At Least 10 Uses For An Old Garden Hose

Can you tell I need to work on our hoses? LOL I bought a brand new 50' length, but since I need to irrigate transplants up to 200' away from the faucet, I need a touch more than that brand new length.

I started using 1 of the lengths, and just like a re-treaded tired, it was peeling apart. Finally, 1 spot gave way with a wonderful mist billowing forth. That one's bit the big one.

But I HATE throwing anything away. I know I can't be the absolute pack rat my parents are, but if there are simple uses for something, I'll hang on to it.

I did a bit of research and Low! - there are uses for old hose! Not many, but enough to make it worth keeping some of it.

Repairing
First - consider FIXING your hose. While the one I have is beyond repair due to AGE, most aren't, including a length that needs new connectors.

A good article on repairs!
http://www.communityonline.com/local/garden/fixhose/fixhose.htm
Also from a gardening forum:
If you can tell who made it, cut both ends off, and send the ends back to the manufacturer (use google to see were to send it) and ask for a refund. Take a chance, the worse they can say is no! That is what the instructions said on my new hose if it breaks.

Uses
I honestly couldn't find other uses than what was on This Old House's site:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1607708,00.html

1. Buffer bark. TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook slips hose scraps over wire he uses to stabilize young trees. No chafing.

2. Catch earwigs. They hide where it's cramped and dark during the day, so University of California master gardener Sue McDavid leaves 6-inch hose segments lying around her garden—makeshift traps she shakes free of earwigs later, drowning them in soapy water.

3. Gird the garage. Until junior drivers master backing in, screwing lengths of hose at car-bumper level to corners of the garage door frame beats repairing dented trim.

4. Simulate a soaker. Crimp the open end and drill a few holes.

5. Level off. Avid DIYer and host of TV's Garden Sense Walter Reeves converted his into a giant water level to establish an even grade for his patio. He attached 3-foot segments of clear vinyl tubing to each end and filled it with colored water to make the level easy to read. Genius.

6. Belt tools. Screwing opposite ends of a 2-foot halved segment to a wall, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva makes a sort of tool hanger that hugs the handles.

7. Sheathe blades. Tom Silva also slit a length to cover the teeth of his handsaw.

8. Grip buckets. A piece slipped over a wire handle provides a better grip.

9. Swing safely. Encase swing-set chains in hose segments to protect tiny fingers.

10. Extend a faucet. TOH contributor Jeanne Huber linked hoses to relocate an outdoor spigot to a convenient location. She buried the extension 4 inches deep.

Some more:
Decorate it to make it look like a snake & put around plants rabbits & birds eat.

Cut a 4' length, fasten 2 ends together to make circle and decorate as a wreath with gardening tools and such. Here is a link that might be useful: Hosepipe wreath

I also used a piece of old hose to keep my hose from crimping at the hookup (cut off about six inches, slit length-wise and slip around). Use one of those adjustable ring clamps to secure.

cut it up for dog toys

I’d seen some wicker work garden edging done and decided to make my own with the hose and a few stakes. It works and looks great. A friend of mine wove hers into a heave duty laundry basket.

Make a sander for curved surfaces like cove molding. Split open a 10-inch length of hose and insert it on the edge of a piece of sandpaper. Wrap it around the hose, cut to fit and then insert the other edge into the slit. Close the slit with a small piece of duct tape.