Oat Water for Plants: You Won't Believe How Powerful It Is
07.06.2024 - 15:05
/ balconygardenweb.com
/ Editorial Team
When it comes to nutrition, oatmeal water packs a punch for plants. It nourishes the soil and is an affordable home food for your botanical babies. Now, oat water may not be as effective as commercial fertilizers, but it definitely boosts plant growth. Let’s dig in and see if it’s worth a try in your own garden as well!
Oat water is basically supercharged water for your plants and is made from oats! It’s made by soaking oats in water for some time, which allows the extraction of nutrients from the oats to seep into the water. This includes Potassium (up to 0.3%), Phosphorus (up to 0.05%), and other plant elements such as Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Boron, and some Vitamins.
Now, where do all of these come from? Well, oats are rich in minerals, potassium, and soluble fibers. But that’s not all. They also have nitrogen (helps plants grow leaves) and phosphorus (important for strong roots).
When you soak them in water for a long time, all of this is slowly released into the water, enriching it (except the soluble fibers.) You can use this enriched water for your plants and reap the benefits.
Why skip on the benefits of both? You know that oat water is great for plants, but oats have soluble fibers that are highly beneficial as well. So, there are two ways: Apply just the oat water or mix a bit of soaked oats in the soil as well, but adding this can attract pests like ants and rodents.
The soluble fiber in oats will break down and improve the soil structure, acting like tiny sponges, soaking up and holding onto the oat water.
The soluble fiber is a good worker here because whenever the soil dries out, these little sponges will release the stored nutrient-rich oat water to the plant’s roots, keeping them hydrated for longer