Aspirin: Go put it on your plants now, here are 5 good reasons to do it!

The active ingredient in aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid. Studies conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture showed that plants treated with this drug had an enhanced immune response. This means that the plants were better protected against attack by insects or other types of diseases. Other researchers found that orchards sprayed with an aspirin mixture grew faster than the control group (without aspirin).

We’ve only talked about a few reasons why you should use aspirin in your garden, but let’s look at them all.

1. Improve root and shoot development

Salicylic acid promotes the rooting of plants. One study, for example, has shown how this substance increases the spread of soybean roots and sprouts. Dissolve an aspirin tablet in a cup of water and soak the cut in the solution for a few hours.

2. Improve germination

Aspirin can improve germination. A low dose of aspirin (1 tablet dissolved in 5 liters of water) can greatly improve the germination of seeds of both flowers and horticultural plants.

3. Increase plant growth

Using aspirin on plants increases their growth. The University of Rhode Island sprayed the plants with an aqueous aspirin solution once every three weeks throughout the growing season. In the end, the plants sprayed with the aspirin solution were larger and had more fruits and flowers than the others that had not received this treatment.

4. Fresh flowers for longer

Aspirin helps cut flowers stay fresh longer. Simply dissolve half a tablet of aspirin in a vase with fresh flowers from the garden. These will be maintained for a longer period.

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5. Healthier tomatoes

Some studies show that the use of aspirin helps improve yields, have healthier plants and stronger leaves. Spray your tomato plants (or soak the seeds) in a mixture of water and aspirin before planting. In this way, tomato plants will be healthier and more resistant to diseases.

In fact, in this study, scientists sprayed some tomato seedlings with salicylic acid. The plants were then exposed to attack by a pathogen, namely the bacteria that causes purple bud disease in potatoes. The preventive use of acetylsalicylic acid halved the spread of bacteria. If, on the other hand, the substance is applied after the bacterial infection has already occurred, the effect is little or almost non-existent. Therefore, it was concluded that if it is applied preventively in plants, it triggers a preventive systemic resistance that helps fight infections.

6. Treat plants affected by fungi

Aspirin can cure plant fungi attacked by the soil. Spray your plants with a mixture of water and aspirin to prevent fungal diseases. In addition, the same solution can help treat plant blight. You only need to spray this solution on your plants at the first sign of blight for it to be effective.

Using aspirin is not technically a natural solution. However, it is an option that is considered safe as it contains far fewer toxic chemicals than the use of many other commercial products.