Would Water or Sweet Water Make a Plant Grow Faster?

Spritz With Sugar Water

• Plants that are low in sugar production may exhibit stunted growth, pale or yellowed foliage or wilting, and leaf margins may turn brown. Mix 1 tsp. of sugar or corn syrup with 1 qt. of water, place the mixture in a spray bottle and spritz your houseplants daily.

Foliage Growth

• Plants watered with sugar water produce profuse, thick foliage. Studies conducted by the American Society of Plant Physiologists in 2001 indicate that plants watered with a solution of 5 percent sucrose exhibited strong foliage development. To encourage thick, verdant foliage on houseplants, mix 1 tsp. of sugar with 1 gallon of water, and use the mixture to water plants as you would with ordinary tap water.

Flower Bud Development

• The size and quality of flowering plants can be manipulated by watering the plants with sugar water. Unsulfured blackstrap molasses is an ideal organic fertilizer to promote flowering. Dark molasses contains natural sugars and micro-nutrients beneficial to plant health and growth. Mix 2 tbsp. of molasses with 1 gallon of water, and apply to plants weekly after they begin to develop flower buds.

Bigger Peppers

• For decades, curious gardeners and students of horticulture have experimented with supplementing plant water with sugar. Corn syrup, honey, table sugar and molasses are frequently used. The general consensus of these experiments indicate that, properly applied, mild sugar water solution promotes plant growth and produces tasty, firm, sweet and spicy peppers.