Orchids that have lots of healthy leaves (three to five to be exact) and roots will bloom quite easily.
If your orchid is not in this state it won’t bloom, but there’s one kitchen staple that can be added to its water to help it and encourage it to bloom – garlic.
Any home cook knows that adding garlic to meals works wonders for amplifying flavour.
But you may not be aware that its value extends outside of the kitchen. Garlic is a powerful gardening tool that can benefit just about any garden plant and houseplant.
Not only does its smell keep certain pests at bay, but garlic also works to fertilise the soil as it’s rich in phosphorus, a nutrient that helps gardens grow abundantly, and potassium, which will keep your plant’s leaves, fruits, and flowers to be in their best shape.
Sticking leftover garlic skins into the soil is one way to go, but this gardening hack from the TikTok account @judybaogarden offers a much more efficient way to give your plants a taste of garlic, specifically orchids.
The caption of the video reads: “Here’s one way mom helps her [phalaenopsis] orchids bloom.”
Judy started by telling the camera what’s needed for this hack – a hammer, plastic bag, one clove of garlic and a 500ml bottle of water.
To make the garlic water solution, simply add a clove to the plastic bag, and then crush it before adding it to the bottle of water.
Give the bottle a shake and let the mixture sit for at least a day – two to three days for an even better result – in a cool, dark place before use.
Be sure to strain the garlic water after it’s been sitting for a few days. This will ensure the ultra-powerful garlic doesn’t over-fertilise your plants.
Strained garlic water will also keep longer, in case you’re not planning on using it right away.
The solution can last multiple months in the fridge, so fill up a few bottles to store for later.
In the video that now has over 25,000 likes, Judy said: “It helps the flower bloom like this one week later.”
Showing the camera the after results, one of the three orchid buds had fully bloomed.
A bulb of garlic is something everyone will have, but if not you can pick one up at Sainsbury’s for just 24p, or Asda, or Morrisons.
Garlic can not only help houseplants but it can also be used in the garden to keep slugs, snails and ants at bay.
