Pour coffee grounds on your orchids. Here are the three benefits of this simple approach. Let’s see together how and why it works.
The world of gardening is extremely vast and full of different terms to know. Anyone with a green thumb knows this well. To run a garden or simply take care of all the plants that we choose to decorate the house or balcony, a series of knowledge is required. Ideas and awareness that accumulate over time through experience, practice and study. Caring for the flora and all of its plants is one of the most complicated things: it requires a certain consistency, regularity and precision . It is wrong to offer the same care to everyone without distinction. Every plant needs individual care. There are certainly more “independent” systems that require the least effort. However, many other plants require special and precise care or risk their early death. There are a series of measures and precautions for our plants that we are not aware of and that can be a real panacea. One of them involves the use of coffee grounds. Let’s see together how they work.
All care and methods for blooming orchids
Today we’re talking to you about the coffee grounds method in relation to a specific flower: orchids . Orchids have always been the most popular ornamental flowers. They make our living and outdoor environments beautiful, harmonious and colorful . They are also very fascinating plants because of their origin: they occur in tropical or subtropical areas of Asia and America. Many species of orchids also grow spontaneously here in Italy, especially in the hilly and mountainous areas. The orchids, which come from very hot and tropical areas, are predominantly epiphytic , which means that their roots cling to the roots of other plants, which serve as support for them. The others, however, are called terrestrial because their roots sink into the ground. The leaves of orchids are very peculiar, band-shaped or oval and arranged alternately. Over the years we have seen the spread of orchid species that also come from places with colder climates and have adapted to the European climate. Botanists have also created orchid hybrids that are much less delicate and easier to reproduce. For this reason, today they are very popular and inexpensive flowers, we find them almost everywhere. Caring for orchids does not require incredible effort, but it does require consistency and dedication. We have to take into account their needs for water, sun, fertilizer , pruning, etc. In order for our orchids to thrive and grow, watering is a basic requirement, as is exposure to sun and temperature. The orchid soil needs to be watered every four days, making sure it stays moist in the meantime. A good solution is to fill a plate with water and place it under the vase: the absorption is constant and gradual. Exposure to light must be at least 8 to 10 hours a day, but not to direct sunlight.
Coffee Grounds and Orchids: Here are the three benefits of using them
When it comes to fertilization , there are many different solutions and today we offer you an unbeatable solution. We have to use a product that costs us nothing: coffee grounds. Let’s see together how and why we should do it. We have just seen how to care for orchids with the right dosage of water and light. A third fundamental element for the proper growth of orchids is fertilizer. Most people resort to purchasing non-natural fertilizers and spend a lot of money on liquid fertilizers sold in specialized stores. These are mostly unnecessary costs: there are dozens of different solutions that require the use of natural and inexpensive products. One of them is coffee grounds. Every day we prepare a lot of coffee and throw away the coffee grounds without knowing that they can be very useful to us. The first advantage of using coffee on orchids is the great help of this product, which has proven to be a really excellent fertilizer for houseplants. It manages to provide them with sufficient nitrogen and phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. A second benefit of coffee is that it can stimulate the growth of plants and also make them immune to many diseases . It is rich in nutrients that are very useful for orchids. The third advantage is the significant savings: no more wasting money on expensive chemical products that are offered to us as the only solution. You just have to pay attention to the dosage : an excessive amount of coffee could be harmful. Here’s how to make it and how much to use.
How to prepare coffee grounds and turn them into fertilizer
You can make a liquid fertilizer for your orchids from coffee grounds. First, put the coffee grounds in a container with two liters of warm water. Then everything must be mixed carefully and left to rest in a place without sunlight for a day or two. You can then filter the mixture and use it as a solution for watering orchids. We recommend doing this fertilization every 21 days when it is spring and the first buds appear. Every seven days in summer . It is better not to fertilize them in winter because they are in the vegetative rest phase . Another way to fertilize orchids with coffee is to make a potting mix by mixing one-quarter coffee grounds with three-quarters regular potting soil. Use this trick to increase the beauty of your beloved orchids: Nutrients are key.
Attention: If your plants are infested with insects such as aphids or scale insects, we advise against using coffee grounds. In fact, you could make the infestation worse. In addition, we strongly recommend that you allow the earth-coffee mixture to dry before use, as placing it wet can lead to the development of mold of various kinds. So let it dry well in the sun and apply it in a central layer, neither at the roots nor at the top. It is not important to have a green thumb: with the tricks listed above, anyone can take excellent care of their plants without having to resort to impossible methods.