In addition to enhancing your decor, indoor plants add a truly lush touch of greenery. It’s as if you’re constantly transported to an exotic, tropical atmosphere: it’s a wonderful invitation to reconnect with nature. Not to mention that they’re generally depolluting and relaxing. However, like all living things, if they’re not properly cared for, plants tend to wilt and rot. It’s therefore important to know all the little gardening nuances that help keep them healthy.
How can you stimulate the growth of your favorite plants? There are, of course, a whole host of factors to consider to promote beautiful flowering. But there are also some natural, often unsuspected, tricks that work miracles for our plants. Did you know, for example, that rice has beneficial and energetic properties for plant health? This grain is indeed very rich in starch, an essential element for better growth. From raw grains to cooking water, rice is very useful for making your plants stronger, more resilient, and healthier.
Rice is a staple ingredient in every kitchen. It enhances our dishes in a variety of ways, but it’s also a prime nutrient for faster flowering. Let’s discover together how to use raw rice grains to promote plant growth.
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Three Ways to Use Rice in Plants
Here’s how to use rice to make your plants bloom:
1- As fertilizer for pots
This method is a slow-release fertilizer: this means that the starch in the rice will be released gradually. When you water your plants, the rice grains will begin to swell and release starch into the soil. Additionally, with each watering, the plant’s soil will be filled with nutrients thanks to the rice.
Application method:
You’ll need one tablespoon of rice for a large pot. If the pot is smaller, half a tablespoon is enough. Spread the rice grains around the plant’s stem, forming a circle around it. For a more effective effect, use a spoon to mix the rice with the soil on the surface. This will allow the rice to be absorbed more slowly, giving the starch time to release.
2- As a basic fertilizer
This application method is also a slow-release fertilizer. You should apply it once every two months: don’t worry about the substrate being full of rice plants. It’s important to know that the rice we eat undergoes a refining process, so it’s impossible for it to germinate.
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Application method:
In a large pot, place fertile soil and two tablespoons of rice at the bottom. Mix the two ingredients together to form a homogeneous mixture. You will notice that the rice grains take on a granular or powdery texture, similar to perlite. Then, firmly support the plant you are about to transplant and cover the rest with soil. In this case, in addition to the fertilizer, the rice will facilitate the drainage of your plant.
3- Use rice water
Unlike the previous methods, rice water acts as a quick-release fertilizer. This method is recommended for plants that need to quickly replenish their nutrients. Apply it once a week for 15 days, and you’ll notice a marked difference in your plant’s growth.
Application method:
Pour half a cup of white rice into a one-and-a-half-liter plastic bottle and fill with tap water until the bottle is full. Cover and stir to release the starch, then let it sit for half an hour. After this time, it will remain as a whitish liquid; it’s an excellent fertilizer for your plants. Apply by watering: Make sure the rice at the bottom mixes well with the soil to retain moisture.
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The benefits of rice for plants
This ingredient promotes photosynthesis in plants. Don’t pour rice cooking water down the sink: it’s highly nutritious in itself, benefiting from the vitamins, minerals, and starch in the rice grains. Spraying this water on your plants provides them with all the nutrients they need for their health.
The starch released by the rice provides an energy boost that will have the best impact on the development of your plant.
Rice is rich in nutritional properties: proteins, vitamins, fiber, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and potassium.
Rice cooking water is a natural fertilizer: this gentle fertilizer will allow plants to grow faster and flower abundantly.
Rice water is also a natural ecological herbicide: the starch has the ability to fight weeds.
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