# Human Multivitamins for Plants?



## theteh

Have been searching for info in using vitamins for plants but cannot seem to find much info other than Kent's Botanica Vita and Tom's recommended SuperThrive. Has anyone used one of these with good effects? Is it really important to add vitamins in aquatic plants?

I have this mad idea...My question is, can we crush some of multivitamins for human consumption into the tank for the plants? Could plant biologists please shed some lights on whether this is the right thing to do?


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## Zapins

I dont see why you would want to add vitamins.

The reason humans and animals need to eat a certain amount of vitamins to keep alive is that our bodies cant produce them, so we must uptake these compounds from other creatures who either have them, or can make them. 

Plants however can make all their own vitamins and do not need to absorb vit's from eating other animals/plants. 

I think if you were to add a multivitamin to your tank it would probably not harm anything other then your wallet, but it most likely wont help you if your goal is better plant growth.

Rather focus on dosing the main fertilizers and the trace elements correctly to optimize growth


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## RTR

Plants are autotrophs. I agree that they should not need vitamins. Minerals (macro and micro), bioavailable carbon, and light should do it.


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## theteh

Thanks for the insight. Perhaps Kent Botanica Vita is just a marketing hype.


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## cS

They may not need the vitamins but they can surely benefit from them IMHO. The trick is to balance how much to add so as to not induce a negative response. I've experimented with various human supplements (vitamins, hormones, etc.) and the results haven't been very successful. For example, I tried giving the plants some birth control pills and many plants refused to open their leaves during the light period. It was neat. And then there was that time I tried to add a cocktail of auxins and simple amino acids that led to the "melting" of over 75% of my plant population within a 24 hour period.

So, I wouldn't advise such experimentation unless you don't mind potentially wiping out every plant in your tank. I've had a few such occurences. :loco: I would advise that you stick with ready-made formulations such as Tropica's TMG or Seachem's Flourish. In addition to the trace nutrients, those two formulations include hormones and vitamins that seem to give the plants certain "boosts" that you won't find in ordinary micronutrients mixtures.


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## theteh

Thanks for sharing your experience with human vitamins/hormones! Just curious that why do you add birth control pills to plants??


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## cS

theteh said:


> Thanks for sharing your experience with human vitamins/hormones! Just curious that why do you add birth control pills to plants??


Curiosity. :madgrin:

Here is a link to the experiment.


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## theteh

Thanks for the link! Very interesting indeed!


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