Three foods from the kitchen will bring orchids back to life: how to feed

Orchids are houseplants with unusually beautiful flowers that are notoriously whimsical and capricious. However, in reality, caring for them is not that difficult.

All you need to have a beautiful flower at home is to learn how to water and fertilize it properly. Orchids are very sensitive to excessive amounts of both water and fertilizer. Therefore, some experts advise preparing food for them yourself from what you can find in your kitchen. The Express asked Mark Curran, a landscape designer and author of a blog about orchids. Here are his recommendations.

Eggshells

Eggshells are one of the best organic sources of calcium, which is essential for orchid root growth. It also contains small amounts of other nutrients such as magnesium and potassium.

To make a flower fertilizer from it, be sure to rinse all the material thoroughly so that there are no traces of eggs on it - such residues can attract pests. The easiest way to use the product is to scatter it over the surface of the substrate.

But you can also make a liquid for watering orchids from eggshells. To do this, grind the washed and dried shells of 4 eggs to a powder and pour a liter of water. Insist on the liquid for a week. Then strain and add this fertilizer to the watering once every one or two months. More frequent watering with egg fertilizer can cause undesirable consequences.

Banana peel

Banana peel is generally considered an excellent organic fertilizer. It is not only rich in potassium, which is essential for plant health, but also contains a lot of phosphorus, which is crucial for flowering. There are two ways to make orchid fertilizer from this material.

Soak 100 grams of crushed fresh banana peel in water for 48 hours. When the liquid is infused, strain it and dilute it with soft, settled water in a 1:4 ratio.

You can also cut fresh banana peels into thin strips and dry them in the sun for two days. Then grind it into a powder and add a pinch to the substrate. You can fertilize orchids with banana fertilizer once a month.

Rice water

The water left over from cooking rice is great for orchids because it contains trace amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The starch in it will give the flower a boost of energy. And vitamins such as B12 and amino acids stimulate flowering.

To prepare rice water, simply soak rice in water for 30 minutes or more before cooking, strain the water into a bottle or jar, and let it ferment for one week. Keep the product in a cool, dark place. But do not screw the lid on tightly or cover the container with a cloth so that the liquid can come into contact with air. Once the rice water has fermented, dilute it in equal parts with water. Use this mixture to spray the roots. It can also be used to water the plant once a month.

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