Can Panadol make plants live longer?

Question

Can Panadol make plants live longer?

Answer 1

By thinking about the effect of Panadol on plants, you have actually tapped into an area in which there is a huge international research effort! However many scientists are interested not in Panadol, but in Aspirin and its role in plants.

It appears that plants use the same compound that is found in asprin (salicylic acid) as a "messenger" molecule. For example, if a plant leaf is wounded, or infected by a pathogen, the levels of salicylic acid can increase in other leaves of the plant, as if the leaves "know" that one of the others is in trouble. So, it would be most interesting to look at the effect of supplying aspirin to healthy plants and looking at the effect on plant growth. Quite a lot is known about the effects of aspirin at the molecular level and it is quite probable that it will be active in the cut-flower situation.

Answer 2

slightly acidic water can make plants live longer.