It may seem harmless to take a small rock or pine cone out of a national park as a souvenir, but that simple act is both illegal and harmful to the environment. When you think about the number of people who go through our parks, if even a fraction of them take “souvenirs,” the numbers would be staggering. At Petrified Forest National Park, it’s estimated over 12 tons of petrified wood is taken out every year by visitors. Instead of taking souvenirs, take pictures. The only exception to this rule is sea glass; while beautiful, this tumbled glass is technically trash, since it comes from broken bottles.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

It’s easy to make new plants from existing plants by taking cuttings and transplanting them into soil to grow. When you want to grow a new plant from a cutting, one simple ingredient from your kitchen pantry can help: cinnamon. Cinnamon powder is just as effective as commercial rooting hormone powders and helps stimulate root growth in cuttings. Just dip your cutting in water, and then dip it in cinnamon. Plant the cutting in a pot of soil and watch it grow. The cinnamon is naturally antibacterial and will help fight off disease.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you have a little leftover uncooked oatmeal, why not sprinkle it in your garden to help give your plants a nutrition boost and keep pests away? This tip works with non-instant, unflavored, pure uncooked oats. Sprinkling oats around plants that are tasty to slugs and snails will give them an alternative treat; when they eat the oatmeal, it’ll expand in their stomach and naturally kill them. And any leftover oatmeal will break down and give your plants iron and help stimulate root growth. If your hands get sticky from sap when gardening, rub them with oatmeal; it’ll help absorb the stickiness and get your hands clean in a jiffy.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION