A woman has shared a clever hack that helps her orchids to bloom at home in just one week - and all you need is a bulb of garlic and a trusty bottle of water
Lifestyle Angela Patrone Senior Lifestyle Reporter and Rom Preston-Ellis Assistant News Editor 17:04, 16 Apr 2025
Orchids with a healthy number of leaves (specifically three to five) and roots are known to bloom quite easily. However, if your orchid isn't in this state, it won't bloom. But there's a common kitchen ingredient that can be added to its water to help it bloom - garlic.
Every home cook knows the magic that garlic brings to meals by enhancing their flavour. But what you might not know is that garlic's usefulness extends beyond the kitchen. It's a potent gardening tool that can benefit virtually any garden plant or houseplant.
Not only does its aroma deter certain pests, but garlic also acts as a soil fertiliser due to its richness in phosphorus, a nutrient that promotes abundant growth in gardens, and potassium, which maintains the health of your plant's leaves, fruits, and flowers.
One method is to insert leftover garlic skins into the soil, but a more efficient gardening hack for using garlic, specifically with orchids, comes from the TikTok account @judybaogarden.
The video's caption reads: "Here's one way mom helps her [phalaenopsis] orchids bloom." Judy begins by listing the items needed for this hack - a hammer, plastic bag, one clove of garlic and a 500ml bottle of water.
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To create the garlic water solution, simply place a clove in the plastic bag, crush it, and then add it to the bottle of water.
Give your potion a good shake and stash it away for at least one day – better still, let it brew for two to three days in a cool and dark corner before you start using it.
Don't forget to filter the potent garlic infusion after a few days' rest, reports the Express. It'll stop the mighty garlic from giving your greens too much of a good thing.
If you've made more garlicky elixir than needed, worry not – once strained, it stays fresh longer, just in case you're not ready to drench your plants with love immediately.
Stashed in the chill of your fridge, this concoction can keep your green mates happy for months. Why not batch up and have a stock ready for when your garden calls?
In a clip that's snagged over 25,000 likes, the green-fingered guru Judy raved: "It helps the flower bloom like this one week later."
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With a proud show-and-tell, Judy flashed the outcome to viewers; out of the three timid orchid buds, one had triumphantly blossomed.
Not a soul lacks a garlic bulb in their kitchen, but on the off chance you're missing it, scoop one for a mere 24p at Sainsbury's, Asda, or Morrisons.
Garlic's magic isn't just for indoor plant charms – it's equally handy outdoors, warding off pesky slugs, snails, and ants from your beloved garden sanctuary.
