Coffee for fertilizer?

[Royal]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Yes, boiled potatoes. Before rice is cooked, it's gotta be rinsed, that water with all the cloudy mess is the stuff you want. It's high in carbohydrates and other sugars.

Good tip! Any specific application or just general use?

[isurus79]

Fireflie,
Im just curious, but why do you wish to know about home made fertilizers? Will you use it as an additive to your normal fertilizers or as a main fertilizer. I guess Im just curious as to why people wish to use and do use unusual or exotic ferts when normal ferts are often less expensive and work fine. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!! I appreciate any insight you have.

[kiki-do]

Next thing you know, we'll be seeing "female urine" in the For Sale section of OB Classified.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by kiki-do

Next thing you know, we'll be seeing "female urine" in the For Sale section of OB Classified.

Gross.

[fireflie]

isurus79,

It's a bit difficult to buy fertilizer for orchids or indoor plants in my area.

For the past year I have used only water to grow my orchids which have bloomed twice or so.

I would like to give my plants some kind of nutrients. This is why I ask what can be done at home. I like the simpler approach.

I think I'll try diluted coffee (freeze-dried) or rice water every other week.

Thanks for all the help.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

Good tip! Any specific application or just general use?

Like I mentioned, Taeniophyllum liked it. It looked much bigger than with a normal soaking or a soaking with commercial fertilizers. I mean, the difference is noticeable.

Try with more sensitive plants like Pleurothallids.

[dianecty]

As I mentioned in another post, I read a post here where a Malaysian woman watered her orchids with rice washing, meat washing and fish washing water and the orchids love it!!

I just saved my pasta water and will use that next tme I water!!

By the way, in my country, the Philippines, some Chinese people think that drinking their own urine makes them auto-immune to disease! This is really gross and my dad, who is a doctor says that drinking your own urine is drinking all the yucky stuff that your body does not want or need. Why would anyone do that? My uncle did!

When I was a child, I used to pour my chamber pot urine onto our jasmine plant! It had no smell once I used it and the jasmine was fat and full of blooms. Another jasmine plant beside did not get any and was skinny.

[tim abbott]

Hmmm, sounds like a good way to mark my territory.

Tim Abbott

[gixrj18]

Molasses is a really high source of potassium, and epsom salt is a good source of magnesium. Also, you can put rusty nails in the medium to get your iron.

[Ray]

I'd bet that - in many of the examples noted - "the orchids love it" because they would starve without it.

I know cymbidium growers in Taiwan that fertilize with diluted, spoiled milk, but they acknowledge that it's a cost-cutting move and the plants need a "real" fertilizer periodically or they will be nutrient-deficient and succumb to diseases.