I've been doing fairly diligent research on the forums and am still confused about two basic concepts. Maybe someone can give me the Cliff notes, dumbed-down simple answer ( if there is one...) #1 - If I have some milk in my fridge that is starting to turn and I don't want to dump it down the drain, I can dilute it and put it on my tomatoes/peppers/eggplants without any harm? Do I have that right or am I way off?
#2 - I can sprinkle plain cornmeal on my houseplants, lawn, garden, flowers and it will act as both a fertilizer and an anti-fungal agent?
As someone who grew up surrounded by gardens, greenhouses and plant fanatics, I have never seen milk or cornmeal fed to plants, but I am willing to give it a shot if I am sure it won't cause trouble! Thanks for the help!
Posts: 113 | Location: western colorado - zone 5/6 | Registered: July 17, 2004
Oh, I didn't know that ants go for milk, the little buggers.
If you really water it after you pour it on the soil, it will sink in better, I haven't had anything mess with it.
Milk is a source of calcium, which plants need, so that's why it works nicely. If you don't want it on or in the soil, put it in the compost pile, turn the pile, use it that way.
Or really bury it a shovelful deep among your plants, the roots will find it.
---------------------- Life goes on within you and without you - George Harrison
Posts: 554 | Location: desperately protecting 2 acres from the critters, coastal California | Registered: February 11, 2002
diluted with water, milk has some antifungal properties... at least that's what I recently read about some tests done using it...
I tried it on my horribly infected roses, about 2 weeks ago and the milk seems to have halted the fungus... left everything with a white coating, but heck, the powdery mildew did too.... just hosed off all the white and the powdery mildew seems to have vanished from the plants, too! Amazing. But, I noticed some of the new growth on my roses is just starting to show the mildew, so I need to mix up some milk and water again (I diluted nonfat milk with 4 parts water or so)...
as for sour milk... I dunno, might be stinky, might not... not anything that would linger. Try it on anything that has mildew and see... or dump it in the compost...