Royal Jelly & Houseplants

Chemical Composition

• Royal jelly contains 12 percent protein, 12 percent sugar and 6 percent fat. 10-hydroxy-trans-(2)-decanoic acid, the substance that is speculated to be responsible for the queen's monster size, makes up 15 percent of royal jelly. Royal jelly is also rich in B vitamins, particularly pantothenic acid.

Consumers and Producers

• Bees and other animals are consumers, meaning that they cannot produce the majority of the nutrients they need. Plants, on the other hand, are producers. They utilize basic elements and rearrange them to form complex nutrients. Consumers take these complex materials and break them back down into basic elements.

Specific Plant Needs

• Plants need specific elements to construct proteins, sugars and fats. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are vital for survival, and plants cannot live without them for any length of time. Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are the most important elements that plants take in from their roots; these are the main constituents of plant fertilizer.

Royal Jelly and Plant Food

• Royal jelly is not plant food. This complex substance is not in a form that houseplants or any other types of plants can make use of. Over time, royal jelly may break down into useful components, but the benefit that could be derived from it would be minimal. If you wish to feed your plants, better choices would be finished compost, manure or fertilizer.