Source
r/botany•
EmberAndersen

Question: Cucumber Water for plants?

Question

Given, I am very new to botany and want to get into it to a degree as a side-hobby, so I am sorry if the question I'm posing might just literally be the flat-earth of botany.
My room over time has become very depressive for me and the small plants I have in here keep me happy and smiling.
My room however, even if it has a window, isn't placed in the most perfect spot for plants, as the light that comes trough is never really in direct facing to the sun, although light still comes trough I feel my plants may need more.
I thought something I could do was infuse their water with cucumber, I read it does good things for humans, like adding additional vitamins and healthy nutrients to the water, and I wanted to know If the same would apply to plantlife.
And if not, is there anything else I can give my plants to maybe help them out with the small sunlight deficiency?

Thanks for any responses I might get.

Posted Jun 15, 2022, 5:14 AM UTC

19
froggyphore•

I don’t believe that would do much, you’d be better off with regular fertilizer. There isn’t really anything you can give a plant that will replace light or make up for a lack of it. A grow light would help though.

11
EmberAndersenOP•

Ok thank you for the answer, I will look into replacing my room light with a plant grow light, that should be able to help the plants when I use it in the morning and evening.

1
sirifrinki•

No that likely wont work. You need a light directed at the plants from a relatively short distance. I am assuming that you are talking about a roof light or similar.

2
EmberAndersenOP•

Ah I see, well I am not very dependant on my light anyways, so turning on plant-directed lights in the morning and evening should also provide enough for myself.I just hope they don't drain too much energy.

1
sirifrinki•

Get LED lights, they are very energy efficient. I can recommend the Sansi brand. You can buy a cheap timer that will control your light 🙂

1
-crepuscular-•

You're better off with fertiliser and getting plants which thrive in indirect sunlight. There are plenty of them, adapted to life under wooded areas in hot countries. Plants are available that suit just about all indoor light conditions, from a South-facing windowsill to the gloom of a Victorian parlour where they always kept the curtains shut to avoid sun damage to the furniture and wallpaper. It's almost always better to get the plant to suit the conditions, rather than changing the conditions to suit the plant (unless you're an expert). Houseplant owners are usually happy to swap plants/give away cuttings, look for a plant swap meeting if you need one.

I suggest r/houseplants for general questoins or r/plantclinic for ailing plants rather than this sub, which is supposed to be for more technical stuff about plants.

1
armchairepicure•

Buy plants that thrive in low light (like pothos, philodendron, spathiphyllum, and zz plants), put them on a regular fertilizer diet with a balanced fertilizer like miracle grow (you’ll have to google what likes to eat when) or add something time release like osmocote, and remember to prune when needed and pot up when your plants look ready.

And if you really want to get fancy, the best, lowest maintenance northern exposure plant I have ever owned (believe it or not) is a pitcher plant (Nepenthese alata). You don’t even need to fertilize, just keep moist, feed the pitchers a freeze dried mealworm (or part of one for small pitchers) and you are good to go.

1
sassycatastrophe•

Plants go through photosynthesis in their leaves, as well as take up nutrients through their roots. They are not like humans who eat food and can benefit from cucumber water. They get energy from light. If you aren’t getting enough sun from your window, you can buy a plant light on Amazon that comes with a built in timer. It will turn on anywhere from 3-12 hours a day depending how you set it. That will take care of photosynthesis. They might need more humidity too

1
EmberAndersenOP•

Thank you for all the replies everyone, I will take effort into looking for plants that will have a good time in my room, or otherwise look for plant grow lights.

The plants I currently got in also started blooming and look healthy according to friends who have some knowledge in the field, so I'm at least happy that they currently don't have any problems.

Again, thank you!

1