Homemade fertilizers for orchids, the smart way to care for orchids

Orchids can actually live healthy without fertilizer, if they are given proper care, which means enough watering, getting enough light, and pruning properly as needed. Fertilizers can be used if your goal is to get a well-built plant with stronger, healthier roots and more flowers. Since orchids need less fertilizer than any other plant, the use of a fertilizer must be applied with caution. Always keep in mind the use of a well-diluted fertilizer mix when trying to provide additional feeding for your orchid. Over fertilizing can really harm your orchid.

The three main chemical components of a fertilizer are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K= Kalium). Those three components are usually labeled as NPK and printed as numbers on a commercial fertilizer label. These numbers represent the percentage of each component. A labeling of 20-20-20, for example, means that it contains an equal content of 20% each. Other elements that a plant needs are calcium, magnesium and sulfur, which can be found in smaller amounts.

Since there are many commercial fertilizers with various compositions, you can also make your own orchid fertilizer using some unused kitchen items that may contain NPK such as eggshells, chicken bones, rice water, tea bags, and milk.

eggshells they are viable sources of calcium and potassium and can be used as fertilizer. Don’t throw away the eggshells, wash them and collect them until you get 20 – 25 eggshells. Pound it with a mortar and pestle and bring it to a boil in a gallon of water. Let it soak for about 8 hours. Filter the eggshells and save the water in a container. You can use it to water your orchids weekly.

Dried and shredded chicken bones are other good kitchen things useful as a source of calcium and potassium. Again, don’t throw away the chicken bones, wash them and spread them out in the sun to dry or dry them in an oven. Crush the dry bones well and store in a jar. Sprinkle the dusty bones in the potting medium monthly.

rice water it is a good source of vitamins, B vitamins in particular. What I mean by rice water is the water used to wash the rice before cooking, as well as the water in which the rice is cooked. You can use it directly to water your orchid. But be sure to cool the cooked water first.

Tea it contains non-toxic organic materials and is rich in nitrogen, which is good for orchids. Therefore, you can make use of tea bags. Just open the tea bag and pour the tea into the potting medium once a month.

Milk it can be the source of protein, so it provides high nitrogen content. You can use a milk bottle or a freshly emptied carton. Fill it with water and shake it well so that the milk residue is diluted in the water. Use this to water your orchid.

fallen oak leaves they are naturally a good source of fertilizer. And since they are completely natural, there is no need to worry about the negative effects of chemical fertilizers. Collect the dried leaves and put them in a 5 gallon container. Fill it with approximately 2 gallons of water. The portion should be 1/3 of the water and 2/3 of the leaves. Expose it to sunlight for about a week or until the water is the color of iced tea. If you couldn’t get iced tea color after a week, pour it with warm water and let it cool. You can then use it to water your orchid every 2 weeks.

potatoes they are another handy source of calcium and potassium. Cut an unpeeled potato into small cubes and boil for a few minutes. To provide more potassium, you can add fresh plantain chunks to the boiling potato mixture and stir well. Allow to cool and store the mixture in the jar. Add this mix to potting media every 2 weeks.

Last but not least, a kitchen material to be considered as a fertilizer is molasses as a source of potassium. It is enough to take a teaspoon of molasses to dilute in the water that you are going to use to water your orchid.

epsom salt it is a good source of magnesium.

Well that wraps up some common household fertilizers that can be readily available using some kitchen scraps. To us, that may be rubbish, but to our orchids it’s a nice treat, assuming you don’t go overboard on this fertilizing stuff. So, happy orchid care!