What you can use toilet paper rolls for in the garden (+ bonus idea for garden decorations)

The new gardening season has long since begun and we are becoming more and more active when it comes to the garden. Preparing plants, cutting bushes and hedges, preparing the beds and of course the first decorations. Could even toilet paper rolls come in handy in the garden?

Those:@simsimsplayground/Instagram

Whether practical or decorative, the toilet rolls can be used for a wide variety of projects and can therefore be recycled straight away. If you are still skeptical, read on. You are sure to find something suitable for your needs.

Make your own nursery pots from collected toilet rolls

Those:@urbantaproots/Instagram

For this idea, it's worth collecting toilet paper rolls in good time, because you'll need quite a few. If you can't make it in time, just take whatever else you use and this time simply test the toilet roll seed pots based on the quantity you have available.

  • The claw role
  • Scissors
  • potting soil
  • Together
Those:@urbantaproots/Instagram

Once you get the hang of it, you'll be making lots of growing pots in no time:

  • Cut the roll four times at even intervals on one side.
  • Fold the resulting tabs inwards one by one.
  • Place the last one under the first to create a stable, sealed base. This even creates a small, practical draining hole.
  • Fill the pots with potting soil and sow the seeds.
  • Moisten the soil and keep it moist (not wet!) over the next few weeks to ensure germination.
Those:@sownsow/Instagram

Tipp:You can also make smaller pots by cutting the rolls in half first. This way you can double the amount you get from the same number of toilet rolls.

More ideas for homemade growing potscan be found here.

Use toilet paper rolls in the garden as a layer of mulch

Photo: Fevziie/Shutterstock

Cardboard absorbs moisture and stores it longer than most garden soil without causing waterlogging. That's why many hobby gardeners use them,to mulch. Opinions are divided when it comes to environmental friendliness. Some don't see this as a problem, while others claim that too many pollutants end up in the ground due to glue, printing ink, etc.

If you still decide to use this method, it is important to shred the cardboard rolls first and then work them into the soil. Otherwise, clumps could form over time, which in turn blocks the absorption of water and nutrients. It is best to use this type of mulch only for ornamental plants.

The advantages:

  • As the cardboard decomposes, it produces heat, which benefits plants in winter.
  • In summer, the stored moisture cools the plants and prevents them from drying out quickly.
  • Nutrients are released that are beneficial for the plants.

Compost the cardboard rolls

Quelle: Daisy Creek Farms with Jag Singh/Youtube

If you have collected a few extra rolls that you can't use, don't throw them away (or at least not in the waste paper container)! Because they are perfect for compost. It's worth chopping them up beforehand.

As far as the disadvantages are concerned, the same applies as described above for the mulch variant. If you can't put it in the compost heap, you canread here.

Protect young plants from slugs in the garden with toilet paper rolls

Photo: Tomasz Klejdysz/Shutterstock

Nothing easier than that! Simply cut the rolls in half so that you have two smaller rolls. You put these over the young plants. It is important that these are not too big so that they are not damaged when you put the rolls over them.

The cardboard has a rough surfaceFind snails unpleasant. This way you avoid climbing up them and your plants are protected for the time being.

Make a bird feeder with toilet paper rolls

Foto: Adam Kipris/Shutterstock

You get a two-minute project with this idea. They make a bird feeder that can be adapted to all seasons. You can decide which food is suitable for the coming summerread here. It's made like this:

  • Peanut butter
  • Bird seed
  • For chlorine
  • String for hanging
  • possibly a wooden stick
Those:@the.avoda/Instagram

How to make the feeding station with toilet paper rolls:

  • Place the seeds on a flat plate.
  • Spread the roll with the peanut butter.
  • Roll them through the seeds.
  • Hang the feeder anywhere, preferably out of the rain.

Bonus idea: Suncatcher as a decoration for the garden

Those:@simsimsplayground/Instagram

Decorate with thesechild-friendly sun catchersas butterflies or flowers, which you should definitely make together. The children can then play with the finished butterflies outside in the sun or you can hang them in a place where there is sunlight but no rain.

  • The claw role
  • Acrylic paints
  • Parchment paper or colored foil
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Eisstiel
  • Googly eyes
Those:@simsimsplayground/Instagram

How to make sun catchers with toilet rolls for spring:

  • Cut rings off the toilet rolls. These should all be approximately the same width.
  • Press the cardboard rings together to form an oval shape.
  • Cut small pieces of parchment paper or foil just large enough to fit a ring.
  • Apply glue to the edge of a toilet roll ring and stick it to a piece of foil. Repeat with the other cardboard rings (you need four per butterfly).
  • Once the glue has dried, trim off the excess foil around the edges.
  • Now glue the wing parts/petals to a popsicle stick. You can also add a sheet.
  • Add antennae made from pipe cleaners and googly eyes. You can also glue a leaf to the stem of the flower.