Orchids are among the most beautiful houseplants that are often given as gifts on various occasions. Phalaenopsis in particular is one of the species that can be found in almost every home. However, it often happens that the plants no longer bloom after flowering and look lifeless. This can have various causes, but often the right fertilizer can help the orchid thrive and bloom again. Today we'll take a closer look at a popular home remedy and explain whether coffee or coffee grounds are suitable for orchids.
Ground coffee beans have a reputation for being an excellent addition to your plant fertilizer, but are the benefits the same for orchids? Are coffee grounds really the miracle cure that ensures healthy growth and lush flowers?
What coffee grounds bring to plants
While browsing the Internet, you have probably come across information at least once that orchids benefit from the addition of coffee grounds. TheBenefits of coffee for plantsare well known - it contains a high concentration of important minerals and trace elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. These minerals contribute to the healthy growth of many plants by supporting root development and promoting photosynthesis. In addition, the slightly acidic nature of coffee grounds helps to improve the physical structure of the soil, increase the organic content, improve drainage and create a more favorable environment for some crops. Some, but certainly not all.
Coffee grounds are indeed useful for plants, but only for those thatlive in soil.
Coffee grounds have their purpose and are well suited for many garden and house plants. It is for orchidsnot useful, and we explain why.
In the soil, various beneficial bacteria break down elements and present them in a form that can be absorbed by plants. The goal of using coffee grounds is to get the coffee into a form that can be absorbed by plants, essentially the ammonia and nitrate. This is most easily done by nitrifying bacteria (also called nitrifiers, nitrificans or saltpeter bacteria) that are present in the soil.
But orchids don't live in soil. In short, the bacteria necessary to convert the coffee grounds into something the orchid can absorb are simply not present in the orchid bark (or at least not in sufficient quantities to make a difference). In normal Earth things look a little different.
But this is the main reason why coffee beans (either fresh beans or ground and brewed) will have no effect on your orchid. The orchid roots simply cannot absorb the coffee in the form it is in and need bacteria or even earthworms to do this. Once the coffee is digested by the earthworms and converted into ammonia and nitrate, the orchid can absorb the nitrogen, potassium, calcium and all other minerals contained in the coffee. However, since these are not contained in the orchid substrate, the orchid cannot benefit from them.
In its natural form, coffee only turns the orchid roots brown. Coffee doesn't make it past the velamen (covering of the aerial roots), and even if it did, the roots wouldn't know what to do with it.
Also read:Coffee grounds against grubs: Fight the annoying pests with this natural remedy!
Coffee beans can help against pests on orchids
However, coffee is not completely useless when it comes to orchid care. The main benefit of coffee beans for orchids is that they repel pests. When you scatter the beans around your orchid display, the strong coffee scent will repel most insects andPests that attack orchids, ward off.
Summary of orchids and coffee grounds
Although coffee and coffee grounds are touted as a miracle cure for many plants, including orchids, its use is not as beneficial as it is claimed to be.
Even as mulch, adding leftover coffee grounds to the orchid pot will not help your orchid because, firstly, coffee in its natural form without nitrifiers cannot be absorbed by the orchid roots and, secondly, the nitrogen released is due to the presence of bacteria and earthworms and is not caused by the coffee grounds.
The only benefit of adding coffee to your orchid would be that it acts as a pest deterrent, although the high concentration of caffeine inhibits plant growth rather than promoting it.
Although coffee beans contain a lot of nitrogen, they arenot a suitable fertilizer for orchids, because unlike houseplants in pots, certain microbes (nitrifiers) must be present in the soil to break down the coffee beans. Because orchids are epiphytes, the microbes around their roots are not the same as those in the soil. The coffee grounds remain on the pot and cannot be absorbed by the plant.
If you are looking for a good home remedy to fertilize your orchids, then you can use tea.In this articleLet's name 3 proven methods for using tea bags as orchid fertilizer.
