Can you use Lemon Juice for Plants? Is it effective in the garden? Looks like it is! Read the article to learn more!
There are a lot of quirky ways to keep your green friends healthy, and one of them is using Lemon Juice for Plants. It may sound a little weird, but trust us, it has its own advantages! Read ahead!
Check out 20 Epsom Salt uses in the garden here
Lemon Juice for Plants
1. Weed Treatment with Lemon Juice
Lemon juice can be used as an organic weed killer—Take four ounces of lemon juice and mix it with one quart of white vinegar. Mix well, fill in a spray bottle, and spray it on weeds.
It will kill the wild growth by reducing the pH levels. This organic solution is most powerful in the hottest hours of the day. The effects last for a short duration only, so you’ll have to try many applications.
2. Boost Germination Rate
According to the study done at the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, China, lemon juice promotes cell division growth, stimulates the activity of some enzymes, and helps nutrients to transport to the parts of the plant more easily.
Add 3 ml of lemon juice to a liter of water and use the solution to water the seeds at the time of sowing. Once they germinate, you can use it again to water the seedlings.
Soaking the hard-coated seeds overnight in this solution prior to sowing them will also increase the chances of germination.
3. Balance pH Levels of the Soil
Any alkaline soil with a pH of more than 7 can come to balance using diluted lemon juice once a month. It works well by keeping the soil close to a neutral level or making it slightly acidic, which is good for acid-loving plants.
For this, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a gallon of water and pour this solution into the base of the plant. Make sure you don’t wet the leaves with it, or else they’ll burn.
Note: This trick is mostly useful for small areas or plants in containers!
4. Clean Metal and Copper Pots
Lemon juice is also a good choice to clean metal and copper pots. The acidic content of it helps to eliminate deposits and hard water spots, making them look new again! Add a few drops of lemon juice on a clean cloth and rub it on pots for a few minutes before rinsing with water for best results.
You can also use it to clean metal figurines, glass jars, and vases. Cut a lemon in half and rub it on the outer surface to eliminate all the marks. Similarly, use its juice with a clean cloth to get rid of calcium stains on the inside of jars and vases.
5. Lemon Peels
There are a lot of ways in which you can use lemon peels in your garden:
- Adding a handful of citrus peels to the compost will boost the nitrogen levels.
- Lemon peels are a rich source of magnesium, calcium, and sulfur. Blend them into powder form and add them to pot and garden soil for the better health of your plants.
- Lemon peels are potent to get rid of aphids. Boil lemon and orange peels in a 50:50 ratio, strain, cool the solution and transfer it into a spray bottle. Spray it around the aphid-infested area to get rid of them!
- Rubbing the lemon peels on the skin to keep mosquitoes at bay. Simmer the peels in water and spray the solution to the mosquito-infested area.
6. Get Rid of Spiders
Lemon juice also works quite well in repelling spiders. Add 10-14 drops of lemon juice in a cup of water along with 8-10 drops of peppermint oil. Mix well and spray the solution around the spider’s web.
You can also cut the lemon in half, put some cloves in it, and place it near the area that spiders infest to keep them at bay.