Orchids typically tend to bloom once a year but are incredibly long-lasting as they can flower for months at a time with the proper care. It is important to keep on top of an orchid's lighting, watering and temperature to keep it flowering, but you can also speed up the process naturally using only items in your home. One gardener has insisted that fertilisation plays a big role when it comes to getting orchids to flower and that you can give this houseplant the nutrients it needs with kitchen ingredients.

Tiffany, a gardening expert and founder of Coconut Mama, has shared her “simple” and homemade fertiliser that will “strengthen an orchid’s roots and allow it to bloom more often”. She said: “A regular fertiliser routine, along with being kept at a warmer temperature in bright, indirect light, will keep this gorgeous exotic plant happy for years to come. Seriously – orchids can live up to 20 years!” What to use to make a homemade orchid fertiliser It turns out that many kitchen scraps you would have otherwise thrown away can be used to make an orchid fertiliser as they are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are nutrients plants need to stay healthy.

Tiffany said: “Milk, eggshells, tea bags, rice water, and molasses can be diluted in water to dispense critical nutrients. “For this homemade orchid fertilizer recipe , we used molasses. Molasses is high in potassium and micronutrients that help strengthen the orchid’s root system.

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