Uses for Garden Hoses

Don't throw away your old garden hoses there are many uses for them.

Cut chunks to use around trees when keeping them from leaning, just run wire or rope through the hose and tie to a stake in the ground.
Cut a piece the length of a flower pot, cut holes out of it so water will run out. Place in the middle of your pot and fill with dirt. Water in the hose and you won't wash out the dirt. Works great in strawberry planters so you don't knock the blooms off the plants.
If you have dogs that bother you when you walk take a short piece of hose with you, it is light weight and easy to use.
If the hose has a leak, purchase spigots made for drip hose, lay your hose through a flower bed or garden, drill holes where you want it to drip and insert more spigots. Works great along a row of bushes, you can leave it year round. Just drain it in the winter.
If you have to run an electric cord outside, slit the hose lengthwise, press your cord into the hose and the hose will protect your cord. Just cut it the length of your cord.
Use if for a cushion if your car barely fits into your garage, secure it to a board on the wall where your bumper will touch instead of your bumper hitting the wall, or on your boat dock, anyplace you need cushion.
Make a loop, attach to the ceiling in the garage and hang bicycles, tools or what ever without scratching them.
Attach a board to the wall of the garage, screw the hose to the board, make a loop large enough for a shovel handle, put in another screw, repeat as many times as you want.
Extend a funnel with a chunk.

By latrtatr from Loup City, NE

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By 04/30/2010

Two ways I use the hoses are as "siphoning" hoses. The one way I use it is to siphon from a rain barrel to plants that require watering. The hose can be as short or long as you want. I will often use a 50' hose to reach plants far away.
The easy way to siphon is to fill the hose with water first. Don't let this discourage you. Place one end of the hose in the barrel and "feed" in balance of the hose in a "straight" line.

Do not "dump" the balance of the hose into the barrel. (No looping - air trap will occur in the hose.) The purpose is to have the complete hose filled with water. When both ends are into the barrel place your thumbs on both ends (we don't want the water to leak out and air to replace the water in the hose), placing one end of the hose at the bottom of the barrel (which may need a weight to keep the hose in place), and pull out the other end of the hose - still with your thumb over the end- and place it lower than the water in the barrel and the water will begin to siphon out. Don't worry if you see some air - there will be more water pushing a little bit of air out of the way. Place the end of the hose at the plants you want to water.

Water will continue coming out of the hose until the end of the hose is lower than the level of water in the barrel (and/or the other end of the hose). The second use is the same as above except to remove some of the water from my aquarium. (I live outside of the city so this works great for me. Fill the hose as above.) I place the hose outside of the window for drainage. It does not matter if the hose slacks (even on the floor - so long as the hose outside is lower than the aquarium -or even placed at the level you want the water to drain to - to save from taking too much water from the aquarium).

This is a bit tricky the first several tries, so don't be discouraged. It is easy to splash water on the floor or window sill. Keep some towels nearby for spilled water, or more importantly empty all of the water from the aquarium - so stay near the aquarium as to not injure your fish. When the level of the aquarium reaches the level you want just remove the hose from the aquarium and let the excess water run out of the hose and place the hose outside via the open window. Then fill the tank with fresh water. I like not needing a pump for watering or removing water from the aquarium :), nor electricity to power the pump.

Redbeard