To have beautiful, lush and healthy plants, good maintenance is essential. In addition to providing your plants with the amount of water and light they need to grow, plants also need nutrients. To do this, you can use natural ingredients that we all have in our kitchen.

Certain natural and easily available ingredients are effective in fertilizing plants, providing them with the nutrients they need for healthy and vigorous growth. This is the case of an ingredient that we can add to our pot to feed them.

What ingredient should be added to pots to promote growth?

Used in cooking to enhance our dishes, this ingredient also has other unsuspected uses. Thus, it can be used to care for plants and promote their healthy growth.  And our star ingredient is none other than rice.

Here are the different benefits of rice in plants.

• Rice as a natural fertilizer for flowering plants.

Rice is a beneficial ingredient for plants. In fact, it is rich in vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, fiber and amino acids. These nutrients are ideal   for nourishing your flowering plants   and promoting their healthy growth. To do this, sprinkle the rice grains on the soil of your pots and water the soil. When they come into contact with water, the rice grains swell   and release starch.   The latter is also useful for plants. It provides them with energy and stimulates their growth.

Please note that in addition to rice, there are other natural fertilizers to fertilize plants, such as green tea bags, coffee grounds, wood ash or banana or citrus peel, which is very   effective in enriching compost.

• Rice water, organic fertilizer for flowering plants

Rice water is effective in feeding plants. It is rich in phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, which are also   essential nutrients for plants.   In fact, phosphorus stimulates flowering and fruiting of plants, potassium helps keep plants vigorous and healthy, and then nitrogen promotes the growth of green leaves and stems of plants.

Rice water is considered a natural fertilizer because the starch it contains promotes   the development of good bacteria in the soil,   which helps the roots to be nourished and make them more vigorous and healthy.

To feed and fertilize your plants, soak rice in water for 40 minutes. Then,   disinfect a jar with white vinegar  to store the rice water. To take advantage of the benefits of this water, it is advisable to keep the jar   away from light,   as this prevents bacteria from developing. Close the jar with a cotton cloth tied with a rubber band, making sure that   air can pass through.   You can keep your liquid fertilizer for two days.

Rice water can be used as irrigation water,   applied once a week   for 15 days. This method allows for the rapid release of nutrients into the soil, unlike the first method.

Rice water can be used   to fertilize flowering plants or shrubs   such as roses, but also indoor plants such as sansevieria or bamboo and vegetables such as tomatoes. Please note that rice water should not be hot or salty, otherwise it could harm your plants.

Tip:   Remember to also save the pasta or cooking water from vegetables. This will serve as liquid fertilizer   to fertilize your plants.

Used in the form of grains or irrigation water, rice can provide your flowering potted plants with the nutrients they need for their growth, in order to obtain vigorous and leafy plants, without the use of chemical fertilizers.