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 the topic. So, is the milk fed pumpkin myth simply another untrue story? Our mission is to separate fact from fiction in this article.
But…… Does it work?
Some say yes….. some say no.
Let’s unravel the mystery for you. Read on…………………….
Milk is loaded with vitamins and minerals. All plants, including pumpkin plants, need a wide variety of minerals and micronutrients to grow both the plant and the fruit. Among those minerals, milk is rich in calcium. Calcium is essential in helping all plants to take up other needed nutrients.
Importantly, calcium and other minerals need to be in soluble, or liquid form, so plants can take them up through their roots. Calcium and other minerals in milk are in a soluble liquid form. As a result, it is readily used by the plants.
So, some amount of milk, as a fertilizer, can indeed do your plants good. However, like any fertilizer, too much of a good thing is harmful to your plants. If you feed too much milk to your plants, the soil becomes a rotting, stinking mess, with no additional benefit to the plant.
Liquid fertilizers (like Miracle-Grow, fish fertilizer, seaweed fertilizer, and compost or manure teas) contain calcium and a wide range of micronutrients. They are great for plant growth and health. If you are not using them, we recommend you do so.
Applying milk to feed essential nutrients to your pumpkin plants is definitely not cost-effective. Rather, it’s a very expensive way to feed your plants. On a cost per gallon basis, 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 human consumption. And, I dilute it in water to feed plants indoors and out.
Not all milk is equal. For example, whole milk has more ingredients than skim.
Keep three things in mind before feeding milk to your plants. First, only use expired milk. Second, use milk sparingly. Finally, dilute the milk with water prior to feeding it to your pumpkin plants.
Here are the dilution ratios:
Like other liquid fertilizers, you can feed milk directly to your plant’s root system. First, dilute it with water in a ratio of 10 parts water to one part milk.
And, like other liquid fertilizers, you can use milk for foliar feeding your plants. for foliar feeding. Dilute it with water in a ratio of 10 parts water to one part milk.
Injecting milk (or sugar water) into the vine or stem through a syringe, a straw, or wick does not add significant weight (if any at all) to a pumpkin fruit. It does seriously risk injury to the vine, and offers an entry point for plant diseases and insects. 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.
Tip: This author does not know a single grower of giant pumpkins who feeds milk to their plants. Rather, they use liquid, Chelated Calcium on a regular basis.
