As we all know, an eggshell is the hard outer covering of an egg, and typically ends up in the rubbish bin each time one cracks open an egg for cooking. But don’t discard those shells the next time you fry a sunny-side-up or whip up an omelette. They actually have some interesting applications for your gardens and your potted plants.
Eggshells are made up of approximately 95% calcium carbonate crystals held together by a protein matrix. Coincidentally, calcium is an essential plant nutrient. It plays a similar role in plants as it does in the human body, by promoting healthy plant growth and structure. To add more calcium into your plants’ daily ‘diet’, just crush or powder some eggshells before tilling them into the soil. Try not to add large and sharp eggshell pieces to the soil as they will break down slowly, and may also injure plant stems. If you have a compost heap, you can add eggshells to it as well.
According to some gardeners, eggshells may also be useful if you have a problem with snails and slugs. Crushed eggshells can be used as a barrier to deter such soft-bodied creatures from damaging your plants. The conventional gardening wisdom is that these creatures do not like to cross over a line of sharp-edged eggshell shards. To keep them at bay, try spreading crushed eggshells in a circle of at least 6 cm wide and 1 cm thick near the bases of young plants. The only downside is that they may not be as effective against larger snails and slugs.
And finally, eggshells can also be used as containers for growing small plants or raising seedlings. There are endless
possibilities. Have your kids paint colourful designs on the eggshell, or use the egg tray as a holder for multiple
eggshell planters! And if you are using eggshell containers for seed raising before transplanting to the plant’s final
growing location, you can also crush the eggshell with your hands before putting the root ball into the planting hole.
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