Does Aspirin Help Plants Grow? Aspirin uses in Garden For Healthy Plants
Despite been told time and again that an aspirin is useful for plants, our question still remains the same – Does aspirin help plants grow…really? And is there any scientific backing to it? Well, its a known and proven fact that aspirin tablets definitely enable plants in growing well and also help them in becoming more productive. While, some people believe that the calcium present in aspirin tablets helps in plant growth, others are of the opinion that plants manufacture their own acid that is similar to the one present in aspirin.
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Does aspirin help plants grow? Some logical explanations
There are many floating theories to explain how aspirin helps plants to grow and propagate, but today, we are about to disclose the truth about aspirin for plants that have scientific claims or logic behind them. Plants make or produce their own acid called salicylic acid that is quite similar to aspirin which also contains a chemical known as acetylsalicylic acid. This chemical helps the plants in many different ways.
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Since olden ages, people have extracted the plant acid from plants to be used for treating pains and aches. The plant used widely for this purpose was the willow bark tree. It was not until the 1800’s that chemists first started to manufacture the plant acid which seemed to be far better than the real one.
Here are a few logical explanations for justifying the fact that an aspirin helps in better plant growth:
1. Its a known and a proven fact that the salicylic acid produced by plants help them to tackle lesions or wounds on leaves. Plants tend to make lots of this acid when they are affected with such injuries that may have resulted from various reasons.
2. The acid made by the plant moves to the rest of the body to notify other leaves to act in defense against the lesions.
3. Aspirin, when sprayed on the lesions empowers the plant to take care of itself and protect itself from lesions and various kinds of wounds.
4. Ethylene, also known as the ripening plant hormone affects plants in many ways, like it fastens the ripening of fruits, results in bending of plant stems and loss of chloro-fill. Using salicylic acid or aspirin can prevent the production of this hormone and block it. So, when you need your cut plants to survive and last for a longer time, apply a dose of aspirin in the water to keep the cut plants and flowers fresh and surviving.
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Also Read: 21 Amazing Uses of Epsom Salt for Gardening
Some aspirin uses in Garden
Aspirin definitely has some cool effects on plants and flowers, just like it has on us. If you put a tablet of aspirin in a pot or vase filled with water, you can expect to keep the cut plants and flowers fresh for a very long time. What may be the reason for this, can you guess? Well, plants have a component called salicylic acid that enables the protective mechanism in plants to tackle and resist against diseases. And the same compound can be found in a tablet of aspirin.
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Therefore, aspirin helps plants protect themselves from wounds, infections of bacterial and viral kinds and also from various types of fungi.
Let’s take a look at some of the uses of aspirin for plants:
1. Aspirin keeps cut flowers and plants fresh for a longer time
The first and most important use of aspirin is that it helps to keep cut flowers and plants stay fresh for a long period of time. Usually, when plants are cut and put in water filled vases, they start rotting fast. But, when you put a tablet of aspirin to the vase water, it helps in keeping the flowers stay fresh for as long as 2 to 4 days.
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So, in case you are planning to place fresh cut flowers in vases to deck up tables or corners of your house, crashing a tablet of aspirin in the water will help. Just see to it that the crushed tablet dissolves totally in the water. After this, you can put the flowers.
Is this idea baseless or logical?
The claim that aspirin, when dissolved in water filled vase with cut flowers helps to keep them fresh and long lasting, is very much true and not baseless. Here are some interesting facts regarding this claim.
1. There have been many studies and researches carried out at reputed universities and as per their reports, the plant acid called salicylic acid blocks ethylene, a hormone that fastens ripening of fruits and causes stem bending and wilting of flowers.
2. Salicylic acid, when produced, helps in delaying any kind of decay in plants.
3. When the decaying process is delayed, the flowers automatically remain fresh and do not wilt fast.
4. Aspirin has the same acid in it and helps the plant in fighting off fungal diseases and infections. Flowers are very commonly affected with fungal infections. Mold growth is a recurring problem in flowers, but, when you dissolve a tablet of aspirin in water, the anti fungal properties in it help to delay the mold growth which otherwise would block the vascular tissue in the stems of flowers.
5. When the vascular tissues are blocked with mold, the flower starts decaying and ultimately dies.
2. Aspirin helps in greater plant growth and productivity
If you treat your plants with aspirin on a regular basis, chances are that your garden will always have a happy bloom of freshest of fresh flowers. A study or an activity was conducted at Rhode Island University where gardeners wanted to check whether aspirin really helps in plant growth or not. In about 4 gallons of water, they dissolved 4 aspirin tablets. This treated water was then sprayed on their respective gardens for three weeks. Once they neared the end of the growing season, it was found that those plants that were treated with aspirin solution grew fast and healthily as compared to those that were not treated.
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The study also found that the treated plants bore more fruits than the untreated ones. The results claimed that aspirin does contain vitamin C in good amounts, and this vitamin C helps in quicker growth of plants.
Is this idea baseless or logical?
If you are thinking that the logic behind this claim that aspirin helps in better plant growth and productivity is false, then you are wrong and we will present some facts that will make our claim true.
