Key Points
Turmeric is a natural, affordable way to protect plants from pests, prevent diseases, and boost overall garden health.
Use turmeric as a spray to deter pests like aphids and ants, or as a soil additive to prevent fungal diseases.
Mix turmeric with milk and water to create a natural solution that promotes root growth and prevents root rot.
If you walk into any garden center, you’ll likely see dozens of products promising to keep harmful pests away, prevent plant diseases, and boost growth. However, in reality, the answer to all these common ailments is hiding in your kitchen pantry.
We know that spices like cinnamon can do wonders for your plants, but another, less common one can be very beneficial as well: turmeric. Here, we spoke with gardening experts about how to use it to produce vibrant, healthy plants.
Meet Our Expert
Jeremy Hill, co-author of “The Preserver’s Garden,” and co- founder of Gooseberry Bridge Farm
Angelika Zaber, a lawncare specialist and gardening expert at Online Turf
Related: How to Use Orange Peels in Your Garden to Boost Plant Health and Deter Pests
Keep Pests Away
Pests can decimate even the savviest gardener’s plants. Aphids, for instance, like to suck nutrient-rich liquid out of your plants. Just a few won’t cause too much harm, but they tend to multiply quickly—too many will lead to stunted growth and misshapen foliage.
Fortunately, you can prevent these pest infestations with a sprinkling of turmeric. “It can be used as a natural deterrent for many common garden pests, most notably ants and aphids,” says Jeremy Hill, co-founder of Gooseberry Bridge Farm. The bitter smell and flavor will keep pests away.
Hill recommends mixing one to two teaspoons of turmeric powder with a quart of warm water and five to six drops of Castile soap (Castile soap is optional but helps the mixture stick to the leaves). “Use a spray bottle on the affected leaves,” he says. “Don’t forget the undersides of the leaves, as that is a favorite location for aphids!”
One thing to note is that turmeric works best as a preventive measure—if you already have an active infestation, you’ll likely need more aggressive treatments.
“We like to apply this at or just after dusk to minimize the chances that it will affect bees and other beneficial insects,” he says. “This doesn’t remove all risks, but it helps with most.”
Fight Fungal Diseases
Pests aren’t the only thing to be wary of with your garden. Your plants can fall victim to a host of fungal diseases too—like powdery mildew, leaf rust, black spot, or blight.
These diseases won’t necessarily kill your plant if you catch the problem and treat it early. Some, like powdery mildew, won’t kill your plant at all, but they will affect plant health. However, turmeric can prevent and fight common fungal diseases.
“Turmeric has some natural antifungal properties because of its active compound, curcumin,” says Angelika Zaber, a lawncare specialist and gardening expert with Online Turf. “As a result, you can use it to help prevent and treat fungal diseases like leaf spot or powdery mildew.”
Zaber suggests mixing two tablespoons of turmeric with one liter of water, letting it sit for half an hour, then straining the mixture. Then, spray affected plants with the mixture every seven to 10 days.
Be on the lookout for heavy rain in your forecast, though—this may mean you’ll need to reapply the mixture sooner. “Heavy watering or rainfall can wash it away, which means it needs frequent reapplication,” she says.
Prevent Damping Off
If you want to start seeds this season, then you probably know how fickle these plant babies can be. You need just the right amount of water, light, and warmth to make sure your seedlings grow healthily into full-fledged plants.
A common disease that can prove fatal for your seedlings is damping off. As plants grow, their susceptibility to damping off decreases—but seedlings are highly susceptible to this condition.
Damping-off is caused by fungi and mold spores that are typically present in garden soil and thrive in cool, wet conditions. If your seedlings are exposed to low light, too much water, or cool soil, then they are at increased risk.
Turmeric’s antifungal properties can be part of your damping off prevention kit. Simply add the spice directly into your new potting mix. If you go this route, mix one tablespoon of turmeric per gallon of mix.
Just be sure not to add too much. “It can upset the microbial balance in the soil, and it’s easy to overdo it, causing more harm than good,” says Hill.
Boost Plant Health and Growth
On its own, turmeric’s antifungal properties make it a powerhouse in the garden. But if you mix it with a few common kitchen ingredients, then you’ll have a natural, strong solution for boosting your garden’s health.
Use a milk-and-turmeric mixture, either as a foliar spray or a soil drench, to boost root growth, prevent root rot, and deter pests. Milk tends to work best on vegetable plants such as squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
Simply mix one cup of whole milk with one tablespoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of Castile soap, and a quart of lukewarm water. Mix well, then add the mixture to a spray bottle and spray both sides of your plant’s leaves early in the day to avoid sun scorch.
To make a soil drench, first combine about one cup of lukewarm water with one tablespoon of turmeric until it’s fully blended. Then, mix a half cup of whole milk, one teaspoon of Castile soap, the turmeric-and-water mixture, and a gallon of lukewarm water in a large bucket. You can pour this mixture directly onto the root base of your plants every 10 to 14 days, but make sure that the soil is already moist.
And remember, don’t overdo it when adding turmeric directly to soil—you want to avoid a microbial imbalance.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart
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