Often, after a nice dinner with friends, we find ourselves snacking with walnuts, and at the end of the evening there is a nice pile of shells that are normally thrown away.

Wrong! These materials are perfect for mulching plants.

Mulching is a technique widely used in gardening and agriculture and consists of covering the soil with a layer of biological material in order to prevent the growth of weeds, to keep the soil moisture, and above all to protect the plant from the frost of the Winter months.

This practice can also be adopted for potted plants, forming a layer of a few centimetres above the soil of dried fruit shells, pieces of bark or pine cones.

This way, the shells will create a covering that will prevent frost from reaching the roots, while still allowing water to pass through and feed the plant. In addition, over time, the shells will break down and become a valuable natural nourishment for the plants.

To best protect your plants with walnut shells, you will need a good amount of material that you will have to patiently accumulate over time. After collecting all the shells, fragment them with a hammer or meat mallet, so they will better stick to the soil.

By doing so, you will have the satisfaction of effortlessly reusing something precious that would otherwise be thrown away as simple waste.