Orchids, known for their stunning flowers, are commonly cultivated in homes worldwide. However, they often fail to reach their full potential due to a seemingly trivial factor: lack of nutrients. Fortunately, there’s a completely natural solution to this problem involving leftover rice water.
Rice Water Hydration for Orchids
If you cultivate orchids and want to provide them with natural nutrition, try hydrating them with leftover cooked rice water. This water is rich in essential nutrients like carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. By using it as fertilizer for your orchids, you enable the plants to absorb these nutrients, enhancing their overall health. It’s worthwhile to prepare extra rice water, even if there are no leftovers after cooking rice.
How to Apply Rice Water Hydration to Orchids
Ensure the rice water isn’t too hot before using it, as high temperatures can damage orchid roots. Once cooled, simply use it to water your plants, replacing regular water. While you can use water from any type of rice, white rice water is recommended as it contains the right nutrients (and should not be salted). Excess rice water can be frozen for future use. However, avoid watering orchids with this natural elixir too frequently to prevent rice salt buildup in the soil and potential nutrient overdose. If you notice signs of nutrient excess, such as burned roots or yellowing leaves, reduce the use of rice water and revert to regular water for watering orchids.
Garlic Hydration for Orchids
Rice water hydration is an excellent and environmentally friendly nutrition technique for orchids of any age. However, some orchids may need an additional stimulus to bloom. In such cases, turn to garlic, which contains vital nutrients for plants like sulfur, potassium, and phosphorus. The simplest way to use garlic is by creating a solution as follows:
Crush several garlic cloves and let them soak in warm water for at least 24 hours. Mix the strained solution with water in a 1:5 ratio (1 part garlic solution to 5 parts water). Water your orchids with this mixture once a week.