---
title: "Hi, what’s your thoughts on coffee ground watering or rice water…"
description: "Hi, what’s your thoughts on coffee ground watering or rice water watering for my orchid? In my old house I’d feed with rice water or coffee water now and again…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/JmTUi1iSQr6-tX35luAMXQ/Oc6ZcDMNje7v6ZakJmGPp2"
community: "The Orchid Oasis"
author: "Sarah"
published: "2025-03-25T12:52:20.325439Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/F78xl1bS7YSUeboeBZqhorMBjr_JM7hJRYmp7nY3QHc/sHo_64gdTuq8KaW79mWxiQ.webp?size=large"
---

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# Hi, what’s your thoughts on coffee ground watering or rice water…

_Posted by Sarah on 2025-03-25_

Hi, what’s your thoughts on coffee ground watering or rice water watering for my orchid? In my old house I’d feed with rice water or coffee water now and again and I noticed a positive difference.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/F78xl1bS7YSUeboeBZqhorMBjr_JM7hJRYmp7nY3QHc/sHo_64gdTuq8KaW79mWxiQ.webp?size=large)

## 4 comments

### Sunny commented on 2025-03-25

I have not used coffee grounds since I don’t drink coffee. But, rice water works because it has the water soluble nutrients that leach off the rice as it is washed, up to 70 percent, and it’s a starch that is food to the good fungus and bacteria that promote root health.

Google “Combined benefits of fermented washed rice water and NPK mineral fertilizer on plant growth and soil fertility over three field planting cycles.” It’s an article on the National Institute of Health’s website. I can’t add the link here.

#### Sarah replied on 2025-03-25

Thank you. So could I continue to use rice water instead of fertiliser? Is it like the same thing?

#### Jen replied on 2025-03-25

It’s not the same. A good orchid fertilizer has a balance of a wide range of both macro and micro nutrients that orchids need. Rice water may have some magnesium and potassium, but no where near everything a good fertilizer provides.

#### Sunny replied on 2025-03-25

I agree with Jen that rice water is insufficient since the NPK ratios are all less than 0.1. Rice water, fermented 3 days per the test, combined with regular fertilizer in a 50/50 ratio produced more growth compared to commercial fertilizer alone or using rice water alone. Read the test articles.

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