Despite their harmless looks, tomatoes have always been a major headache for gardeners all over the world since time eternal. They seem to be extremely prone to all sorts of pests and diseases and for wilt and blight. However, scientists have discovered a way to get rid of all these problems with a simple and effective solution. What makes this discovery so surprising is that it was lying around almost each and every house for generations. According to research, aspirin is the ideal way of ensuring that your tomato plants grow up to become strong and healthy.

After the discovery, scientists have advised gardeners growing tomatoes to spray their plants with a solution that contains aspirin or to soak the seeds in an aspirin solution before sowing them. This helps the tomato plant to ward of blight, a disease so devastating that it can destroy all your crops in a matter of days.

According to a recent study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture, spraying aspirin can help to reduce blight by as much as 47%. This is especially important after those wet summer rains as the wind carries spores that can strike almost immediately and destroy all your crops.

According to a study that was published in the Annals of Applied Biology, what makes an aspirin so special is that it contains an ingredient known as Salicylic acid, an acid that helps to create a form of resistance against insect and microbial attacks. The study also states that Salicylic acid is particularly effective assisting plants that belong to the nightshade family in fighting diseases and attacks. Salicylic is a major multitasker, it is also an effective ingredient commonly used to treat a variety of skin care issues, especially acne.

Yet another study was conducted in Iran at the Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences. This study found that salicylic acid did not just assist the tomato plants by protecting them from diseases, it also helped them to increase their yield by a substantial margin. A research paper that was published in the International Journal of Agriculture and Crop Sciences further confirmed that by spraying an aspirin mixture on the plants or by soaking the seeds in aspirin solutions leads to a higher Vitamin C content and greater growth.

These studies have gone a long way in helping people around the world to fight the destruction caused by blight and to ward off other diseases and problems that tomatoes are prone to. Moreover, warding off diseases is just one aspect of the equation. Applying an aspirin solution can also help you to boost the growth and productivity levels of your tomato plants. According to Rebecca Brown, a professor working on plant sciences at the University of Rhode Island, you should be adding about 500mg of crushed up aspirin to 4.5 liters of water and then spraying them on your tomato plants 2 – 3 times every month.

However, you need to understand that this solution is only considered to be effective if implemented before the onslaught of blight. Once your plants do get infected, the only solution left for you is to pull them out and dispose them off. Burning them is the best way of getting rid of these infected plants.