Aspirin does more than treat illness - it can also be used to grow and protect flowers
Aspirin is a painkiller and fever reducer with a very long history. If it expires, do not throw it away. Dissolve aspirin in water, where it breaks down into salicylic acid and acetic acid. Because salicylic acid has preservative properties, dissolving it in the water for cut flowers can kill bacteria and prevent the ends of the flower stems from rotting. At the same time, after aspirin hydrolyzes, it can also cause the guard cells around the stomata on the leaves of fresh flowers to close, reducing water evaporation, thereby delaying the wilting and fading of the flowers. Generally, a 0.03 concentration aspirin solution is used for cut flowers, which can extend the fresh-keeping time by about 1 week. Note that the water used to prepare the aspirin solution is best purified water.
Besides treating illness, aspirin can also be used to grow and protect flowers
1. Promote rooting
Dissolve one aspirin tablet in one kilogram of purified water, then soak the cuttings to be propagated in the aspirin solution for four hours. This can promote faster and better rooting of the cuttings, and the survival rate can increase by 10%.
2. Promote germination
Many seeds need to be pre-germinated before sowing. You can soak the seeds in a 0.05% aspirin solution for 2 to 3 hours (dosage: one tablet (0.3g) of aspirin dissolved in 500 grams of purified water). After sowing, the seedlings emerge quickly, evenly and strongly, and it can also enhance and improve the drought resistance and disease resistance of the seedlings.
3. Extend the flowering and fruiting period, prevent flower and fruit drop
For fruit-bearing ornamental plants such as golden bullet tree, pomegranate, Buddha's hand, firethorn, kumquat, etc. , you can spray a one-thousandth aspirin solution on the leaf surfaces, which can reduce flower and fruit drop and also promote fruit enlargement.
4. Protect the root system and reduce damage
When repotting or changing the soil, it is hard to avoid damaging the plant's root system, and in severe cases it can cause root rot. At this time, you can dissolve 2 aspirin tablets in half a kilogram of purified water, which can greatly increase the survival rate of the plant.
5. Improve the disease resistance of plants
Regularly spraying the root system with aspirin solution (dosage: dissolve 1 aspirin tablet in one kilogram of water) can reduce water evaporation from the plant body and improve the plant's drought resistance.
6. Extend the flowering period and promote robust flower growth
The hydrolysis products of aspirin can hinder the plant's catabolic process, thereby increasing the accumulation of assimilation products. Therefore, during the growth of flowers, regularly watering with a 0.3% to 0.5% aspirin solution can make the flowers grow robustly, with brilliant blooms and large fruits. Salicylic acid can reduce the production of ethylene, and flower wilting is mainly caused by the production of ethylene, so this can delay the time for flowers to wilt. Of course, aspirin also has fungi-inhibiting properties, reducing infection by pathogens. Of course, if you want longer-lasting freshness, you still need to change the water frequently and add aspirin appropriately.