Two horticultural professionals took some of the most popular
garden myths into the university laboratory to prove or disprove
the accuracy of these myths. Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott from
Washington State University and Dr. Jeff Gilliam from the
University of Minnesota tested these myths under controlled
conditions to determine if they really work. The Myth: Beer
makes a good fertilizer for your lawn and garden. The Facts This
myth has been circulated among gardeners for well over a hundred
years. No one is quite sure when or where exactly it got
started. In 1890 Peter Henderson whose was known as "the father
of horticulture and ornamental gardening" in the United States
recommended that refuse hops from breweries made an excellent
fertilizer. This is one possibility of how the beer myth began.
hy beer? It was thought that beer offers vitamins and minerals
that could benefit plant growth. It was theorized that beer fed
beneficial microorganisms that live in the soil. Beer contains
water, carbon dioxide, ethanol