3 Surprising Ways to Use Cinnamon in the Garden
Around here, cinnamon has officially earned a spot in the garden shed. Yes, really!
Using cinnamon in the garden is one of those little-known gardening hacks that feels almost too good to be true — but wait 'til you try it.
Whether you’re dealing with moldy seedlings, pesky ants, or plants that need a little TLC, cinnamon might just become your new favorite garden helper. It's cheap, it smells amazing, and it works in more ways than you’d expect.
Let’s dig in (pun 100% intended)!
Tools and Materials
- Ground cinnamon (organic or regular)
- A small spoon or shaker
- Coffee filters
- Saucepan
- Spray bottle or shaker jar
- Cotton swabs or makeup brushes
- Garden gloves (optional, but keeps hands less cinnamon-y)
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1. Use Cinnamon to Help Your Ground Cover Flourish
Sprinkling a little ground cinnamon over your groundcover can help keep fungal issues at bay, especially in damp or shaded spots where mold likes to linger.
It may also gently suppress weed seed germination, giving your groundcover a chance to spread more freely without competition. While it’s not a strong herbicide, this natural trick can support a healthier, more resilient garden with less fuss.
2. Healing Wounds on Cut Plants
This one feels like magic. If you’ve pruned a plant or accidentally snapped a stem, cinnamon acts like a natural antiseptic.
Dust a little cinnamon directly onto the cut or broken area. It helps stop fungal infection and speeds up healing.
3. Rooting Hormone Substitute
No rooting hormone? No problem.
Cinnamon encourages root growth and helps prevent fungus on cuttings.
Dip the end of your plant cutting into cinnamon before planting it in soil or water. That’s it!
Looking for more clever garden hacks?
Give Cinnamon a Try in Your Garden!
Who knew that cozy kitchen spice had so many uses in the garden? From fighting fungus to deterring pests, using cinnamon in the garden is a game-changer — and it’s already in your pantry.
So next time you’re baking banana bread, save a little extra cinnamon for your houseplants, seedlings, or that ant-infested corner of your backyard.
If you try any of these tricks, We’d love to hear how it went! Drop a comment below!
Comments
Join the conversation
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I was having trouble with ants in my package box. I put cinnamon sticks in it and have not had a problem since.
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Rooting works best from some green new growth without flower buds. Strip leaves and thorns from the lower third of a shoot about 8-10 inches long with some new leaves. Coat the lower part with cinnamon just like you would use rooting hormone powder. This will stimulate roots to develop where the thorns and lower leaves were. stick those into a loose seed starting potting soil ( fine sand and peat moss or just potting soil without extra fertilizer.) Water well and sprinkle a little more cinnamon on the damp soil to prevent mold growth. Use a 2 liter soda bottle or a large clear plastic bag to create a greenhouse around the leaves. You might need sticks around pot to hold plastic bag up. With 2 soda bottles you can make bottom of one the pot and the other bottle the greenhouse top leaving top off for a little air circulation. A plain terra cotta pot lets the roots get a a little more air but you need to keep it from drying out. Keep pot in indirect light until the shoot sprouts new leaves. Once it is growing well you can take off the plastic and replant in the ground or bigger pot.
Start with 3 -4 shoots in a pot in hopes that at least one will sprout.
Another way is to take a long cane and scrape off thorns and some leaves off the middle but leave attached to main plant. Coat those scraped areas with cinnamon and bury in loose dirt putting a large rock or brick to hold it in place through a growing season. The tip should sprout leaves and maybe flowers before you cut it from the mother plant. This takes longer but usually works better because the mother plant can still feed the sprout until its roots are established. In either case keeping soil and leaves moist is the most important thing.
Hope this all makes sense.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How does cinnamon help house plants esp non blooming Christmas cactus. TIA
Curious as to where in the garden etc to be careful with cinnamon application ? Thankyou !
If cinnamon suppresses weed seed germination, why would you put it in any area of a vegetable garden? wouldn't it also suppress vegetable seeds ?