# Aspirin?



## ALToronto (Sep 23, 2013)

I've seen it mentioned in several threads. Does anyone have any guidelines on how to use it for plants? Does it work only as a preventive "immunity booster", or does it have curative properties as well? Would the dosage be different for preventive vs. curative treatment?

I tried dissolving half of a regular Aspirin tablet (325 mg) in 2L of water, and I couldn't get it to dissolve completely, even overnight. Second time I tried crushing the 1/2 tablet, and there was still residue at the bottom of the water jug. I'm not sure if the residue is just inert compounding paste, or if some of the ASA is remaining undissolved. And is 80 mg/L an appropriate dose?


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## John M (Sep 23, 2013)

Have you read this thread? 

http://http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25983&highlight=aspirin

Plus, more info starting about page #4 in this thread.

http://http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31413&page=4


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## Denverpaphman (Oct 2, 2013)

Make sure to get uncoated aspirin--dollar store!


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## Ryan Young (Oct 3, 2013)

After some searching, still not done, i found a short article about possible virus blocking properties,

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/730/

I also found a thread elsewhere talking about using giberellic acid and salicylic acid together to cure tobacco mosaic virus in tomatoes.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg0516441316331.html


Another, read at number 10 result:
http://www.science.gov/topicpages/s/salicylic+acid-induced+protein.html


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## ALToronto (Oct 3, 2013)

Ryan, thanks for the links. Looks like 1 tablet in a litre of water is a huge overdose, and may lead to problems. In the articles, they recommend less than one 325 mg tablet per gallon.

Does anyone know of any university research on aspirin? Or have universities succumbed to researching only patentable products?

I'm also finding that the aspirin tablets don't dissolve completely, even after I crush them with a mortar and pestle. There is always some solid matter left, and I'm concerned about putting it through my sprayer. Has anyone else found that? Am I using the wrong kind of aspirin?


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## Secundino (Oct 3, 2013)

I put one to two tablets of asa (500mg) into the pulverisateur (5 litres) and they dissolve without any problems up to now. Most incidence of rot is with first heat in spring, and late summer. At first sign of any kind of rot - not only affecting orchids, all plants! - I spray with irregular intervalls during two weeks. I spray dayly; when I use aspirin I spray and wet thorougly. I does help with Cattleya and allies, Oncidium and Odontoglossum, Paphiopedilum. Rot stops and new leaves/bulbs are free of it. Am not sure if it works with Phalaenopsis.
Just looked it up, I usually buy te cheapest, now I have aspirin/bayer.


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## naoki (Oct 3, 2013)

ALToronto said:


> Ryan, thanks for the links. Looks like 1 tablet in a litre of water is a huge overdose, and may lead to problems. In the articles, they recommend less than one 325 mg tablet per gallon.
> 
> Does anyone know of any university research on aspirin? Or have universities succumbed to researching only patentable products?
> 
> I'm also finding that the aspirin tablets don't dissolve completely, even after I crush them with a mortar and pestle. There is always some solid matter left, and I'm concerned about putting it through my sprayer. Has anyone else found that? Am I using the wrong kind of aspirin?



John already pointed this out (his 2nd link), and there are links to published papers related to this (2nd page, message #20). There are lots of studies about natural SA, but some papers showed that ASA can have similar effects (in some cases). Some of the studies use drenching, so I do both spraying and drenching.


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## SlipperKing (Oct 3, 2013)

ALToronto said:


> Ryan, thanks for the links. Looks like 1 tablet in a litre of water is a huge overdose, and may lead to problems. In the articles, they recommend less than one 325 mg tablet per gallon.
> 
> Does anyone know of any university research on aspirin? Or have universities succumbed to researching only patentable products?
> 
> I'm also finding that the aspirin tablets don't dissolve completely, even after I crush them with a mortar and pestle. There is always some solid matter left, and I'm concerned about putting it through my sprayer. Has anyone else found that? Am I using the wrong kind of aspirin?



Pour it through a coffee filter first.


