Gardening With Liquor

Gardening With Liquor FARM HOME Miscellaneous 31-2-5 Giving houseplants diluted whiskey, vodka, gin or tequila stunts the growth of a plant's leaves and stems but doesn't affect the blossoms, says William Miller, director of Cornell's Flower Bulb Research Program, who says home gardeners looking for a way to keep their larger, top-heavy flowers from tipping over are most interested in the idea. Miller worked primarily with daffodils and tulips. He got the idea from a gardener who had discovered gin would keep her paperwhite narcissi from growing too tall and flopping over. Miller began experimenting to see if alcohol truly would work as a growth retardant. Beer and wine did not work due to sugar content. But the harder distilled drinks did. Solutions greater than 10 percent killed the plants. The ideal mix is 4 to 6 percent alcohol, mixed with water. The stems were stunted 30 to 50 percent in growth but the flowers were just as large and fragrant as usual. Miller plans to continue his research with other flowers as well as some tall-growing vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers.

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