An orchid is a plant with colorful and long-lasting flower clusters. So many people love to grow this plant in the home and garden. However, orchids also require more care than some other plants in your garden.
In particular, one of the issues that many gardeners care about is fertilizer for orchids. Each type of plant needs different nutrition and ratio and so does the orchid.
We often hear fertilizers specifically for orchids. However, do these fertilizers have any special ingredients for this plant? Can I use orchid fertilizer on other plants? In this article, we will clarify all the problems related to orchid fertilizer.
What Is Fertilizer For Orchids?
Specific fertilizer for orchids is a completely wrong and misleading concept for gardeners. Most manufacturers often label some fertilizers such as orchid fertilizer or fertilizer for roses….to sell at a higher price in the market.
However, most fertilizers contain ingredients such as ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium phosphate, ammonium phosphate, calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, and cobalt sulfate. These are all the same chemical ingredients in fertilizers to provide nutrients for plants in general and orchids in particular.
Therefore, the high-priced fertilizers on the market with standard designs specifically for orchids have the same composition as most conventional fertilizers.
The only difference is that these fertilizers can be mixed in a ratio more suitable for the growth of orchids than other plants. However, in terms of use and composition, they have no difference.
Can I Use Orchid Fertilizer On Other Plants?
Yes, you absolutely can use specialized fertilizer for orchids to fertilize other plants like lily, roses, and other ornamental plants. It has absolutely no side effects if you don’t fertilize too much or the wrong dose with that plant species.
Although fertilizers for orchids are recommended for other plants, fruits and herbs should be avoided. Because these are the plants you eat every day, ordinary fertilizers will not guarantee the quality and can be harmful to human health.
Each plant species needs a different diet. Most herbs or flowering plants will need less fertilizer than other plants. Therefore, you should not over-fertilize because it can be stress and die.
Is Orchid Fertilizer Effective For Other Plants?
Orchid fertilizers will work for other plants because they contain equal or higher amounts of NPK. All fertilizers contain N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus), and K (Potassium). However, orchid fertilizer has the most balanced and reasonable ratio for plant growth.
The ratio of NPK orchid fertilizer is 10-10-10. This ratio is balanced and consistent with other plants in the garden. So you will see them grow lush and healthy when using orchid fertilizer.
In addition, some chemicals and other nutrients will also help orchid fertilizers bring better effects to other plants. Therefore, some brands have changed the ratio slightly or added a few chemical ingredients to suit specific plants. The cost of these fertilizers will be higher than conventional ones.
However, if you learn the ingredients in detail and mix them yourself, you can still use common fertilizers to fertilize all other plants. As long as you mix the right proportions and are recommended for orchids or other plants.
Some Notes When Choosing Orchid Fertilizer
If you notice your orchid suddenly wilting or growing stunted, check the nitrogen levels in your fertilizer. Nitrogen helps keep foliage healthy and green. The lush foliage will speed up photosynthesis to help plants grow quickly.
Orchid fertilizers are often rich in nitrogen to promote the growth of new branches and stems and promote blooms. In addition to promoting the growth of plant foliage, nitrogen also helps stimulate chlorophyll production to accelerate photosynthesis.
In addition, you should not over-fertilize the orchid because it can wilt due to stress. Normally, you should only fertilize once every 2-3 months. Because too much fertilizer will make the leaves pale and easy for pests to attack.
Read more: Are Self-Watering Pots Good For Orchids?
Orchid Fertilizer Should Be Used For Which Plants?
Orchid fertilizer can be suitable for fertilizing roses, cacti, lilies, air plants, and many other woody perennials. These plants also have nutritional needs suitable for orchid fertilizers such as NPK 10-10-10.
In addition to the trio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, orchid fertilizers also include calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and molybdenum. These nutrients all boost the photosynthesis of your house plants.
Most of the above plants have the same nutritional needs as orchids. Therefore, they are all suitable for fertilizing and growing best without you needing to worry about side effects.
Orchid Fertilizer Should Not Be Used For Which Plants?
You should not use orchid fertilizer on fruits or herbs. As you know, herbs and other plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, or legumes need only a small amount of fertilizer. Therefore, orchid fertilizers are not suitable for fertilizing these plants.
For plants with fruits or herbs, you need to apply specialized fertilizers or inorganic fertilizers to ensure safety when eating. Because the chemical components in orchid fertilizer can affect human health if not used in the right proportion and time.
Therefore, you should avoid fertilizing herbs or fruits. If you have accidentally fertilized orchids for these plants, you need to check the safe time to use as well as disinfect and clean with specialized products.
Conclusion
Orchid fertilizer has the same nutritional composition as conventional fertilizers. So it can perfectly be used to fertilize other plants in your home.
Orchid fertilizer will focus on the balanced ratio of NPK 10-10-10 to stimulate the plant’s chlorophyll production and photosynthesis. So it also goes well with some other plants like roses, cacti, lilies, air plants, and woody perennials.
However, you should not use this fertilizer for plants that have fruit or herbs. Because you will be consuming fruits and herbs every day. The chemical components in orchid fertilizers will be harmful to the health of humans and pets.
In addition, you should not apply too much fertilizer because the plants will die and cannot come back to life. Apply fertilizer according to the manufacturer’s recommendations on the package.