vinegar for improved drought (and cold) hardiness?

[necturus]

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-vinegar-cheap-simple-drought.html

In short, Japanese scientists find that vinegar treatment significantly enhances the drought tolerance of many edible plants. As drought and cold tolerance is related, I can't help but I think of our palms. Who wants to try dumping a gallon on one of their zoning pushing plants to see if there's anything to it?

[Jamesasb]

i think it needs watering down first.. how dilute to make it..  maybe potassium acetate would be better for palms going into winter....

The problem with vinegar is it ferments in the soil to make carbon dioxide and methane..

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Jamesasb

[RedRabbit]

I've used white vinegar as a weed killer. I'm pretty skeptical it could help anything.

[Gonzer]

  I use it to lower the PH of water for sensitive plants.

 

[XYZ]

Me, too. Also to adjust pH of spray solutions to ~6.5. You MUST have a reliable, recently calibrated pH meter to do this without the risk of burning roots from too acid a base solution. Also take into account additional acidification that occurs when mixing soluble ferts for liquid or foliar feeding.

Wondering why slightly increased CO2 concentrations in atmosphere around a plant would be a bad thing? Asking for a friend...

[Gonzer]

9 hours ago, stone jaguar said:

Me, too. Also to adjust pH of spray solutions to ~6.5. You MUST have a reliable, recently calibrated pH meter to do this without the risk of burning roots from too acid a base solution. Also take into account additional acidification that occurs when mixing soluble ferts for liquid or foliar feeding.

Wondering why slightly increased CO2 concentrations in atmosphere around a plant would be a bad thing? Asking for a friend...

Doesn't that question fly in the face of plant physiology?

[XYZ]

Sorry, am I being obtuse here???

While somewhat facetiously put, I though that it was common knowledge that many high-tech greenhouse growers of both comestibles & ornamentals (i.e. the Israelis and the Dutch) use C02 generators during the day to augment both naturally occurring and artificially-depleted levels of this gas (from closed system cultivation) and supercharge plant growth. Also used by some growers in the 'States, e.g. http://www.johnsongas.com/industrial/CO2Gen.asp

Both sides of the climate change debate argue about the efficiencies of this practice in closed systems and its limitations when applied to real world conditions in order to construct their respective straw men.

Aquatic plant growers also commonly use C02 injectors in aquaria both to acidify and to compensate for depletion by plants in closed systems (i.e., also to augment growth).

There are clearly limits to its efficacy after certain concentrations are achieved and gross excess is contraindicated for a wide variety of reasons. It is my understanding that C3, C4 and CAM plants all respond differently to increased CO2 in the atmosphere, so there is that to be taken into account as well. Increased growth rates due to higher CO2 concentrations has been correlated to decreased water uptake in some plants, which can present problems outside of a controlled environment. But generally speaking, I find little to dispute the theory that  - say - doubling normal atmospheric CO2 concentrations is "bad" for plants. Please see an oldie but goodie dealing with a common Nearctic succulent:https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/jxb/47.1.61 

Please note that I did write, "...slightly increased CO2 concentrations..."

[XYZ]

Oops...correction. Shud read is not bad for plants.