Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday shared a gardening tip that may not impress his neighbours, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, but is quite the sensation on social media.

Gadkari revealed that he once used his own urine on plants in his lawns at his 2, Motilal Nehru Marg residence, a bungalow that used to be the office of the former National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi and is just across the road from her 10, Janpath home.

"I started storing my urine in a plastic can. And after collecting all of it in a 50-litre can - I have a big bungalow in Delhi. It used to be Sonia Gandhi's bungalow. There is a one acre field in the bungalow," Mr Gadkari is heard saying in a video uploaded on YouTube by ABP Majha.

"There are a lot of trees there. So one day I called the gardener and instructed him to water some plants with this. And I'm telling you, there was so much difference, the trees grew one-and-a-half feet more than other plants," boasted the Transport Minister.

His anecdote had a disclaimer: "I feel a little awkward but I will tell you about it. Please do not misunderstand. I have done an experiment."

Gadkari was addressing a workshop organized by his party, the BJP, on fighting drought.-- NDTV