HomemadeOrchid Fertilizer (or commercial orchid fertilizer) is essential foryour orchid's growth. They provide the nutrients it needs to promoteflowering, healthy stems, shoots, foliage and roots. There are a numberof homemade orchid fertilizers you can make easily, although commercialfertilizers are the best source of balancednutrition for your orchids.
Someofthe most popular homemade orchid fertilizers contain:
- Milk
- Tea
- Eggshells
- Crusheddried chicken bones.
- Molasses
- Potatoes
- Waterthat rice has been boiled in
Whydo these homemade orchid fertilizer recipes help orchids?
Orchidsthrive when they are fed the proper balance of Nitrogen (N),Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K), preferably given in a water-solubleformula. These 3 nutrients are known as macro-nutrients (N-P-K). Milk,Tea,Eggshells, Crushed dried chicken bones, Molasses, Water that rice hasbeen boiled in, and Potatoes contain some of these elements, although not in an entirely balancedway as you'll read later.
- Nitrogenis for foliage, stem and shoot growth.
- Phosphorousaids healthy root growth.
- Potassiumpromotes flowering.
Milk(contains Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium)
Milkcontains nitrogen-building protein that your orchids require. Feed theplants by mixing one part of milk to four parts of water. Use thisevery two weeks.
Tea(contains Nitrogen)
Usedteabags, which are high in nitrogen, are especially good for orchids. Teabags contain organic matter that is non toxic and does not smell bad.To use the tea bag, open it and empty the contents into the orchid pot.Apply once monthly in the spring and summer months.
Notesabout Nitrogen levels
Onething to remember when making homemade orchid fertilizers is thatorchids need a fertilizer that is higher in nitrogen than ordinaryhousehold plants. This is because an orchid's potting medium usuallyconsists of tree bark. The bark is home to bacteria that consume a lotof the nitrogen in fertilizers, leaving very little for the orchiditself, so your orchid fertilizer needs to compensate for this.
Alsonote - Nitrogen should not be obtained from urea. Fertilizerscontaining urea are ok for common household plants with their roots insoil because the urea is slowly broken down by bacteria in the soil,releasing nitrogen for the plants. As orchids are not grown in soil theurea is not broken down and thus the nitrogen from urea remainsunavailable for the orchid.
Potatoes(Contains Potassium and trace Phosphorous)
Choporgrate the potatoes into small pieces, including the skin, and boil fora few minutes. You can add chopped fresh bananas and sugar to this mixduring boiling. This will add even more nutrients and will help theingredients to bind together. Any extra fertilizer produced can bestored in jars.
Molasses(contains Potassium)
Use ateaspoon of molasses diluted in the water used as part of your usualwatering routine.
Somehomemade orchid fertilizers contain traces of other chemicals(micro-elements) such as calcium, which also provide your orchid withnutrition.
CrushedDried Chicken Bones (contains Potassium and Calcium)
Crushdried chicken bones and sprinkle over the potting medium.
EggShells(contains Calcium)
Savingeggshells and using them as orchid fertilizer is the cheapest and mostefficient way to get calcium to your orchids. Crush the egg shells intopieces as small as possible or use a pestle and mortar to grind theminto a powder. Sprinkle it on the bark in the pot.
A morelabor intensive way is to boil 10 eggshells in half a gallon of waterand let them steep for eight hours. Strain out the eggshells, store ina covered container and use weekly.
EpsomSalts (contains Magnesium)
Magnesium,another nutrient required, can be given to the orchid in the form of ateaspoon of Epsom salts in the water. (Advice on the amount of Epsomsalts vary from1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon in 1 gallon of water)
Waterthat rice has been boiled in
Provideextra minerals for your orchid by using the water that rice has beenboiled in. (Brown rice is better as the brown rice shell containsniacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and folic acid - many of these nutrientsare lost during the process of turning brown rice into white rice).Today's rice manufacturing methods often fortify white rice with othernutrients such as calcium. Whatever rice you use, make sure you let itcool to room temperature before pouring it into your orchid pot!
Precautions
If youare unsure that your orchids will thrive with the use of your homemadeorchid fertilizer, you could try using them on the least favorite inyour collection as a trial run!
Rememberto flush your orchid pot through once a month, with plenty of water, towash out any build up of fertilizer salts that may have occurred.
Watchfor over-fertilizing - signsinclude:
- Whitishcrusts on the potting medium.
- Blackenedroots.
- Leavesdying at the tips.
Byusingall or any of the above you cannot be sure that your orchid is gettingthe correct amount of nutrients. Watch your plants carefully and takenote of good and bad reactions and if all else fails use a commercialfertilizer for peace of mind (and your orchids well being). CommercialOrchid Fertilizers are likely to be labeled using a N-P-K scale. Thisdescribes the concentration of each of the three macro-nutrients(Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K)) in the mix. Awater-soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer is ideal for most orchids.
CanI use the orchid compost to feed my orchid and do without a fertilizer?
Orchidcompost (bark for example) does not contain many nutrients. Thiscompares to other common household pot plants which usually have enoughfood in the compost when you buy them to last for the first six weeks.Therefore, you should start a feeding regime as soon as you buy anorchid. Feed your orchids a weak, watered -down liquid fertilizer(homemade or commercial) once a week or on alternate waterings.
Innature, orchids are watered and fed with whatever is dissolved in therainwater. Capturing rainwater may or may not be an option for youdepending on where you live in the world, but most of us are going tohave access to milk, tea, chicken bones, rice and potatoes, or acommercial fertilizer!
Howdoes homemade orchid fertilizer compare to commercial orchid fertilizer?
Homemadeorchid fertilizer may be easy to create, but its rare for one householditem to contain the appropriate balance of N-P-K levels, and itsdifficult to be certain of the precise level of nutrients that thehomemade fertilizer is providing for your orchids. Commercialfertilizer has the advantage of providing consistent N-P-K levels feedafter feed. In addition, its possible to match the required N-P-Klevels of your specific orchid species with the specification on thelabel of thecommercial orchid fertilizer being considered.
If youwish to read further information on HomemadeOrchid Fertilizer Recipes, some popular recommendedreading is::
Most orchid lovers are takingadvantage of giving their beloved orchids consistent N-P-K levels feedafter feed, see what they aresaying about the results of the most popular orchid fertilizers thatare on sale:
- Popular Water Soluble Orchid Food
- Innovative Orchid Food Mist Bottle
- Leading Orchid Bloom Booster
- Perfect sized box of Soluble Orchid Food
If youfound this HomemadeOrchid Fertilizer Recipes Guideuseful, please click the "Like" button below, and leaveus a comment in the box. Thankyou!
Readmore advice on Howto Care For YourOrchids-in particular our PhalaenopsisMothOrchids Care Guide and our CymbidiumOrchids Care Guide.
