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Milk Fed Pumpkins - Does it Work!?
Milk fed pumpkins. It's a story, a fact, a gardening myth, or a gardening secret, that's been around for decades. An internet search will result in many articles on it. But...... Does it work? Some say yes..... some say no. Let's unravel the mystery for you. Read on.........................
The Facts Milk does have many vitamins and minerals in it. Plants, including pumpkin plants, need a wide variety of minerals (micro-nutrients) to grow both plant and fruit. Among those minerals, milk is rich in calcium. It just so happens that calcium is essential in helping all plants to take up other needed nutrients. Calcium and other minerals need to be soluble(liquid form) for plants to take them up in its roots. Calcium and other minerals in milk is in a soluble/liquid form, and can be readily used by the plants. So, some amount of milk, as a fertilizer, can actually do your plants good. However, like any fertilizer, too much of a good thing is harmful to your plants. Feed too much milk to your plants, and you have a rotting, stinking mess. Liquid fertilizers (like Miracle-Gro, fish fertilizer, seaweed fertilizer and compost or manure teas) contain calcium and a wide range of micro-nutrients. They are unquestioningly good for plant growth and health. If you are not using them, you should be . Applying Milk to feed pumpkin plants is definitely not cost effective. Rather, it by far a very expensive way to feed your plants. On a cost per gallon, any of the liquid fertilizers are far less expensive. The only time this author uses milk on plants, is when it is past its expiration date for consumption. I dilute it in water, than feed plants indoors or out. Not all milk is equal. Ie. Whole milk has more ingredients than skim. Like other liquid fertilizers, you can feed milk directly to your plants' root system. Dilute it with water (10:1). Like other liquid fertilizers, you can use milk for foliar feeding. Dilute it with water (10:1).
The Big Myth: Injecting milk (or sugar water) into the stem through a syringe, a straw, or wick does not add significant weight (if any at all) to a pumpkin fruit. It only risks injury to the vine, and offers an entry point for plant diseases. For those who also have heard of injecting sugar water, this only serves to increase the number of insects around your plants, some of which may be harmful.
More Information: Buy Flower, Vegetable and Herb Seeds Finest quality Ferry Morse Seed, America's oldest seed company with their famous "guarantee to grow".
The Compact ComposTumbler is the perfect solution for people who want to convert kitchen and yard waste into, rich, organic compost. |
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