Hi all, A friend of mine told me to try using some apple juice (about 4 oz) to water one of my plants that has not shown any signs of growth in about 4 months (unfortunately, I don't know the name of the plant). Is this a myth or does it really help? Thanks!
Putting juice in plants is not something I would do. If there is proof juice helps plants, I'm not aware of it, maybe someone knows better? I guess you would have to try it to know for sure.... I can't see where it would help plants grow. The right soil, good drainage, right amount of sun, water and food is all you need. The sugar in the juice might attract pest, perhaps change the ph, not to mention cause the soil to probably become sticky, maybe even cause mold, yuk!
Apple juice commonly has a pH of about 3, which is way to low for almost all plants. Maybe if you can post a photo of the plant we can give you more help in determining why it is not growing.
After doing some searching around on the web, I've determined it to be plausible, but only under certain conditions. Some low pH liquids like some fruit juices, coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, etc. may seem to be beneficial to some plants. The common story is about the plant in the office that has vigorous growth because of employees dumping their left over coffee, tea, whatever into the plant container as they walk by. That may be true in some cases, but how many other plants where killed by the same kind of care? Many of the above liquids may also have vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, etc. that may appear to be beneficial for plant growth. However, I have not found any article demonstrating positive effects when given in this form. As others have posted, the sugars and organic contents in these liquids may also encourage pests and non-beneficial fungi. If you want to avoid the use of non-organic fertilizers, then composted soil and "compost tea" has been proven beneficial for some outdoor plants. There are also many commercially made organic fertilizers specifically for indoor plant use. It would appear that for the most benefit, organic material must be broken down to very simple compounds and elements. The benefits of lowering pH would be specifically for those plants that need a lower soil pH than what is currently available. In that case, there are much better and proven products to accomplish this goal. Mark
The fact that your plant has not shown any signs of growth in about 4 months may be very appropriate. Given the time of year with lower temperatures (even indoors), lower light intensity, poor air circulation, etc. many "houseplants" will have a period of "quiescence", semi-dormancy, or even true dormancy. There are many variables depending upon its specific environment and the species of plant that may explain the lack of winter growth. As long as the plant appears to be doing fine, otherwise, then no worries. A photo of the plant may allow us to identify it and give you more specific information. Mark
Hi all, Wow, thanks for all the replies! Ok, I found out it is an 'umbrella plant' and it is actually in my cubicle at the office. Ok, I was curious and I actually did give it some apple juice and I was shocked that 4 days later, little buds came out! Believe it or not, but I actually saw a couple new little clusters of leaves growing straight out. This was over the Easter weekend and I know the plant also got a lot of sunlight so that probably helped too.
