Why Some Gardeners Are Spraying Milk on Tomato Plants

One of the best ways to prevent your tomato plants from experiencing the dreaded blight is to treat them with something you have in your refrigerator–milk. Milk doesn’t just do the human body good. Treating garden plants with a milk mixture to provide nutrients and ward off disease is something scientists have found to be beneficial for decades.

Related: Aiper Revolutionizes Garden Hose Watering with the Irrisense 2

Why Milk Helps Plants

Milk provides key nutrients for tomato plants while also helping them ward off diseases: 

• Prevents blossom end rot: Blossom end rot, which occurs when tomatoes develop brown or black sunken patches on the bottom of the fruit, is the result of calcium deficiency. Since milk is loaded with calcium, it helps prevent this problem.

• Anti fungal: Milk also produces lactic acid, which can significantly break down fungal spores, preventing blight on young tomato plants. 

• Natural Fertilizer: Milk is loaded with B vitamins and sugars that helps to nourish plants, increasing crop yields while generally making the tomato plants healthier. 

How to Treat Your Tomato Plants with Milk

Applying milk to your plants isn't complicated. All you need is milk, water, and a garden sprayer:

Step: 1: Create the mixture

Create a mixture of equal parts water and milk in a hand sprayer. You can use any type of milk, including fresh, evaporated, or powdered. Sour milk is even an option if you don’t mind the smell. Low fat 2% and 1% milk works best as it provides the calcium and lactic acid needed to nourish plants and kill off fungus, yet lacks the high fat content of whole milk, which can create odors, cause mold growth, and clog your sprayer. 

Step 2: Spray the tomato plants

Lightly spray the leaves of your tomato plants. As with watering, you want to spray the plants with the mixture as early in the day as possible. This gives them all day to absorb the moisture, so by nighttime the leaves are completely dry. For best results, treat the plants in bright sunlight. If the leaves aren’t absorbing all of the milk mixture, you can lightly spray them or wipe them down with a damp cloth. Avoid spraying the plants with too much milk, which can cause nasty odors and the tomato plants leaves to wilt.

Pro Tip: Make sure the tomato plant's leaves are dry by nightfall. Tomatoes are particularly susceptible to disease if their leaves stay wet. The moisture can cause the fungal and bacterial diseases you’re trying to prevent with the milk treatment, including blight and mildew. 

Related: The First Lawn Cut of Spring Can Make or Break Your Grass

Step 3: Delay fertilizing

Hold off on fertilizing your tomato plants or adding pesticides, both of which will kill the beneficial bacteria in the milk. Wait a few days after each milk treatment before applying any pesticide or fertilizer to give the plant a chance to absorb the nutrients from the milk.

FAQs

How often should I treat my tomato plants with milk?

Treat your tomato plants with a diluted milk solution every 10 to 14 days to fight off fungus and ensure they have enough calcium to prevent blossom end rot. 

Can I treat other plants with milk?

Yes, you can. Along with tomatoes, the milk mixture is also effective on other vegetable plants that are susceptible to blight and blossom end rot, including squash and peppers.