Aspirin and Plants

was worth it

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I do foliars in veg every 3 weeks and water it in during flower. 2 aspirin to 3 gallons of water

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Iā€™ve been feeding my plants regular aspirin for decades. Itā€™s a gardening trick I learned from my great grandmother when I was a little kid.

1 or 2 uncoated regular aspirin per gallon as a foliar spray, a root soak or a pre soak for germinating seeds.

Aspirin water helps the plant in many ways, (same as willow water), contains Salicylic acid, which helps plants/plant cuttings grow new roots, helps boost the plants immune system response, thickens plant tissue making it harder for sucking insects to feed and helps the plant deal with drought, to name a few.

Do not give too much aspirin and do not use in every wateringā€¦ only use once every 3 to 4 weeks.

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Personally, I would use aloe over aspirin. Youā€™re going to gain benefits other than salicylic acid (not to be confused with Silicic acid). You can use approximately one ounce of aloe leaf per gallon of water. Blend it (strain if you are going to foliar) and use immediately.
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From the book, Salicylic Acid: A Plant Hormone
Salicylic acid (SA) was first discovered as a major component in the extracts from Salix (willow) whose bark from ancient time, was used as an anti-inflammatory drug. This acid (SA) is a phenol, ubiquitous in plants generating a significant impact on plant growth and development, photosynthesis, transpiration, ion uptake and transport and also induces specific changes in leaf anatomy and chloroplast structure. SA is recognized as an endogenous signal, mediating in plant defence, against pathogens.

Aloe Vera contains:

Amino Acids, Anthraquinones, Enzymes, Minerals, Vitamins, Lignins, Monosaccharide, Polysaccharides, Salicylic Acid, Saponins and Sterols.

Amino acids found in Aloe vera include: Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Valine,And Tryptophan. Some Of The Other Non-Essential Amino Acids Found In Aloe Vera Include Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Cysteine, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Histidine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine, Glutamine, And Aspartic Acid.

Enzymes including Amylase, Bradykinase, Catalase, Cellulas, Lipase, Oxidase, Alkaline Phosphatase, Proteolytias, Creatine Phosphokinase and Carboxypeptidase.

Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12 along with Choline, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, Chromium, Selenium. Additional elements found in Aloe vera include Copper, Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus and Sodium.

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@PlantShepherd do you grow your aloe or purchase if you buy it where what brand?

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I have been adding 1 aspirin per gallon of water for awhile. the plants respond to the salicylic acid thinking itā€™s a pathogen, and it builds up itā€™s natural resistance. Plants produce salicylic acid on their own when they are stressed. Aspirin in the water helps speeds up plant germination and also helps build natural resistance to diseases and nasty pests. I buy the cheap dollar store uncoated and unbuffered stomach ripping kind for my plants.

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Not sure when I picked it up but Iā€™ve always grown with 2-3 aloe plants (live) in my grow area. I remember first hearing it from my elderly neighbors when I was a kid. They had the greenest of thumbs and told me to always have an aloe with/around house plants. Something about it somehow helping other plants.

A neighbor who grew before I ever started did it with his grows. Iā€™ve no idea if it works or helps but I still do it. Maybe some of our botanical geniuses here can help us learn.

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I also started to cover the top of the soil, and then place them in a 5 gallon liner to water from the bottom.

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I do both. I try and always have an aloe plant around. If for some reason I donā€™t, or if my use is greater than my supply, Iā€™ll use the 200x organic aloe powder. Their site sucks, but I use ingredientstodiefor.com for aloe. 1/4tsp per gallon for foliar or drench.

Had this in my notes. Not sure where it came from.

Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) of plants against pathogens is a widespread phenomenon that has been intensively investigated with respect to the underlying signalling pathways as well as to its potential use in plant protection. Elicited by a local infection, plants respond with a salicylicā€dependent signalling cascade that leads to the systemic expression of a broad spectrum and longā€lasting disease resistance that is efficient against fungi, bacteria and viruses. Changes in cell wall composition, de novo production of pathogenesisā€relatedā€proteins such as chitinases and glucanases, and synthesis of phytoalexins are associated with resistance, although further defensive compounds are likely to exist but remain to be identified.

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@PlantShepherd thanks!

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The only reason I use aspirin instead of aloe is price. 99 cents for an entire bottle of aspirin. A much cheaper way to skin a cat. lol

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Aspirin helps with skinning cats also?!

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Please understand Iā€™m not dissing aspirin. If thatā€™s what you have, by all means use it. I will have to tease you, and say my aloe plant may be cheaper than aspirin (and it may not be lol). :wink:

I would like to add a few things to the discussion: one is a question, and that is has anyone reached an perceived threshholds with aspirin (or aloe, etc) and if so, what was your experience?

And since by discussing aspirin we are most likely, in reality discussing salicylic acid, I think aloe, willow bark, salix branches, etc should be in the discussion. Itā€™s a really great topic imho.

I always say if I could get my hands on an aerocloner, I want to experiment with a willow/salix cloning solution. :thinking:

Omfgā€¦ good thing I wasnā€™t drinking anything. It would have been out the nose! :joy:

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Didnā€™t take it like that at all. Youā€™re good.

Personally, I have only used the recommended dose that I posted above. Iā€™ve used it on my big girls outside for 2 years now. I canā€™t really say if it helps or not, honestly. The plants donā€™t seem to show any signs that they care either way. However, I can say that aside from caterpillars (the bane of my outdoor grow existence) I havenā€™t had any bug issues either year and no disease aside from some budrot from humidity issues that nothing could help. Using it on my vegetables, gave me the best results with it though. You see them respond to it as if you gave them a good feeding. My plants lived longer into the season and yielded more and for a longer period of time.

@Calyxander posted another thread I posted on the subject above. One person had good results with water uptake bottom watering from using aspirin and another person had no luck rooting clones using it. This thread really should be merged.

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Im very interested in your asprin application. I have used willow tea and also aloe water with good results( dont know if anything good happened but nothing bad did). An old timer told me before that you could reverse a female plant by turning asprin into a paste and rubbing it on the buds. Anybody ever heard of this or is it just an old wives tale?

You reminded me, something I heard a while back , from an oldtimer as well .I was told you donā€™t want to use aspirin water on seeds/seedlings because it will cause them to go male. I have never tried it however, havenā€™t had a reason to find out .

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actually I have heard the opposite, but who knows, this is all just at the beginning stages of finally being studied as actual science by botanists, so I am sure we will learn more in the future about this amazing plant we all love.

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Very interesting, that would definitely be a better out come, thanks Iā€™ll check it out

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Well, I can easily debunk that statement, as I use it on all my plants and they are not all males. lol

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