Cinnamon is a natural, safe, and inexpensive anti-fungal as well as bug repellent! We first started using cinnamon in the sand box to keep insects such as ants away from our little ones. After I saw great results from that I had to research other uses. Since then, cinnamon has become one of our most used non-toxic remedies for everything from plant infection to insect repellent.
I recently noticed one of my favorite house plants has mold and mildew in the soil. I quickly reached in the spice drawer to solve this issue! Sprinkling cinnamon on top of the soil killed the mold and mildew and the gnats disappeared soon after that! YES! Another successful use for cinnamon!
Here are three other ways we use cinnamon in our garden:
Protect Seedlings
Many seeds require damp soil in the beginning stages of germination. Sprinkling a little cinnamon over the top can protect the soil from mold and mildew as well as fight off gnats.
Ant Deterrent
We mix cinnamon in the sand box to avoid ants and other annoying insects. You can also line the sand box with cinnamon to further repel ants. I've heard this also works for cats, rabbits, and squirrels, but I have never had that issue with our sand box and can't speak to that.
Heal Plant Wounds
This is a new trick that we learned when Brian pruned a little too much off a plant in front of our house. We sprinkled cinnamon on the ends of the branches to encourage healing and prevent infection. This was our first time using cinnamon as a remedy for plant wounds but so far the plant is growing back healthy and strong!