07.09.2024

Why should you plant rice in your flower pots? The florists’ tip to know

By Lesia

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 for their growth, plants also need nutrients. To do this, you can use natural ingredients that we all have in our kitchen.

Some natural and handy ingredients are effective in fertilizing plants and providing them with the nutrients they need for healthy and vigorous growth. This is the case of an ingredient that can be added to our flower pot to feed them.

What ingredient should be added to flower pots to promote their growth?
Used in cooking to enhance our dishes, this ingredient also has other unsuspected uses. It can be used to take care of plants and promote their healthy growth. And our star ingredient is none other than rice.

Here are the different benefits of rice on plants.

Rice as a natural fertilizer for flowering plants
flower pots

Rice is a beneficial ingredient for plants. It is, in fact, rich in vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, fiber, and amino acids. These nutrients are ideal for feeding your flowering plants and promoting their good growth. To do this, sprinkle the rice grains in the soil of your flower pots, and water the soil. When in 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.

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

Rice water, an organic fertilizer for flowering plants
rice water

Rice water is effective for feeding plants. It is rich in phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, which are essential nutrients for plants. Indeed, phosphorus stimulates the flowering and fruiting of plants, potassium helps keep plants vigorous and healthy, and nitrogen promotes the growth of leaves and green 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 help the roots to feed and make them more vigorous and healthy.

To feed your plants and fertilize them, soak the rice in water for 40 minutes. Then, disinfect a jar with white vinegar to store the rice water. To enjoy the benefits of this water, it is advisable to keep the jar away from light, as it 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 watering water, to be applied once a week, for 15 days. This method allows 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 vegetable plants such as tomatoes. Note that rice water should not be hot or salty, otherwise it could harm your plants.

Tip: Also remember to keep the cooking water from pasta or vegetables. This will serve as liquid fertilizer, in order to fertilize your plants.

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