‘My orchid failed to push out flowers until I fertilised with a pantry staple - now it produces beautiful blooms’
Rice contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
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Orchids have enjoyed unwavering popularity over many centuries, but their peculiar needs have earned them a reputation as a challenging houseplant.
They're notoriously fussy when it comes to lighting and watering. With a little help, however, they will thrive.
Organic ingredients have emerged as potential solutions for orchid owners seeking to achieve long-lasting blooms.
Rice, in particular, has been explored as a source of nourishment for the plants, with many users reporting success using the pantry staple as a fertiliser.
The unique nutrients in rice are beneficial to orchids
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A content creator who uses the handle florence_brokefanoftay on TikTok recently lauded the hack for helping coax her orchids into bloom.
Sharing a clip of her flowering blooms, she wrote in a caption: “How to make your orchids bloom? Use rice water.
“We have had this orchid for so long and it didn’t bloom at all, but when we started watering them with rice water, bloom flowers came out.”
Used rice water, a common household by-product, is deemed an effective natural fertiliser thanks to nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The success of this solution has also been documented by houseplant enthusiasts on Facebook's Orchids Tips and Tricks group.
“I got this orchid almost 4 years ago, and she has given us flowers or buds without stopping all that time," one gardener shared.
“I soak them in water once a week, use a spray bottle now and then, and recently I washed them thoroughly with water strained from rice and garlic, (soaked in two different containers overnight).
“They all seem happy, and that makes me happy.”
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Orchids are notoriously fussy when it comes to lighting and watering
GETTYThe plant fan pointed out that her “relentless” orchid was preparing to push out new flower spikes.
“She is the first orchid that has survived with me, although I tried lots of times,” she noted.
It comes as another houseplant aficionado shared that orchids can be manipulated to produce bigger and bushier blooms.
“The bushy an orchid is, the more blooms it can produce,” explained orchid enthusiast Danny, who goes by Miss Orchid Girl on YouTube. “In the end, we can end up with a ball of beautiful, gorgeous flowers.”
To achieve these results, gardeners can use a technique known as dividing. They start by removing the clump of plants from the pot and identifying healthy bulbs.
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