties. Others have used tape.

That way, when you tip the can forward, water fans out from the bowl of the spoon rather than streaming in a straight line.

This is especially useful for “broadcast sowing”, Akeroyd continued, stating that “Seeds that you might broadcast sow include mustard, green manures, lawn seed, wildflowers, etc.”

Yes. Akeroyd said in his clip that if you live in the UK, another way to water pre-seed soil is to simply wait for the rain to come.

Even if you’re using a watering can, this may still be sage advice.

Rainwater is significantly better for your plants than water from the tap, partly because its slightly acidic nature allows it and its nutrients to reach your plants’ roots sooner.

It is a little dirtier, but that’s no bad thing. The Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA) said that a bit of grime in your water works “like a light application of fertiliser”.

And if your rainwater falls during a storm, even better. Lighting releases soil-friendly nitrates, and while most forms of nitrogen, which is crucial for soil and plant health, aren’t easily absorbed by greenery, nitrates found in rain are incredibly easy for your flowers to process.

Collect rainwater using a water butt or mulching to retain nature’s greatest gift to gardeners.