Aluminum Foil

By wrapping trunks loosely in sheets of foil to height of 45cm(18in) you can protect trees from mice and rabbits. The glittering, rattling surface keeps them away. To speed up growth and protect against insects use aluminum foil mulch, stretch it between the rows of plants and use rocks or bricks along the edge to anchor. The light the foil reflects can increase yields. especially in cloudy regions, and speed up the ripening of tomatoes or the blooming of a rose bush by 2 weeks. The foil also keeps thrips and aphids away. To save money if you are going to use a large amount of foil, use black plastic mulch and paint it with aluminum colored paint. Keep birds away with cut-out patterns of cardboard such as stars, circles, seashells, wrapped in aluminum. Hang them from the branches of ripening berry bushes and trees. If you want to boost winter light for your house plants, cover a panel of cardboard with foil and position it on a wall so that it reflects the light from a window onto your potted plants. It will not boost their growth but will keep them evenly shaped. To give forced crocus and hyacinth bulbs the darkness they need. Place them on a chilly window sill and cover them with a cone of foil. Remove the foil when crocus shoots reach 5cm(2in) and when hyacinth shoots reach 10cm(4in).