Homemade fertilizer

[BlakeeBoo]

I live in an area were it is hard to get good quality orchid fertilizer locally. Is there anything that i can use to supplement the things my orchids need. Like how you can plant a banana peel under a rose bush for the potassium. Obviously i would never plant a banana peel under an orchid for fear of rotting but you get the idea. My main concerns are phals and dendrobiums.

[Psyched]

Eggshell and animal bones (chicken or fish) are rich in Calcium and Potassium. Simply dry them and crush then you can sprinkle a few of the powder to orchid roots.

My grandmother told me that water from rinsing rice or meat is good for plants. I have been using rice water for a while and I can say my chids are healthier and greener. Some say it contains vitamin B-1.

That's all I can write on top of my head.

[BlakeeBoo]

Has anyone tried to use bat guano I have a huge supply of that.

[dounoharm]

there is some concoction of epsom salts coca cola and beer that supposedly works....epsom salts is good for greening up but i dont know about the coke and beer...maybe you mix the salts and coke and drink the beer???

[cirillonb]

there must be someone out there that has successfully used common houseplant fertilizers, diluted appropriately for orchids, however.
I am not so sure what the concern about urea based fertilizer is since at least 1 very prominent orchid fertilizer admits to using some.
Nick

[BlakeeBoo]

I have a hydroponic Epsom salt all purpose fertilizer. Should i try that? The coca cola and bear actually make sense. They would both have the phosphoric acid that orchids need, the coke would add extra carbon dioxide and beer isn't actually carbonated it is nitrated (depending on brand) so some bear bubbles are nitrogen not carbon dioxide.

[BlakeeBoo]

Urea is a type of nitrogen but i don't know why some think it is bad for orchids. I think it is just a myth that has woven into orchid society through years of personal preferences getting mixed with actually orchid culture fact.

I may be wrong though so don't be to mean when correcting me.

[Royal]

Originally Posted by BlakeeBoo

Urea is a type of nitrogen but i don't know why some think it is bad for orchids. I think it is just a myth that has woven into orchid society through years of personal preferences getting mixed with actually orchid culture fact.

I may be wrong though so don't be to mean when correcting me.

Nobody here is mean. Nitrogen as urea requires a step or conversion to available nitrogen (into a from a plant can use). Since we grow our orchids in free draining media, any nitrogen needs to be available. If the fertilizer were to persist in soil, urea would eventually be converted by soil microbes - making it available. But since most of our orchid fertilzer just runs through the media and does not persist in "soil", there is minimal conversion from urea to usable N.

Oh, and some beers (stouts mostly) are bottled or canned with NO2, but most are carbonated. All "real" or natural beers are just bottle conditioned and are carbonated by continued yeast metabolism. I'm no orchid expert - but I know my beer!

[violacea]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

Oh, and some beers (stouts mostly) are bottled or canned with NO2, but most are carbonated. All "real" or natural beers are just bottle conditioned and are carbonated by continued yeast metabolism. I'm no orchid expert - but I know my beer!

The magazine put forth by our local Orchid Society once ran an article by a medical doctor whose hobby was growing orchids. It was on "beering" his orchids. He takes everyone's leftover beer after a party and dilutes it, maybe ten times. And then splashes this over his orchids. I remember the phrase, "Orchids love beer!" he stated.

So I tried it, but only once. Orchids are so slow growing I didn't detect any positive response! What I'm saying is go ahead and try it if you want.

The difference between a delicate orchid trying to survive and those hardy ones in our gardens that grow like weeds and are near indestructable is that the delicate hothouse orchid might die with the beer on them.

Well, that's my two cents worth.

[violacea]

Originally Posted by BlakeeBoo

Urea is a type of nitrogen but i don't know why some think it is bad for orchids. I think it is just a myth that has woven into orchid society through years of personal preferences getting mixed with actually orchid culture fact.

I may be wrong though so don't be to mean when correcting me.

No, BlakeeBoo, you are not wrong. In Singapore where I am, there is a gardening book put forth by one of our Botanic Garden pioneers called Eric Holttum. He advocates using urine, a very valuable fertiliser which is full of urea, diluted 37 times and left to rot for a day. They throw this on all the orchids which bloom well and grow well with the treatment. Of course it stinks then, but you can always hose it off after the plant has drunk in the urea. When very dilute, there is no smell.

Hope this doesn't sound gross for those not used to the idea. It isn't done too often nowadays, though.