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Aspirin for tomato plants?!

vanessajanenorrisvanessajanenorris Posts: 20
in Fruit & veg
Just stumbled across this bizarre fact about feeding aspirin to tomato plants.  Think l’m going to try it with mine- has anyone tried it?  Did it make a difference?  http://www.jameswong.co.uk/tomatoes/4588088979

Posts

  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Never heard of that but willow contains aspirin so some sort of 'compost' from its leaves, bark etc. could be the natural way?
  • Womble54Womble54 Posts: 348
    Interesting theory that making the plants think they are stressed makes them produce more sugars. Same with people, when we are stressed our coritsol level rises and pushes up our blood sugar. 

    But I would have thought you would want to avoid your plants feeling stressed. With the recent cold weather, I think my tomatoes are stressed enough.

    I might try this as an experiment once the weather is warmer and give some of my tomatoes a spray with aspirin.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I sometimes wonder how I've ever managed to grow tomatoes at all.... ;)
    There's always some new 'theory', although this isn't actually that new, but the easiest way to stress them into flowering earlier, and therefore producing fruit quicker, is to be slightly slower to water them.
    No idea if it makes them any sweeter, but I don't particularly want my toms any sweeter than they are!

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Given that the shelves in many supermarkets haven't been graced with aspirin for about 2 months now, I wouldn't waste it on a plant when, as @Fairygirl says, slightly underwatering tomatoes will bring them into flower earlier in any case.  I Just keep them in small pots until I see the first tiny flower truss forming then plant out into their final positions;  Bingo, early fruit. ;)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    @BobTheGardener- sorry to go off on a tangent, but there's someone looking for help with a lemon on a different thread. I thought you might know.

    Apologies for piggy backing the thread @vanessajanenorris :(
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • vanessajanenorrisvanessajanenorris Posts: 20
    l might try comparing both underwatering and asprin spray (l have a few ancient pills lurking in my medicine cabinet) on two different plants and see if there’s any difference. If nothing else it’ll be a good home school science project for the kids!
  • SkylarksSkylarks Posts: 379
    If you remember to, please post an update of your experiment  :)
  • vanessajanenorrisvanessajanenorris Posts: 20
    Will do! 
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