Vitamins for Vegetables: An Experiment in Homemade Fertilizer

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PHOTO: ROBERT WILLIAMS III
Robert Williams III poses by one of his cabbages, with his personalized vitamin mixture in hand.

Last year I decided to try to learn if plants given doses of vitamin-rich water germinate and grow faster than ones not fed vitamins. I figured that since vitamins are good for people, they might be good for plants, too.

Before I started my experiment, I looked for some books or magazines that told of research with plants and vitamins, but I couldn’t find anything in print. So I had to find things out for myself. I started off feeding eight plant trays with different vitamin mixes and one plant tray with only water.

I made a table showing the vitamin solutions and water used. I made notes of when all the seeds were planted and when they germinated. I also measured the plants’ heights every morning and every night.

The vitamins I used were A (50,000 I.U.), B1 (200 mg), B12 (200 mg), B100 (200 mg), C (1,000 mg), E (400 I.U.) and pantothenic acid (500 mg). I diluted each vitamin with two quarts of water. All of the vitamins except A and E were crushed and dissolved in water. I had to boil water to get the A and E vitamins to melt.

Vitamins and Indoor Seedlings: The First Experiment

  • Published on May 1, 1989
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