Gardeners are encouraged to spray milk on garden plants this September.
While milk is usually reserved for tea, coffee, and cereal, dairy can actually be beneficial to flowers, fruits, and vegetables—and may even help prevent disease.
Milk can actually be used as a garden fertilizer to help plants grow and as a natural fungicide and pesticide.
That’s according to gardening experts at The Spruce, who say the calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium found in milk can promote plant growth while preventing blossom rot in tomatoes, squash and peppers.
“Plants benefit from the same properties that make milk good for humans, such as calcium and B vitamins. Calcium helps plants grow and prevents rotting at the tip of the bloom caused by a lack of calcium.” they stated.
According to one study, milk’s antifungal properties are successful in treating powdery mildew, a fungal disease that can affect crops – including grapes, zucchini, apples, blackcurrants, gooseberries and peas.
Adding milk to your plants is simple as long as it is properly diluted first.
“All types of milk, including fresh, aged, evaporated and powdered milk, can be used in the garden as long as it is properly diluted. Stick to low-fat (2 percent) or low-fat (1 percent) milk over skim or whole milk,” experts said.
However, gardeners have been warned not to put too much milk on their plants or risk killing them. That’s because too much skim milk can cause black rot, soft rot and Alternaria leaf spot, while fat in whole milk can produce a foul smell, experts say.
The sugar and fat content of milk can also attract pests such as flies, causing an unwanted infestation in your garden.
Gardeners should also not use milk as a primary source of irrigation, as it can starve the plant of moisture, causing it to wither and die.
Gardeners should also be aware that the growing season is coming to an end in September, and there is only one month left to fertilize the plants before the rest period begins. So use extra milk when you can.