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## Trithor (Oct 3, 2013)

I frequently take an aspirin with my coffee in the morning


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## The Mutant (Oct 3, 2013)

Trithor said:


> I frequently take an aspirin with my coffee in the morning


Could it be the wine in the evening? oke:
:wink:


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## Chicago Chad (Oct 3, 2013)

speaking of coffee, the easiest way to get a fine powder with aspirin is to put the uncoated tablet in an unused coffee grinder.


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## ALToronto (Oct 3, 2013)

Chicago Chad said:


> speaking of coffee, the easiest way to get a fine powder with aspirin is to put the uncoated tablet in an unused coffee grinder.



I'd hate to taste the coffee that gets ground after the aspirin!


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## gnathaniel (Oct 3, 2013)

Powdered aspirin is available online (in the US, anyway) from vet medicine websites for $10-15 per lb. I got some last year and have been adding 1/8 tsp to my 2-gal pump sprayer every time I fertilize (pretty inconstant but not less than 1x/month or more than 1x/week). Hard to say if it's had a positive effect but it certainly doesn't seem to bother any of my plants.


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## Ozpaph (Oct 4, 2013)

cant you get 'aspro clear' in the USA? It readily dissolves in water without precipitate if used immediately. 
http://www.amcal.com.au/en/amcal/as...310041901657?gclid=CJbXkbf5_LkCFUIopQodzHIAkQ


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## keithrs (Oct 4, 2013)

Hopefully plants don't suffer from kidney failure.... Lol


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## limuhead (Oct 4, 2013)

I use aspirin regularly for my orchids; I take 2 or 4 every time I get my credit card bill...


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## gonewild (Oct 4, 2013)

gnathaniel said:


> Powdered aspirin is available online (in the US, anyway) from vet medicine websites for $10-15 per lb. I got some last year and have been adding 1/8 tsp to my 2-gal pump sprayer every time I fertilize (pretty inconstant but not less than 1x/month or more than 1x/week). Hard to say if it's had a positive effect but it certainly doesn't seem to bother any of my plants.



How long have you been applying at this dose?
It will be interesting to see the long term effects on your plants.


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## Erythrone (Oct 4, 2013)

Maybe I will ask stupid questions... 

For those of you who use aspirin for disease control, do you use only aspirin for fighting fungus or bacteria? And did you change other parameters?

I ask this because if you are like me you changed many things in the same time... Example: In the last year, I decided to use K-lite diet once a month. But I use Subculture B and M too. And Serenade. And I changed the growings conditions (cooler in summer). 

Results: Almost no disease at all this year... But I just can't say it is because of K-lite or Serenade alone. 

Don't know if I wrote my thoughs correctly.


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## Trithor (Oct 4, 2013)

keithrs said:


> Hopefully plants don't suffer from kidney failure.... Lol



Paph Alice Cooper?


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## TDT (Oct 5, 2013)

Trithor said:


> Paph Alice Cooper?



:rollhappy:


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## Rick (Oct 5, 2013)

Erythrone said:


> Maybe I will ask stupid questions...
> 
> For those of you who use aspirin for disease control, do you use only aspirin for fighting fungus or bacteria? And did you change other parameters?
> 
> ...



In one of the physiology papers I read on aspirin (salicylic acid), part of the plants response is to reduce K and increase Ca. Which is a big chunk of what we are doing with K lite. There are a lot of other things going on in the plant with salicylic acid besides changes in tissue K and Ca, but I've had a significant drop in rot issues since reducing K, and I've only recently (and sporadically) used aspirin. 

I also found it interesting that all plants synthesize their own salicylic acid (not just willows, from which aspirin was originally derived from). So given a plants normal response to reduce K with the induction of salicylic acid production, does excess tissue K (from fertilizer) inhibit this natural immune response chemical in plants? Theoretically we should not have to add it to the plants in the first place to get it to produce enough to combat disease. 

A lot of multivariate stuff going on that may be impossible to make into simple trials.


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## papheteer (Oct 6, 2013)

I have only used aspirin a few times. One time I saw some soft rot at the base of my shun fa golden. I didnt even remove the rotting parts and just sprayed the whole plant with aspirin water. Rot stopped right away.


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