A gardening expert has shared a clever trick that will make your orchids bloom twice a year instead of just once – and it involves an unlikely household ingredient
A gardening expert has just let slip a household hack that might have your orchids flowering more than once a year. The green-minded Kiva Kriti from London took to TikTok with her brilliant tip which has been turning her own plant into a twice-yearly showstopper instead of the usual solo performance.
Kiva’s hack? Simply chop up a banana peel, let it stew in some warm water for a couple of hours, et voilà – banana tea for your thirsty orchids. Every 10 days or so is the sweet spot for this ritual, as Kiva shows off her lush and lively floral friend. She wraps up with a cheerful reminder: “Happy plant, happy you”.
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Delving deeper, when grilled about the frequency of this banana infusion in her foliage routine, Kiva dished out: “I do I.T. once a month [during] blooming time.”
Curiosity peaked among her viewers, with one user asking: “Can this cause bugs or mould, or something?” to which Kiva assured: “Not really.”
However, not everyone’s got the Midas touch; Zama_lunga lamented: “My orchids are dying because of this.” Pro tip from Kiva: “Please don’t over water it.”
These delicate blossoms can’t stand the sogginess; hence the planter needs proper runoff, a trick Kiva nails by tipping the watering can over her orchid right above the sink.
Seasons of bloom can differ, says horticulture expert Victoria Lee Blackstone, and it varies wide across the orchid species spectrum, reports the Express.
Moth orchids are known to hit their peak blooming period in March, and with the right TLC, they can keep their stunning flowers for “several months”. Plant expert Ms Blackstone recommends that those with a green thumb should repot their spring-blooming Cattleyas “immediately” once the flowering season is over.
For those passionate about orchids, it’s important to note that these plants’ roots may sometimes outgrow their homes, signalling it’s time for an upgrade to a bigger pot.
Plant expert Graham Rice, who’s well-respected in horticultural circles, has shared with the Royal Horticultural Society that coaxing certain orchid varieties into a second bloom can be quite the task, especially when trying to do so indoors.
But he’s not without advice – he suggests a cooler temperature at night than during the day could be key.
Rice advises that a five-degree drop in temperature come evening might just encourage the orchids to flower again, and sometimes simply moving them to another room can make all the difference.
