Tom in Chicagoland informed me of better success in rooting cuttings by watering it from the BOTTOM, rather than the top. He uses a tray of water, then put bands into the tray. Burlington's bands are designed to wick up moisture from the bottom, thus encourage deeper root growth, and dryer surface. Dryer surface soil means less fungal, and less pests like white flies.

I saved 2-gallon plastic containers from nursery, cut bottom off, to winterize my roses. In the spring the plastic wall keep the bunnies from chewing young growth in zone 5a. I also keep invasive herbs inside those bottom-cut-off plastic containers, so mint and parsley don't take over my garden.

My neighbor does the same to protect his bell-pepper plants from bunnies in the spring ... Except he keeps them on for the entire summer. They look odd with a plastic ring at the bottom, but it keeps bunnies away. What are other uses for old nursery containers? Thanks in advance.

Over the past few years I've only reused a small portion, but I'm sure happy to have them when I need them. I just potted my Heirloom bands into 5 gallon (big expectations!) rose pots. When I find gifts growing in the ground - plants that have either reseeded or self-propogates themselves, I often grab them up and pot them until they are established enough to put somewhere else. I love having the size selection of pots. Plus I have new cuttings to repot soon, rose seeds that I'll be planting in pots, and hopefully not too long from now will needs pots for hybridized roses.

But... I haven't found uses except for repotting plants in them.

Strawberry, although I am no great shakes at starting seeds, they sell trays that allow you to heat the bottoms of your seed trays to encourage the roots to go down also. I don't know if this works for rose cuttings or not-- but thought I'd mention it because the idea is the same--"go down little rooties".

I should get those cheap shiny plastic windmill and put them next to young roses ... maybe they will scare bunnies away. I put Irish Spring soap next to young roses last year. At night I heard a loud choking, hacking, coughing, and vomitting sound outside. In the morning I found bits of soap all over the yard, and the large chunk at the end of my yard. That was a lot of clean-up!

There is a short, but steep slope out back I wished to make use of. I cut the bottoms and one quarter of the sides out of a number of fifteen gallon cans then set them in the ground with the cut away side on the uphill side. I planted larger shrubs in them to have more room for them. The roots grow out through the bottoms and cut sides and permit me to add another dozen plants to the limited level ground. Kim

I rounded up half a dozen 15gs today. Going to fill them with drain holes and use them in the gopher zone and in the chicken zone for roses.

We also have boxes of clay pots in a variety of sizes, suppose I should look and see which are really vintage and which are just kind of old.

Some nurseries are thankful for the used pots, one even pays for the bigger and badged DA pots.

I wish I'd kept all of my old pickle and mayo jars, too, instead of putting them into the recycle bin as I just did some cuttings by sticking them into the dirt and putting jars or bottles over them and I didn't have enough. I used clear plastic cups for the others but don't know if they are heavy enough.

Pieces of old stockings are good for tying roses up and also agree with Seil about re using plastic labels. Used gallon milk cartons are great for starting seeds in. Punch holes in the bottom, cut in half with the handle left as a hinge; instant greenhouse. Same with the two litre plastic soda containers. Left over newspaper and cardboard for making beds. Unless you have bermuda grass then nevermind about that. I've spray painted the cans that spaghetti sauce and veggies come in to use as give away vases. Also used toilet paper tubes stuffed with dirt as a container for seeds. You can make containers out of folded newspaper also; just plant them and the paper dissolves.

I get tickled to think about a great way nature allows us to recycle - making a new plant out of rose prunings. Old leaves breaking down to make compost for the next year's growth.

Those are real obvious things I do and think about that probably everyone else does too, and I'm always on the look out for another way to use what I have.

My sister sent me a link with neat tips: like use a hanging shoe rack to store cleaning supplies. Use a walnut to polish cracks on your table. Use toothpaste to shine your car headlights. Use a can opener to open those hard-plastic packs over toys & other items.

Clean out an old tan bottle and put your keys in at the beach. My friend had his short stolen at the beach. If your sink is too small to fit a bucket, use a clean dustpan to guide water into a container sitting below ... the dustpan catches water and it pours down from the narrow handle.

I have hard water and have to unscrew my shower head to soak in strong vinegar, to unclog the holes. I love this tip, it saves the hassle of unscrewing the shower head: wrap a thick plastic bag, filled with strong vinegar, over the shower head and rubber band the neck. Leave it over night, the shower head will flow better in the morning.

Put a panty hose over a vacuum tube when you lost an earring, it will be stuck on the panty hose, rather than inside the vacuum. Use nail polish to identify different keys.

I prefer the green pots over the black ones. Some of the pots have records of the different residents written in different colors of china marker- the name of a rose, then a camellia, then a plum tree and then a rose again. I like the band sized pots as well and have a little collection going. I hate sending a pot that isn't cracked to a landfill. I remember buying annuals by the half dozen in a flat. They were cut for you by the nurseryman and put in a cardboard box. Now everything comes in plastic 6 packs and half flats.