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Keith Davis Talking About Purely Organic (timestamped) Keith's Purely Organic Experiment ---------- Post added at 01:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ---------- So what concentration of triacontanol should we apply to our orchids? Beyond the purported effects of purely organic fertilizer the research into triacontanol has shown beneficial effects on photosynthesis, growth, yield, flower count, nutrient uptake and much more across a wide variety of plants. To the extent of my research on its use in orchids the best concentration for orchids seems to range from 0.01ppm to 1ppm. The website I bought my triacontanol from suggests that 0.5-1ppm is beneficial in most plants. Rose growers use 10-50ppm to promote basal breaks. For the purposes of my initial experiments I'm going to apply triacontanol at a concentration of about 1 ppm. After a couple of months I will assess its effects and then go up or down in concentration. How to Make a 100ppm Triacontanol Solution: Materials: nitrile gloves safety glasses milligram scale kitchen scale microwave pyrex measuring cups of various sizes 1 gallon distilled/deionized water polysorbate/tween 20 triacontanol powder metal or glass stirring stick or whisk Despite the relative safety of these products... please, PLEASE, PLEASE use safety glasses and gloves when handling and working with chemicals. It boggles my mind how often I see horticulture hobbyists mishandling pesticides and chemicals without PPE. I don't care if you've done it for 20 years and *never got hurt* its bad practice and you could injure yourself or others if you lead by bad example. Protocol: 1. Zero your kitchen scale with a pyrex measuring cup on it. Measure 30 grams of polysorbate 20 into your measuring cup. 2. Using your milligram scale measure out 0.45g of 1-triacontanol powder and add the powder to your pyrex measuring cup containing the polysorbate 20. We're making a 100mg/L (ppm) solution and since the triacontanol is only 90% pure a bit more is weighed out to compensate for this. 3. Place a cloth towel or paper towel in the bottom of your microwave to minimize the cleanup required and wife disappointment if you accidentally boil over the solution. Microwave the polysorbate triacontanol mixture for 30 seconds on high. 4. Swirl or mix the solution, the powder should dissolve and the solution should be optically clear. If not, microwave and mix until the solution is clear. 5. Add 20mL of warm distilled or deionized water to your polysorbate/triacontanol container. If you use cold water the triacontanol will rapidly precipitate and you will have to boil it again or add more polysorbate and then boil to get it back into solution. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds, repeating as necessary until solution is clear. The risk of a foamy boiled over mess is high at this point so be at the ready to stop the microwave if it begins to boil over. 6. In a 1000mL pyrex measuring cup add 500-1000mL of distilled/deionized water and heat in the microwave until warm (80-100F) 7. Take your polysorbate/triacontanol solution and pour slowly into the warm water with gentle mixing. Your solution should be clear, if its cloudy or you notice an oily layer or white crystals you've done something wrong. 8. Pour the warm water/triacontanol/polysorbate 20 mix into the gallon jug with the remainder of the water. 9. Congratulations you have a 100ppm concentrate of triacontanol! Store in a cool space away from light. Polysorbate will eventually break down and triacontanol may fall out of solution in water over time but I'm not sure how long. Notes: 1. You can make your stock solution at any concentration you like but the more triacontanol the more laborious the emulsification process. 2. The concentration of polysorbate in the stock solution is by design; when you dilute out the stock by 100 the resulting solution is still at the critical micelle concentration of polysorbate 20 which is closely related to the ability of the chemical to surround the triacontanol and keep it in solution.  3. Polysorbate 20 is used widely in food, cosmetics and agriculture for various purposes. In horticulture its used to enhance the solubility of pesticides and as a wetting agent. Surfactants can be phytoxic so if you plan to apply triacontanol at higher ppms, adjust the concentration of polysorbate accordingly. 4. I feel like this shouldn't have to be said but please use glassware that will not be used for food. Video References of Which I Adapted this Protocol From |
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Triacontanol: The Rose Grower's Secret
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