What are the clever uses of vinegar in flower care?

In flower planting, vinegar has an effect that should not be underestimated, and for poorly growing flowers it has the remarkable ability to bring them back to life. It contains beneficial substances such as sugars, glucose, lactic acid and acetic acid, and vinegar solution can inhibit the biological activity of glycolate oxidase in the process of “photorespiration”, increase the net photosynthetic rate by 10%—20%, strengthen photosynthesis, raise chlorophyll content and enhance the disease resistance of flowers, so spraying an appropriate amount of vinegar solution can make flowers grow vigorously, bloom more and have vivid colors. Several ways to use it are introduced below.

Treating chlorosis

Many flowers, such as camellias, rhododendrons and foliage plants, often develop yellow leaves because of a lack of iron, too high a pH value of the potting soil, improper management and so on. In this case, 10 grams of vinegar plus 3 kilograms of clean water can be sprayed on the leaf surfaces before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Once every 10 days, and after 4—5 consecutive sprays the leaves can turn from yellow to green.

Promoting plant growth

With a 300-fold vinegar solution, sprayed over the whole plant before camellias form buds, once every 15 days, camellia leaves can be enlarged by 0.2—0.4 cm, the number of flowers can be increased by 8%, and branching can be increased by 20%. Watering flowers and trees with a 150—2000-fold vinegar solution can overcome physiological diseases caused by potting soil pH being on the alkaline side.

Enhancing disease resistance

For example, rose powdery mildew, rhododendron black spot, and sooty mold on roses and peonies, once discovered, can be effectively controlled by spraying a 150-fold vinegar solution 3 times. For flower downy mildew, leaf spot and so on, spraying vinegar also has a certain therapeutic effect.

However, when spraying vinegar on flowers, the following points should be noted:

1. Good edible vinegar must be chosen, and chemical industrial vinegar and spoiled or deteriorated vinegar must never be used.

2. The concentration must be strictly controlled, and it must not be increased at will.

3. The time of use should generally be spraying in the morning and evening, and be sure not to spray under scorching sunlight.