Here are the facts that you must know:
1. The plant acid salicylic helps in boosting the immune system of plants that helps in fighting against harmful bacterial and viral diseases.
2. Aspirin too consists of the same acid.
3. When treated with aspirin solution, plants get an increased and better immune system which helps them in fighting off any kind of diseases. It also helps them to keep protected against pests and fungi of different kinds.
4. When the immune system goes strong, plants grow well and survive even in extreme heat or humidity.
Also Read: How to grow Roma Tomatoes in Pots
3. Aspirin helps in successful plant breeding from cuttings
Aspirin not merely helps in boosting the growth of plants but it also helps a great deal when you wish to propagate or breed plants in your garden. Simply, make a solution from one un-coated aspirin tablet and one cup of water. The water must be distilled. Once you make the solution, soak the plant cutting in it. Keep it soaked overnight or for a couple of hours before you plant it in the soil.
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In most cases, your plant will grow fast.
Is this idea baseless or logical?
The above claim about aspirin helping plants breed and propagate successfully from cuttings is true and has scientific backing. Read the following points for better understanding.
1. Aspirin can be used to make a solution that, when sprayed to plant cuttings, helps in further propagation of plants and germination.
2. Homemade rooting solution can be easily made using aspirin tablets.
3. Aspirin contains salicylic acid, the same compound manufactured in plants for growth and better productivity. It is a growth hormone.
4. Aspirin helps plants to tackle fungal diseases
If your plant is affected with fungal infections, try treating it with a solution made with this amazing tablet. Plants, we all know, are often the victims of fungal diseases like Fusarium and Verticillium wilt. These diseases are very common and can affect any plant specie. The fungal diseases can also reduce or destroy the whole crop in a short time, and thus, it is needed that you take care of your plants.
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Aspirin can be sprayed on the plants so that fungi cannot grow and thrive on them. A spray of aspirin solution also helps in tackling blight on plants.
Is this idea baseless or logical
You would be surprised to find that plants, when sprayed with aspirin solution get empowered to deal with diseases of various kinds. Let’s take a look at some points that you must know.
1. During stressful times, a naturally occurring hormone gets manufactured in plants. This compound is called salicylic acid.
2. This acid helps the plants to fight off and resist bacterial as well as fungal infections.
3. The salicylic acid is also helpful in protecting against pests and insects.
4. Aspirin contains this salicylic acid and empowers the plant to tackle harmful infections by boosting its immune system. The plant gets ample dose of this acid and this equips it to ward off any kind of insect or microbial attack.
Points on how to use aspirin for plants
Are there any particular steps to guide us on how to use aspirin for plants, or its merely taking some aspirin dissolved water and spraying it over your blooms? Well, there is a process and guidelines as to how one can use aspirin on plants. If these steps are not followed properly, chances are that your plants may not get the proper treatment that they should get.
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Its enough to dissolve one aspirin tablet in a cup of water and then spray it over your plant. The salicylic acid in aspirin would enable your plant to get a boost to its immune system and fight off dangerous bacterial, or viral or fungal diseases. Some plants that can particularity benefit from aspirin are tomatoes that are often found to be affected with microbes. Before, you plant the seeds of any plant, you can soak its seeds in water treated with aspirin and then sow it. Chances are you will see a much faster growing plant and a healthier one too.
Important steps in using aspirin on plants
If you want your plants to grow and propagate successfully and faster, then spray them with aspirin treated water. The salicylic acid will help your plants to deal with any kind of infections that affect these from time to time. Let’s look at some of the most important steps in this regard.
1. The dissolving step
Here is how you must begin.
a. Start by taking about 4 gallons of water in which you have to dissolve about three tablets of aspirin. Wait for a few minutes till the tablets dissolve completely. Make sure the tablets do not remain suspended on the surface of water.
b. Now, pour any type of liquid dish soap that you have at your house into the water. Mix it thoroughly.
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2. The filling of the solution in the sprayer
a. Take a sprayer and then fill it up with the above prepared solution.
b. Make sure the head of the sprayer doesn’t get blocked due to undissolved aspirin.
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3. The spraying step
a. Once your solution is ready, spray it over your plants every month. This has to be done once as a monthly routine. Doing this will ensure that your plants are protected sufficiently against all kinds of attacks.
b. Spraying should be started only when the morning mist has disappeared and there is no frost on the plants. This will ensure that your leaves and stems are thoroughly coated with the solution.
b. While spraying, make sure that you cover all the leaves and stems of each plant.
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Also Read: 15 Ways of Using Eggshells in the Garden
4. The watering step
a. While you spray, make sure to water the roots of your plants as well. It should be a simultaneous thing.
b. You must make watering the roots a monthly affair and do this every time you are spraying aspirin solution on the plants.
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This medicine – aspirin that cures our body aches and pains is a booster for plants as well. It does empower the plant to have a better immune system and tackle fungal diseases. Aspirin does really help the plants to grow healthily for which we have shown you enough scientific evidences.
Final Thoughts
So, the verdict to your question, “does aspirin help plants grow?” is finally out before you! We do hope that this article was helpful and it will enable you to take care of your plants and flowers well.
