Plants thrive on corking idea

Published on Thursday 30 July 2009 09:57

IT may be known as the "water of life", but you would never water your plants with it.

Nevertheless, staff at the city's Botanic Gardens are proving that a bottle of Scotch – or at least one part of it – can help some of the world's most exotic plants take root in Scotland.

Thousands of corks from rare whisky bottles are being pressed into action by senior horticulturist Steve Scott. He hit upon the idea while working as a bartender at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society where he saw thousands of corks thrown out every year.

After asking to take them away with him instead, Mr Scott has been turning them into synthetic bedding for some of the world's most exotic plants.

The corks are used, either on their own or mixed with soil, to grow epiphytes – plants that thrive in dry climates and which in the wild grow on other plants.

Mainly found in the tropics, examples include ferns, cacti and, most strikingly, orchids.

Although the corks include some used to stop-up the world's finest single malts, Mr Scott, 43, is unsure whether the "water of life" plays any part in his success.

"There is a very distinctive whisky smell which comes off them," he said. "I couldn't say whether the whisky fumes have any beneficial effect, but it's always possible I suppose."

Mr Scott has since started collecting corks from other Leith bars including the Vintner Rooms.

"The results have been great," he said. "These types of plants are all fairly exotic and don't come from a similar climate to the one we have here, so they can be tricky to grow, and this has been a huge benefit."

Epiphytes, also known as air plants, take moisture mainly from the air.

As well as orchids, Mr Scott has found them very useful for growing hoyas, tropical climbing plants native to southern Asia also known as waxflowers.

The idea is also saving the Botanics money as it means they no longer have to fly in bark from Portugal.

Dr Max Coleman, the Botanics' science communicator, said: "Many species of orchids and ephiphytes grow on the surfaces of limbs of trees, so growing them in cork is replicating their natural growing conditions, which are free-draining.

"Some water will be absorbed by the cork, just as it would be by the bark of a tree, and that retained moisture will be released over several days.''

He added: "It is an ideal way of recycling used bottle corks.''