Potato water for plants is a type of water that works superbly because it is an excellent organic fertilizer. You can use boiled potato water to help your plant grow healthy and strong.
Potato water is beneficial for your plants. Continue reading if you are eco-conscious and still wish to feed your veggies, flowers, and plants with a good fertilizer.
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Is It Safe to Use Potato Water for Plants?
Yes, it is safe to use potato water for plant because it helps to improve the soil’s structure and drainage, containing starch that holds the soil firmly. Additionally, it’s a natural fungicide, and can help to protect your plants from disease, and keeps pests and fungi away from plants.
Moreover, potato water is organic and eco-friendly, and it is can be used as a fertilizer, although it is the cheapest fertilizer you can get for plants. You can make it from kitchen scraps or leftover potatoes. Alternatively, you may try rice water, pasta water, purified tap water, or any liquid containing natural starch. The primary benefit of using potato water for plants is its help to promote growth. It’s a good source of potassium, an essential nutrient for plants.
What Are the Nutrients of Potato Water for Your Plants?
The nutrients of potato water for plants are potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Your plants will benefit in many ways when you start using potato water as a fertilizer. It’s a nutrient-rich water that can be used for both outdoor and indoor plants.
It even has magnesium and calcium. Magnesium helps in the photosynthesis process and so, promotes plant growth. Plus, calcium helps strengthen cell tissues and plant wall growth. Potato water also contains some nitrogen and phosphorus. These are also other vital nutrients for plant growth and this is because each of these macronutrients brings various benefits to plants.
This nutritious water can help replenish soil nutrients and encourage healthy plant growth. Thus, it could increase your yield. It’s always best to test on small areas to see if there’s any significant difference in your plants’ growth. Using it will be a good option if you see a considerable difference.
– Potassium
Potato water is high in potassium, which is essential for plant growth and development. It improves the disease and drought-tolerance capacity of the plants. Thus, plants can thrive even in the harshest conditions.
On the other hand, potassium boosts the osmosis process, thus, trees can take more nutrients through their roots for faster growth.
– Calcium
The presence of calcium is crucial for potato water benefits too. It triggers the photosynthesis process along with magnesium. Also, it increases the cell permeability of the plants with assistance in wall and tissue development. Hence, plants grow faster and will yield more harvest.
The reason why it is important is that if plants have calcium deficiency, it suffers from multiple problems. Such problems would be having some deformed leaves, and stunted growth, and also you would start seeing that the tips are dying.
– Magnesium
Magnesium, as we said, boosts the photosynthetic process as it controls the chlorophyll presence. So, plants can intake more nutrients and develop better. Magnesium is essential for plants’ protein and cell development, particularly during blooming seasons.
When you add this nutrient to your plant with the starch water from the potato, you will start noticing that the leaves are becoming more vibrant, and the foliage is looking healthier than it did before. Which is why calcium is a beneficial nutrient, that you would easily obtain it from the water that is from the potato, and it will add more richness to your plant if you irrigate it.
– Phosphorus
Lastly, phosphorus boosts flowering. It will increase the number of flowers. Consequently, it boosts harvest too. Phosphorus is also responsible for root and cell growth. Unfortunately, phosphorus is not present in the soil in an adequate amount, which is why when you place it from an outside-source, in this case the starchy water, you will see a great result.
Thus, plants can hardly intake it through its root. That’s why potato water good with phosphorus, essentially boosts tissue development. You don’t need to use chemical-based fertilizer for it.
How To Make Potato Water for Plants?
To make potato water for plants, you must wash them well and remove the soil particles, and then you should boil the skin of the potato. After doing so, wait for it to cool down, you can fill it to a spray bottle, and spray it on the soil of the plant.
– Peel and Wash
First, take the potatoes and peel them, or you could also use potato peels for different cooking recipes. After that, cut the potatoes in half and wash them well.
It should be free of debris and dirt, because when you do not do so, it may ruin the fertilizing effect.
– Boil it
Place it in a pot and cover it with water. The ratio is one potato per gallon of water. If you have four potatoes, use four gallons of boiling water.
Remember that you should wait to bring the water to a boil, in short it will take 10 to 15 minutes.
– Let it Cool
After boiling it for a few minutes, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Now, all you must do is to remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Strain the boiled potato water and pour it into a spray bottle.
You can use it to water plants directly. Otherwise, you can spray it on the plant leaves. Either way, your plants will love the boost of nutrients this simple hack provides. Also, after preparing, you can store potato water for a couple of days.
– Fill it in Spray Bottle
You may wonder about the details of applying potato water in your garden. All you need is a filter, a pot, and potatoes. Once you have made the potato water and strained it, you must mix it with regular water. You shouldn’t use only potato peel water for plants as it can be too thick.
– Spray on the Soil
Using regular water will dilute it and allow it to spray on more plants. You can apply it directly on plants or add it to their soil as fertilizer.
Doing this once every two weeks should give your plants an extra boost! Also, remember that not all plants might need potato water – some may thrive without it.
Do All Plants Benefit From Potato Water?
No, not all plants benefit from potato water, although it is beneficial, affordable, and eco-friendly, but it must not be used for all plants. Instead, you should know the plants that thrive with potato water. Or else its uses may backfire.
– Beneficial Plants
Many vegetables will thrive for potato water. It includes potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, beans, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, kale, and cauliflower. As you use potato peel water for plants, it will boost their yielding. As a gardener, you will love it, this is because the soil needs to be rich in nutritious and as a result it will add flavor to the harvest.
Moreover, if you have planted some herbs in your garden, then, using starchy water will genuinely be beneficial. You can apply it to oregano, mint, rosemary, or basil and other herbs as well, because these already need a soil that is abundant in fertilizer. Presence of magnesium and calcium boosts flowering. So, you can spray potato water on flowers such as roses, impatiens, daisies, and so on.
– Plants to Avoid
Potato contains starch, so using too much of it can trigger fungus and bacteria attacks. It happens mainly in tropical regions and in warm weather. Also, many plants won’t need it.
Some of the plants that you should avoid are the young plants, if you are yet to transplant them, or even seedlings that are just sprouting or shooting up. Also remember that you should avoid using it on potted plants, if it has poor drainage, and plants that are vulnerable to fungus attack.
References
- Lars. Is Potato Water Good for Plants? An In-Depth Explanation. Land Scaping Planet.
Retrieved from https://landscapingplanet.com/is-potato-water-good-for-plants/ - Using Potato Water on Plants: A Complete Guide. Flourishing Plants.
Retrieved from https://flourishingplants.com/using-potato-water-for-plants/ - Idris Yau. (May 22, 2022). How To Make Potato Water For Plants. Webgardner.
Retrieved from https://www.webgardner.com/composting/how-to-make-potato-water-for-plants/ - Carol. Using Potato Water in the Garden to Nourish Plants with Potato Starch. The Gardening Cook.
Retrieved from https://thegardeningcook.com/potato-starch/#:~:text=Use%20unsalted%20potato%20water%2C%20let,works%20in%20a%20similar%20way. - Jenna Cartusciello. ( July 29, 2022). Don’t Throw Away Your Potato Water! Use It to Nourish Your Summer Garden. Womans World.
Retrieved from https://www.womansworld.com/posts/gardening/potato-water-for-gardens-gardening-hack - Lars. Is Potato Water Good for Plants? An In-Depth Explanation. Land Scaping Planet.
Retrieved from https://landscapingplanet.com/is-potato-water-good-for-plants/ - Merissa. (October 2, 2023). How to Save and Use Potato Water (And Why You Should). Little House Living.
Retrieved from https://www.littlehouseliving.com/saving-potato-water.html
