Garlic and beer: Secret homemade fertilizers for orchids

Orchids are among the most popular houseplants. Although many people decorate their homes with them, not everyone knows how to care for them properly. A homemade nutrient solution can help ensure your orchids overflow with flowers.

Orchids beautifully decorate the apartments and homes of Americans. They are most often placed on windowsills or tables to get sunlight. However, many people water them without much attention. Not everyone realizes that orchids—though not too demanding—occasionally need a homemade nutrient solution. Here is one that works well.

Thankfully, orchids do not require specialized nutrients that would cost extra money. We can easily make one at home, and it works just as well as the ones from gardening stores. We only need two ingredients to prepare one of these solutions: garlic and water. What should we do with them, and how should we water the plant?

Mince a garlic clove into small pieces and pour 1 quart (about 1 liter) of water over it. Cover the mixture and sit it in a dark place for 24 hours. Then, strain the garlic through a sieve and water the orchids with the remaining water. It is best to do this once a month to see the effects. The orchid will grow faster and produce new flowers thanks to this nutrient solution.

Another way to keep your orchid in good condition—or sometimes to save it—is to use homemade fertilizer whose main ingredient is low-alcohol, light beer. This trick has a few rules to follow.

First, the beer should not be flavored, as such beers contain harmful dyes and sweeteners. Second, the beer must be set aside for at least a few hours to go completely flat. After that time, mix 2 ounces (about 50 milliliters) of beer with a glass of water and water the plant with it. This homemade fertilizer is best used once a month.