Orchids add life and colour to any space, but if you want your plants to flower more frequently there is one trick you can do which will make them bloom more than once a year.
Watering and fertiliser can make a huge difference to the life cycle of your orchids according to one keen home gardener.
Alana Steele posted to the Orchids Tips and Tricks Facebook page, saying she uses two common household items to fertilise her plants – and it leads to amazing results.
She said: “For the past few months I’ve been feeding my phals [phalaenopsis orchid] banana tea and rice water and I’m finally getting the magnificent blooms I imagined. So thank you for all your tips and tricks.”
Banana peels are rich in potassium, phosphorus, and calcium making them the perfect fertiliser for plants.
To make the most of these nutrient dense peels you can steep fresh banana skins in water for 48 hours, then dilute with four parts water.
You can also cut the banana peel into thin strips, dry it in the sun for two days, and then grind it into a fine powder that can be sprinkled onto the soil.
If you’d rather use rice, you can make rice water by soaking some rice – any type will do – in water for 30 minutes or more, strain the water into a bottle or jar, let ferment for one week and keep it out of direct sunlight.
Make sure you let the rice water “breathe” by loosely screwing the cap on to allow air in, or by covering it with a porous cloth.
Once it’s ready to use on your plants, dilute it with an equal amount of fresh water and spray it on to the roots and leaves of your orchids.
As rice water contains trace amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well as starches that feed beneficial mycorrhizae on the roots, it makes it a very good fertiliser. It also doubles as a natural insecticide for houseplants.
