MadSci Network: Botany |
Rest of question: will it allow the plant to grow faster that using fertilizer? Reply: Plants will not consume milk and orange juice the way we can. Photosynthetic plants only need to absorb inorganic elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, calcium, and magnesium from the soil. Most plants are photosynthetic autotrophs, which can make all the organic compounds they require using light energy, carbon dioxide, water, and mineral nutrients. We are heterotrophs, which is a very different mode of nutrition because we obtain our energy and organic compunds mainly by consuming other organisms. It may be that plant growth may benefit from mineral nutrients contained in milk or orange juice. For example, milk and orange juice both contain calcium. However, fertilizer will be better than milk or orange juice.
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Botany.