Of course, as diligently as your orchids have bloomed, they deserve a good portion of nutrients. Or perhaps the opposite is true and the flowers are missing, which is why you really want to give the flowers the best pampering program? Natural remedies such as coffee grounds, potato water and even beer (my personal favorite) are particularly popular. But can you fertilize orchids with bulbs?
First of all: Yes, it is possible and also perfect for using up leftovers. However, you also need to prepare and use the vegetables correctly. What should be taken into accountif you have your orchidswant to fertilize with onions?
Fertilizing orchids with bulbs: which parts do you use?
You actually don't need the whole onion, so you don't have to use it in your next dishproper orchid careso don't withhold the onion. Instead, simply use what you would throw away anyway for the liquid fertilizer: the onion peels.
Did you know that yeast is also suitable?Find out more here.
Ingredients for onion fertilizer from peels
Water and onion peels – that’s all you need. Of course, the amount depends primarily on the number of orchids you have. We recommend that you only prepare the liquid fertilizer when necessary, as it only has a limited shelf life in the refrigerator. You can then simply use the remaining submerged water for other house or garden plants instead of throwing it away.
Or freeze it in ice cube trays and use it later. What you should consider when using ice cubes for orchidsfind out here.
Use the following ingredient quantities as a basic recipeand double it if necessary:
- 1.5 liters of water
- 1 handful of onion peels
Natural orchid fertilizer – How to prepare it
- Place the water and peels in a saucepan.
- Heat the contents and bring everything to a boil.
- After a short cooking time of just 6 minutes, yoursnatural fertilizer for orchidsalmost finished too.
- Strain the peels and allow the fertilizer to cool before using for watering or dipping.
The bowls can then be easily removedon the compost heap.
Fertilizing orchids with onions: recipe with onion pieces
You can actually use the onion itself too. However, keep in mind that this is significantly stronger and should therefore be diluted more. Otherwise, you only need two ingredients for this variant:
- 50 g onions, chopped
- 1 liter of water
How to prepare this natural fertilizer
- Boil the onion and water.
- Let everything simmer over low heat for a few minutes.
- Strain the onion pieces and let the liquid cool.
- You will receive a concentrate that you must definitely dilute before use.
- Mix the fertilizer with water in a 1:5 ratio.
How often can/should you fertilize orchids?
The effort is really low. And if you now consider that you only need to fertilize your orchids with bulbs once a month, this option sounds even more tempting, right? But how often and when do I fertilize orchids?
An exception is the rest phase. Orchids usually rest in winter or after flowering, which usually takes place in winter. During this time, the plant stops growing and therefore does not need any fertilizer. You should only keep them from drying out and reduce the frequency of watering.
Benefits of onion decoction in plant care
The brew obviously supplies the plants with important nutrients. But that is by no means the only advantage.The miracle cure onion brothIt also has the property of protecting against pests and some diseases. For this reason, the product is also so popular in garden care (for example for roses). For this purpose, you can also wipe the leaves with a soft cloth dipped in the brew and wrung out.
So if you want to fertilize your orchids with bulbs, you can also use this for your other plants. In this case, for a larger number of plants, the variant with concentrated fertilizer is particularly worthwhile, as you get a larger quantity from it.
How to use beerfind out here.