How garlic, rusty nails and these 8 other unusual things can help your grass grow

We all remember the lyrics to the popular nursery rhyme 'Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?'. And while we imagine the answer would be some careful planting choices and a good hit of fertiliser, there are whole host of more unusual ways to get our green spaces, looking...green.

Related: Lawn care tips – great ideas for healthier grass

Garden experts from garden furniture specialist BillyOh.com have revealed ten of the quirkiest methods to help our grass lawns go from lacklustre to lovely, many using items we already have lying around in the cupboard.

So why not don your gardening gloves and give them a go?

1. Vinegar

Vinegar has so many uses beyond seasoning a portion of chips and is ideal multi-purpose cleaning agent. It also works just as well outdoors too as the acetic acid contained in table and cider vinegar can deter pests and stop weed growth, without damaging soil.

2. Stilettos

Yes, your heels really can heal your grass beds. Treading your lawn in stilettos will leave a trail of small holes, perfect for making a pathway for nutrients and water to penetrate the surface of your grass bed and down to the roots where they're needed. Spiked golf shoes work equally as well, so keen golfers can get involved in the action, too.

3. Garlic

As well as warding off vampires, garlic can also deter parasites from attacking grass roots. While spreading garlic cloves intermittently over your garden lawn may not be workable, you could also consider making a garlic water tonic to spray over your grass by infusing peeled garlic bulbs, purified water and a natural soap such as Castile soap.

4. Test tubes

We probably last grappled with a test tube in G.C.S.E Science, but never in relation to gardening. However, it's great for testing the pH levels of your garden soil to ensure you grass has the appropriate conditions to thrive and grow. Wilko sell a Soil Moisture and pH Tester for just £5 and you should also be able to buy PH test kits from leading gardening centres.

Buy now: Soil Moisture and pH Tester, £5, Wilko

5. Urine

This option isn't for the faint hearted, but it doesn't come much more au natural than this. Human urine is rich in nitrogen, making it a great grass fertiliser. Mix ten parts water to one part pee and erm... spray away.

6. Heat lamps

Light levels in the UK can be hit and miss, and when the sun's rays fail to properly peek out from behind the clouds targeting patchy areas of grass with a heat lamp or two could just be the thing to get things growing.

7. Pennies

1p and 2p coins contain copper, which acts as an effective fungicide and helps to prevent grass from infections. Simply bury a few pennies under your garden lawn and watch your investment pay off.

8. Aspirin

Pills for plants – who knew? But mixing a couple of aspirin into a jug of water and spraying over your garden lawn once every two weeks is apparently just the thing to help make it more resistant to bacteria and insect infestations. It's important to stick to this dosage as you don't want to risk damaging your grass or surrounding plants.

9. Grass (!)

As strange as it sounds the equation grass + grass = more grass is a thing. Rather than bagging grass clippings after a spot of mowing, leave them out on the garden to that nutrients can be recycled into the grass bed. If this option doesn't appeal fill a barrel with water and grass clippings, leave for a week and water the lawn with this nitrogen-rich concoction.

10. Rusty nails

Grass needs iron to make chlorophyll, an essential part of the energy-producing process of photosynthesis. This is where rusty nails come in. Simply add some to your watering can to create a iron rich solution to 'feed' your grass.

Related: 7 chemical-free weed killers you can make at home yourself

Which tip will you put to the test?