Orchids are mostly plants that don’t grow in the ground. Then the question arises about the effectiveness of fertilization with all kinds of household products, such as coffee, milk or cut bananas.
Experts say that a good natural fertilizer should be water-based, solids-free, and well-fermented for immediate nutrient absorption. Know that it is a myth to put coffee or eggshells in the jar of your orchid. It will not be able to absorb these nutrients, because it is a very special flower.
The natural and much more effective version is the yeast orchid fertilizer. Yeast is the most effective natural fertilizer that contains many B vitamins. The perfect balance of these substances promotes the growth of plant roots, making them stronger and easier to transplant.
What is a good natural fertilizer for orchids?
Natural fertilization is a bit more complicated than simply discharging an organic matter into the soil of the plants. This requires a holistic ecosystem with healthy communities of microorganisms, the right temperature, humidity, and the time it takes to break down the large nutrient molecules in organic matter into smaller chemical molecules before they can be absorbed by the plant’s roots.
The principle of organic fertilization is to nourish the soil rather than the plants. Microbes in soil can take anywhere from 3 weeks to a few months to metabolize large molecules of organic matter such as proteins into smaller molecules. But, since orchids do not grow in the soil, the way to naturally fertilize epiphytic orchids should not be aimed at feeding the soil for release. On the contrary, an immediate release of nutrients is needed. Also, what makes natural fertilization more difficult for orchid growers is the approach that most orchids grown indoors are not natural to their original habitat. This includes:
- Growing Potted Orchids
- Growing orchids at home
- Orchids growing in a medium of moss and bark
- Rinse or soak orchids periodically to prevent salt buildup on the roots
- Change the environment every 2 years to avoid decay and root rot
Fertilizer for yeast orchids: the recipe
A good natural fertilizer suitable for growing orchids indoors should be water-based to facilitate the rapid release of nutrients. Follow these notes to make your yeast seasoning recipe:
- 1 kilogram of yeast diluted in 5 litres of water
- Dilute the solution with water in the ratio of 1:10 before use.
If you have dry yeast instead of the usual yeast:
- Count 10 grams per 10 l of hot water
- Add two tablespoons of sugar
- Let the mixture sit for a few hours.
- As a rule, this solution is used for watering flower beds, vegetables, fruit trees and berry and orchid shrubs.
Myths about natural fertilizers for orchids
There is nothing wrong with fertilizing plants naturally, as natural fertilizers work well for plants. But many people make it sound too simplistic. Below, I’ll tell you about the problems with some myths of these commonly recommended natural fertilizers to avoid orchid maintenance mistakes.
Coffee: The use of coffee to fertilize orchids is one of the main myths. Coffee works well as a fertilizer for garden plants with soil. But not really for indoor orchids. Are coffee grounds good for houseplants? Especially for fertilizing orchids, this poses several problems. It can clog the foam support, reducing airflow to the roots and thus increasing the risk of root rot. In addition, coffee grounds take a long time, for the protein to be broken down by microbes and release its nitrogen for root absorption. Again, epiphytic orchids don’t grow in the soil, so it’s debatable whether there are enough microbes, if at all, around the roots to break down nitrogen. Coffee grounds can also attract rotting gnats and pests.
Eggshells: There are recommendations for cooking eggshells, grinding them into a powder, and then spraying them on orchid leaves or applying them directly to the substrate. The claim is that burnt eggshells provide orchids with calcium phosphate. The problem is very similar to that of coffee grounds. Eggshell dust can clog the orchid’s medium, reducing airflow to the roots. And applying eggshell powder to the leaves won’t work, because the protein molecule is too large to pass through the small pores of the leaves. So, beware of myths.
