A bizarre gardening trick is making waves in the gardening world and it all comes down to a household item you’d usually find on the changing table, not in your flower beds. Gardeners are now turning to a budget-friendly baby product, nappies, to keep their plants happy and hydrated. While it may sound crazy at first, there’s a surprisingly clever reason behind the trend.
At the heart of this gardening hack is the super absorbent gel found inside the lining of nappies. This gel, made from a compound called sodium polyacrylate, can soak up an impressive amount of water and slowly release it back into the soil keeping roots moist for longer and reducing the need for constant watering.
This technique involves placing the water retaining gel typically extracted from the baby product just beneath or mixed into the topsoil.
It’s proving especially popular among gardeners growing in pots, containers, or hanging baskets, where moisture tends to evaporate quickly.
Some gardeners even report success using the gel as a growing medium for seedlings, noting its ability to create a damp, nurturing environment that boosts germination.
It’s also very affordable and easy to find. For example, a pack of 26 disposable baby nappies costs less than a pound at Sainsbury’s, which works out to just a few pence per item.
A video posted by the Facebook page The Gooch shared this handy tip, captioned: “Gardening Hacks That Sound Crazy — But Actually Work!”
Kathy Brown Wiseley commented: “The diaper trick is great for non edibles, like flowers. But not for your veggies.”
Though this moisture-retaining hack works wonders for flowers and ornamentals, it’s not recommended for fruit or vegetables, as the synthetic materials in nappies may release unwanted chemicals into the soil.
Meanwhile, Kat Costa-Fantasia praised the hack, adding: “Diaper trick is awesome.”
Gardening guru Shaun Schroeder previously urged people to try the trick, saying:
“They soak up the water when you first water the basket, then slowly releases it over the day.
“It’s not something I do myself – but I know a lot of people who swear it works for them.”