Fresh vegetable juice to help feed growing plant...

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This thought just came to me, born out of total ignorance, but I have no shame. :)

I was reading about a fertilizer for vegetables that contains Calcium and other minerals, etc. that is supposed to be so good for vigorous plant grown and strength. So, what would be the problem with using juice from freshly juiced vegetables to add nutrients to the soil? You could dilute it with water. It would certainly contain vital nutrients.

The only thing that might be a problem would be attracting pests. But, diluting it should help. Also, only pouring it around the immediate base of the stem instead of all over the soil area.

We drink juiced vegetables and fruits to acquire needed nutrients for ourselves, so maybe it would work with plants. They might freak out, though, if you watered them with the juice of the same type of plant...cannibal plants.

It might be interesting to share a morning juice drink with the plants. Any thoughts?
 
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I'm sure that it would probably be good for the plants, but if you have many plants I imagine it would be pretty expensive. A lot of gardening sites recommend compost tea for watering - it's pretty much the same thing
 
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If you are juicing with one of the juicers that leave pulp, then I think that the pulp would be a great fertilizer for the plants instead of just the juice. You could either bury it along side of the plant or just mix it with some water, and pour it alongside of them.
Alfalfa pellets work great for plants, too. Again, you can either bury it e side the plant, or put it in water to shred up again, and then pour it over the side of the plant.
 
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Teas are widely used as garden tonics so this idea isn't far off. As stated above, it would be really expensive, and you'd need a lot of plant material to get juice. However, you could save your veggie scraps in the kitchen and make a broth pretty much the same way you make stock (don't add any fats - just scraps and water).

This way you could use a small amount of plant matter to make a nourishing liquid for your plants. However, if you boil or steam vegetables often, you already have nutritious liquids that could be going to feed your garden. I was reading about all the minerals in fennel seed tea yesterday and thinking, forget drinking, I should give this to my plants.
 
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Chanell I like the idea of using the water from steamed or boiled vegetables, though it wouldn't go very far with all my trees. I might try experimenting with it one some of my plants to see if those grow better than similar plants that get ordinary water.
 
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Chanell I like the idea of using the water from steamed or boiled vegetables, though it wouldn't go very far with all my trees. I might try experimenting with it one some of my plants to see if those grow better than similar plants that get ordinary water.

Gina, the tonics usually recommend diluting so you could stretch it a bit that way or just do what I do and give a small amount to each plant. I am already spraying them with aspirin and/or or banana water regularly, and lately I have been putting a bit of epsom salt on top the soil around them.

When I give them the water from rinsing veggies or from cooking it's just something so that I don't waste the water. I'll be scrounging up coffee and or coffee grinds soon for the tomatoes, peppers and cabbage. I've even thought of buying cheap coffee at the dollar store or those little sample packs just to have for the garden since I don't make it at home.
 
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Chanell, whatever method I try would have to be used on selected trees only as I water my trees with a hose. If I had to use a watering can it would take me a large part of the day to water them all. I don't feed them as often as I should because I can never find the time.

I mostly use a slow-release organic fertilizer which really stinks for a day or two. It doesn't make me very popular with my family, but it works well.
 
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In that case you should use a concentrate and put it in one of those plastic feeder bottles that attaches to the hose. Either that or try using dry materials (that don't stink) that you could lay on top the soil or mix with a compost. How often do your trees have to be repotted?
 
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In theory some trees should be potted every year or two, but I hate working on the roots because I'm scared I might kill a tree that way (though I haven't yet). It also becomes a chore with so many trees, especially since they need to be kept out of the sun for two to three weeks after repotting, so I don't do it very often. I know one of our club members has trees that haven't been repotted for about fifteen years, so I don't feel so bad.

However I've got lots of seedlings that really need to go into bigger pots so, with spring approaching, I really need to get that taken care of soon. Otherwise it will end up like last summer with them staying in their small pots for an extra year which sure slows down their growth.

I'll try testing that veggie water on one or two plants for now and if I think it's worth the effort then I'll try using the feeder bottle on the hose. I have one but I never use it because using liquid plant food that way works out rather expensive. On the rare occasions when I bother to use the liquid food I use a pressure spray bottle. It's time consuming but a lot cheaper.

I will continue using the stinky stuff though because my plants really like it and I don't have to feed them too often that way.
 
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As I was reading your post I thought, "Spring???" LOL. It's late summer here! Isn't funny how you're gearing up for the growing season while many of the rest of us are trying to hang in and survive the heat so we can get to the fall planting? I'm about to get busy again, so I am going to have to scale back some of me plans.
 
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I'm getting used to everyone online being surprised when I mention the opposite season from theirs. At least this forum shows my location - many don't.

Spring is beautiful but it's a lot of work because that is when any major repotting I need to do has to be completed. The trees I repot need to be protected from extremes, so no sun for a couple of weeks and I also don't want them out at night if there's a risk of serious cold. As a result I'm moving a lot of trees around every night right now. I'll be a lot happier once our minimum temperatures go up a few degrees so that I can leave them in a sheltered outdoor spot.

Fall planting is something I'm not really involved with as looking after the rest of the garden isn't my job.
 
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Not a bad idea for a couple plants, but like it was mentioned above it can get expensive if you have many plants!

Are there certain fruits and vegetables that should be in this juice or does it matter? Maybe depends on your soil since some fruits have more of this nutrient and others have more of that nutrient.

If I have tomatoes that fall off of the plant for one reason or another and I don't see it or get it before something tries to eat it, I leave it there on the ground. It breaks down into the soil fairly quickly. Not sure the benefits of it, but it hasn't hurt anything :) I do that with any of my fruits or veggies that fall off, just let them stay on the soil and break down.
 
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It doesn't sound like a very crazy idea when you think about it, because the compost I use also contains dead matter (vegetal), so I don't see why this idea could be a taboo. I'd never use fresh vegetable juces on my plants tho, I'd rather to have that juice instead; I really need those nutrients right now ;)
 
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This thought just came to me, born out of total ignorance, but I have no shame. :)

I was reading about a fertilizer for vegetables that contains Calcium and other minerals, etc. that is supposed to be so good for vigorous plant grown and strength. So, what would be the problem with using juice from freshly juiced vegetables to add nutrients to the soil? You could dilute it with water. It would certainly contain vital nutrients.

The only thing that might be a problem would be attracting pests. But, diluting it should help. Also, only pouring it around the immediate base of the stem instead of all over the soil area.

We drink juiced vegetables and fruits to acquire needed nutrients for ourselves, so maybe it would work with plants. They might freak out, though, if you watered them with the juice of the same type of plant...cannibal plants.

It might be interesting to share a morning juice drink with the plants. Any thoughts?
 
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I just finished a glass of celery juice and started thinking that maybe it would be a good fertilizer for some plants also. But, that could get a bit expensive so an alternative would be to make a compost tea out of the pulp left in my juicer. Maybe? Has anyone tried this? If so, what were the outcomes?
 

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