Anyone using aspirin in the garden?

[ChanellG]

I saw something yesterday that suggested there was a benefit in using aspirin dissolved in water as a garden spray to help keep plants healthy and to possibly even control some garden pests. I did a little research and now I'm curious about trying this out for myself.

Have any of you ever used aspirin in your garden or on your house plants?

 

[zigs]

Can't say I've heard of that, but it does occur naturally in Meadow Sweet (The old name was Spirea, that's where we got the name Aspirin from) and in Willow bark.

 

[dconklin]

No I haven't heard of it on plants before today (besides people using it in pine tree water on the holidays.) I remember a tree farmer telling me that it was a bad idea to add aspirin to your Christmas tree water like many people do. I cannot remember why he told me it was bad, but I listened to him word for word on how to keep the tree alive (and not add anything to the water) and we did not have 1 dead branch on that tree that year. So I think I would personally shy away from the aspirin. But I could be wrong and maybe it is good for some plants.

I do know that aspirin is bad for animals tho.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I have heard of using aspirin to keep a vase of picked flowers fresh longer, but this was the first time I have heard of actually using it in the garden. It is recommended to use one aspirin per gallon of water, and spray lightly every two weeks or so. One article also said you can soak willow bark if you want to use a natural method . I also found this great video on YouTube, and it is short and easy to understand.

 

[claudine]

I haven't heard about this method before...I currently fight with a nasty, white fungus - it looks like a white dust - that attacked my roses. Do you think that spraying it with aspirin and water would help? I'm desperate

 

[limcid]

Can't say I've heard of that, but it does occur naturally in Meadow Sweet (The old name was Spirea, that's where we got the name Aspirin from) and in Willow bark.

Every day I learn about something that points more towards Nature and away from "modern" medicines and chemicals.

 

[ChanellG]

I knew if I searched I could find this thread again, but the links I was hoping to find aren't here so I'm updating this with two that explain some of the ways you can use aspirin to help your plants:

http://www.ehow.com/way_5649729_aspirin-water-helps-plants.html

http://www.finegardening.com/35-pest-and-disease-remedies

 

[gitosh]

My father used to grind and make a fine powder which was then mixed with water to make a solution. The solution was used as a preventive rooting agent against fungal infection. I don’t know how it worked but it used to. You could see a difference between plants that had the aspirin solution applied in the holes before planting and those which had not.

 

[Pat]

Thanks for the information, I will have to give this a try I have a plant that is not as healthy as I would like for it to be.

 

[ChanellG]

Thanks for the information, I will have to give this a try I have a plant that is not as healthy as I would like for it to be.

What's wrong with the plant, Pat? I've never had an adverse reaction, but use it lightly in the beginning.

My father used to grind and make a fine powder which was then mixed with water to make a solution. The solution was used as a preventive rooting agent against fungal infection. I don’t know how it worked but it used to. You could see a difference between plants that had the aspirin solution applied in the holes before planting and those which had not.

I've not used it for rooting anything, but if you have a plant that easily roots in soil, the aspirin might prevent any nasties in the soil from killing it. Just take care that your soil or rooting medium isn't too moist or the cutting could rot. With cuttings, it seems to be more important to keep any existing leaves moist via misting or by tenting to hold some humidity.