What fertilizers you should never feed orchids with

The Internet is bursting with life hacks on how to make organic fertilizer for orchids. However, not all of them have been fully tested for safety. The fact that some grower hasn't ruined a flower with such fertilization may mean that he or she has a very resilient plant that can survive such abuse. This is not to mention that this is a universal advice. Therefore, it is important to know which folk remedies should not be used to feed orchids with.

OBOZREVATEL has compiled a list of such remedies and what is best to feed the flower with.

Hydrogen peroxide

There are recommendations circulating online that call peroxide an almost miraculous remedy that nourishes the flower and saves its roots from decay. In fact, this chemical is dangerous for an orchid even in a pharmacy concentration of 3%, and in higher concentrations, it is simply fatal. It damages the roots and can cause the death of the plant.

Ash

Wood ash is a good fertilizer for some garden and horticultural crops, but not for orchids. In nature, this plant grows on tree bark and receives very little nutrition from such a substrate. The flower tolerates a lack of substances better than an excess of them. Therefore, ash that is very rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium can kill it.

Various herbal infusions

Organic fertilizers made from various herbs or fruits are not a bad idea in themselves. However, when they are made, it is impossible to calculate the amount of nutrients that will be included in the infusion, as well as the proportion. Accordingly, there is a very high risk of "overfeeding" the flower and thus harming it.

Coffee grounds

The coffee grounds that remain after brewing a drink are indeed a valuable source of nitrogen, which is essential for orchids to be healthy and bloom. However, the specific substrate in which the flower grows is not able to break down the grounds into the form of the substance that the plant metabolizes. It does not contain the bacteria necessary for this. Therefore, at best, coffee will have no effect on the orchid. At worst, it will block the access of water to the roots of the plant, and then it all depends on the stage at which you notice the problem.

All-purpose fertilizers for flowering plants

Flowering plants growing in ordinary soil have more or less the same nutrient requirements, so it is possible to develop an all-purpose fertilizer for them. Orchids, however, have completely different needs. Therefore, such care will be harmful and even dangerous for them.

What can be used instead

No matter how much you want to do something for your favorite plant with your own hands, you can't think of anything better than ready-made orchid fertilizer. However, experienced growers advise diluting it twice as much as the instructions recommend. After all, even a specially formulated composition can be too rich.

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