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Lemons, cinnamon and packing peanuts oh my!
Yes, these three common household items and can actually help you grow healthier, more beautiful orchids!
USING LEMON JUICE TO REMOVE WATER SPOTS,
CLEAN & SHINE YOUR ORCHID LEAVES
If your orchid has water-spotted or dirty leaves, you can use lemon juice to clean the leaves. The white, crusty water spots are usually caused by hard water or excessive fertilizer.
To clean your plants leaves, get a real lemon (some people will use the bottled lemon juice with the same success, although I think fresh lemon juice works better), cut it in half and get a clean new paper towel. You do not have to dilute the lemon juice, full strength is fine!
Squeeze some lemon juice (it's okay if there are seeds) onto a clean paper towel and use the paper towel to gently wipe/scrub the tops of the leaves. Try it! It really works!
DO NOT CLEAN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LEAVES - ONLY THE TOPS! The undersides are where the plant breathes and you don't want to accidentally rub anything into these breathing holes (called stomata).
Use a new paper towel for each orchid. The lemon juice will help dissolve thos calcium hard water spots, will clean the leaves and leave them bright and shiny! The lemon juice will not harm the orchid.
As an alternative, some people use Mayonaise, Milk (esp buttermilk) and other natural substances such as Neem Oil or horticultural oil to clean/polish the leaves of their orchid.
Note that some orchids will "shine up" better than others - usually Phalaenopsis or Moth orchids shine up well, while Cattleyas may not as much.
USING CINNAMON SPICE (POWDER) TO STOP FUNGAL & BACTERIAL ROT & TO HEAL WOUNDS
Orchids that are experiencing crown root rot (most common on phalaenopsis or moth orhcids where the upper leaves turn yellow or brown and fall off - or when more than one leaf turns yellow or multiple leaves fall off the plant - this is a result of overwatering, dead roots or allowing water to sit in the crown of the plant) can usually be stopped in its tracks with Cinnamon.
Yes, cinnamon - the spice you put in your cinnamon rolls that you'll find a handy bottle of in almost every kitchen.
Cinnamon comes from several types of trees and it often has anti-microbial (anti-biotic anti bacterial and anit-fungal properties).
To stop rot, simply spring cinnamon into the top crown of the plant and all around. You can also use it to treat leaf edges that you cut away dead material and on common black and brown spots on the leaves (either bacterial or fungal infections or sunburn).
If you are repotting and there are lots of dead roots, you may also wish to sprinkle some cinnamon on the roots before repotting (you may also want to use hydrogen peroxide... see below).
The cinnamon will help dry up the infections!
USING FOAM PACKING PEANUTS TO HELP YOUR ORCHIDS GET BETTER AIRFLOW TO THEIR ROOTS
Using foam packing peanuts (not the biodegrable ones) at the bottom of your pot when you repot an orchid can help provide airflow to your orchids roots! A few packing peanuts placed at the bottom of the pot allows air to get to the roots and prevents the roots from sitting in soggy saturated potting medium.
Packing peanuts can also be used in a decorative larger pot (allow at least 1" all around the actual pot your orchid is planted in) to help hold up and stablize your orchid. Simply use packing peanuts below and around the pot your orchid is planted in, to fill the space in the decorative pot. Then simply cover lightly (allowing airflow) with DRY moss (not wet).
USING HYDROGEN PEROXIDE WHEN REPOTTING YOUR ORCHIDS
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