Because the nutrients in potato water are essential for plant growth and development, it is a nutritive kitchen waste that may be used to fertilize plants.
The nutrients and minerals found in potatoes can be utilized to nourish plants. Along with phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and zinc, potassium (K), a macronutrient that plants utilize to build resistance to environmental stress, can provide plants with about 350 mg per 100 g of potato water.
In the kitchen, potatoes are a highly popular vegetable. In addition to potassium, which the peels are known for, they can also supply our plants with essential minerals.
This article outlines all the benefits of the potato as well as the various techniques you can employ to efficiently extract and supplement the nutrients to plants.
Table of Contents
The Benefits of Using Potato Water on Plants
- Environment-friendly source of plant fertilizer
- widely accessible and simple to obtain (from Kitchen scraps)
- makes it possible for us to repurpose kitchen garbage.
- Reduce the price of buying fertilizer.
- eliminates burns brought on by the use of inorganic fertilizer
- encourages the soil’s healthy bacterial population
- can be applied through misting, top watering, or bottom watering.
- helps plants grow
A fun fact
J. East and J. Busby of Great Britain grew a potato that weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce, according to the Guinness Book of World Records in 1953 and 1982, respectively.
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What is Potato Water?
Potato water is nutrient-rich water that is produced when potatoes are boiled.
It gives the plant a natural source of nutrients that fosters development while minimizing deficiencies brought on by low nutrition levels, such as brown blistering and curling of leaf tips.
It contains folate, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin and is a good source of the vitamins B1, B3, and B6 as well as minerals including potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
The benefits of using potato water on plants are primarily due to these nutrients.
During the boiling process, the potato’s mineral nutrients leak into the water.
The fibers in the potato and peel are broken down by the high temperature of the boiling water, which makes it easier for the minerals potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium to enter the water.
Boiling typically lasts between 30 and 45 minutes to give the minerals time to leach.
After straining the potatoes, the water is collected and left to cool.
It is crucial to remember that not all minerals are destroyed by boiling, and the peels themselves still contain a significant amount of minerals.
As we will explore further in this post, the peels can still be dried off and used on plants as a supplementary source of slow-release minerals.
A fun fact
The majority of American kitchens regularly use potatoes, which are farmed in all 50 states and contain roughly 80% water.
Parts of the Potato
How is Potato Water Beneficial for Plants: Explained
Minerals are present in the water derived from potatoes that plants require to thrive healthily and create green, wholesome leaves.
Potatoes are primarily a source of carbohydrates. Additionally, potatoes have a tiny amount of high-quality protein.
A cheap and sustainable method of giving plants the critical minerals they need comes from potato water.
The breakdown of the minerals found in a medium-sized potato is provided below.
Even though it only makes up a small percentage of the potato, the potato skin has the same minerals as the potato’s inside.
The macronutrient potassium (K), the micronutrient phosphorus (P), and the mineral magnesium (Mg) are the primary minerals derived from potatoes (Mg).
A fun fact
Only about 100 calories are contained in an 8-ounce baked or boiled potato.
Minerals Present in Potato
Nutritional information for one medium-sized banana (100 grams) is as follows:
The Benefits of Potassium in Plants
A mineral and electrolyte, potassium carries electrical impulses in the body. This electrolyte has a similar function in plants by moving carbohydrates and water.
Due to the fact that plants absorb a significant amount of potassium (K) throughout their life cycle, it is categorized as a macronutrient.
Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N) are additional macronutrients that plants utilize (P). These three nutrients are the most important ones for plants, and they serve as the foundation for fertilizer production (NPK).
For this reason, when fertilizer is purchased, each individual letter has a number attached to it that denotes the amount of the nutrient that is now available in the fertilizer.X-(N), X-(P), X- (K)
Potassium Deficiency in plants
Chlorosis (yellowing) between leaf veins and brown scorching and curling of leaf tips are typical signs of potassium shortage in plants. The undersides of the leaves may also develop purple markings. In plants with inadequate potassium levels, growth, development of the roots, and production of seeds and fruits are typically limited. [Reference: Wiki]
Plants can avoid deficiencies caused by low potassium levels by using potato water.
Potassium helps Plants fight Pests and Diseases
Potassium aids in the development of a broad resistance in plants against environmental stress brought on by varying weather conditions.
Potassium deficiencies make plants more susceptible to drought, excess water, high and cold temperatures. Additionally, they have lower resistance to illnesses, worm assaults, and pests.
Potassium can improve a plant’s resilience to fungus gnats, bacterial infections, and root rot when applied to indoor plants.
Basically, it can strengthen a plant’s resistance to overwatering, which can result in the issues listed above.
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A fun fact
French fries were first served in America by Thomas Jefferson during a White House supper, and he is credited with bringing them to the country. [Reference for data]
How to Make Potato Water?
The peels of potatoes can be boiled or left to soak in water for a while to make potato water. The minerals can also be drawn out of the peels and into the water by soaking the peels in water and letting them sit for a while.
Here are the procedures for getting potato water:
Potato water from Boiling
Utilize this technique to get potato water after boiling. The quantity of peels to use will depend on how much you have on hand right now.
- Put the peels in a saucepan for cooking.
- Add water, covering the peels by 1 inch.
- adequately stir
- Turn the heat to medium (350 oF)
- Boil for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Save the water residue after straining the peels.
You can also add water to thin down the residue if it is too thick to put to your plants.
Potato water from Pulverizing
The same procedures are used to obtain potato water from crushing as from boiling (stated above).
The main distinction is that before boiling, the potatoes are ground into tiny bits in a blender.
As a result, more potato skin will be exposed to the boiling water.
As a result, utilizing this technique can result in a higher mineral content being extracted from the peel.
Potato Water from Soaking
To make potato water by soaking, remove the peels from the potatoes and soak them in water for a while, allowing the minerals to seep into the water.
Method:
- Put around 5 potatoes in a medium jar.
- Place water in the jar.
- Seal the jar by covering the lid.
- Let stand for 10 to 15 days.
With time, the peels will turn black, and the water’s hue will also alter. After the time has passed, filter the peels’ water and use it on your plants.
The soaking procedure will go more quickly if the peels are broken up into smaller pieces.
Using Pulverized Potatoes on Plants
Even after boiling, the peel still contains a sizeable amount of minerals. To optimize their advantages, the leftover peels can still be utilised.
The residual peels are completely dried before being ground up into a powder or as finely as is practical. When applied to the soil, this makes it simpler for it to decompose and release its minerals.
The peels’ surface area increases with pulverization, speeding up the flow of nutrients into the soil.
Because bacteria will need more time to degrade the peels, adding them to the soil whole will allow for a much slower release of minerals.
Potato pulverization technique:
- Spot five or more potatoes’ peels in a dry place or outside in the sun.
- Give the peels two to three days to dry (the skins will become dark and hard as the water is released)
- Blend the dried potatoes for one minute in a blender.
- Remove the powdered peels and incorporate them into any soil that may be present around the plant stem’s base.
- To hasten the breakdown process, cover the powdered peels with soil.
When adding peels or other culinary scraps to soil, care must be taken to avoid creating offensive odors or luring animals that may be hiding nearby.
To avoid odors, the peels should be buried 3–4 inches deep in the soil.
Using Potato Water with Succulents
Succulents can be watered with potato water while also receiving essential nutrients at the same time.
Succulents need more dry, aerated soil than other plants, so the mineral-rich water needs to be diluted so that it can be sprayed on them.
During their regular watering routine, succulents can be misted with a potato water solution. In general, succulents only need a tiny amount of water and nutrients at any given moment.
By misting succulents with potato water, you may give them the minerals from the potatoes while avoiding overwatering and the problems that come with it.
How to Mist Succulents with Potato Water
- Any spray bottle from a household can be used, provided it has been well cleaned.
- The water must be thin enough to be sprayed out of the spray bottle.
- Fill the spray bottle with the peel water.
- The plant should be misted or sprayed on both the top and bottom of the leaves.
- Spray some water on the topsoil as well.
To help the plant absorb moisture and nutrients, misting should be done in the early morning or late at night. Additionally, this keeps the liquid from being too rapidly dried off by the sun’s heat.
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Bottom Watering with Potato Water
Another technique to provide plants with the nutrients from the banana is to bottom-water them with potato water.
By watering from the bottom, you can ensure that the soil is adequately moist without overwatering the potatoes.
By doing this, the entire mass of the plant’s roots will have access to the nutrients that the water is providing.
Bottom watering is a useful technique for watering plants because it guarantees that the entire root system receives moisture without the danger of overwatering them. See the information about watering plants at the bottom of this page.
How to Bottom Water with Potato water
- Use a little, flat container that is two inches bigger than the planter.
- Put the plant inside the pot.
- Add the potato water until the plant pot’s side is 1 to 1 1/2 inches high with water.
- 15 to 20 minutes should be given for the plant to soak in the water.
- Stick your finger into the soil after some time has elapsed to check for wetness.
- You can take out the plant as soon as you notice that the soil is moist but not soggy.
- Place the plant so that any extra water can drain away.
Check out our informative post on how to apply fertilizer when bottom watering for more information on how to correctly administer nutrients to plants.
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Plants that Potato Water is Effective on
All plants can benefit from potato water because it contains essential nutrients for plant growth. Nevertheless, the application technique would change depending on the kind of plant it was being treated to.
| Plant | Watering Technique |
|---|---|
| Succulents | Misting |
| House Plants | Top watering, bottom watering, and misting |
| plants in gardens | Top irrigation and spraying of the soil. |
What are the Precautions When using Potato Water
To avoid killing the microorganisms in the soil and harming the plant, you should always make sure the water is at room temperature or ambient when you use potato water in the soil.
If you are utilizing the water from boiled potatoes, take this precaution.
Potato water is also a beneficial soil amendment, but it is important to use caution while watering because it is simple to overwater the soil, which can result in root rot and yellowing of the plant’s leaves.
To make sure the plant receives the proper amount of water for optimum growth, we advise using the bottom watering method.
To avoid clogging the misting bottle’s nozzles with banana particles, make sure the water is properly filtered before misting.
Check out our post on adding fertilizer when misting for more information on how to effectively apply fertilizer to plants and how quickly they will absorb it.
Using Fermented Potato Water as a Pesticide
It has been demonstrated that using fermented potato water encourages a healthy bacterial population, which in turn encourages root growth.
Potatoes’ starches make it simple for them to ferment and decompose.
In addition, the smell of fermenting potato water scares away undesirable pests like lizards, snakes, and iguanas from the garden.
Additionally, nuisance insects such as fruit flies, gnats, plant lice, flea beetles, aphids, and other pests can be controlled by utilizing fermented potato water since the alcohol produced during the fermentation process irritates and sometimes even kills these tiny insects.
How to make Fermented Potato Water
- Use any jar that is on hand.
- 34 of the way full, add potato water.
- Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the water and stir.
- Add 4 tablespoons of milk, liquid.
- For three to four days, cover the jar and let it stand.
- The solution will change from opaque to translucent when some time has elapsed.
The end result can now be used to control pests in the garden and on indoor plants.