Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Sci
I'm not convinced that any rooting agents actually work on orchids.
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I don't understand that at all.
The roles of auxins & cytokinins are well-established in all vascular plants. The fact that they may not appear to work might be attributable to the quality of the product used (water-soluble auxins are prone to rapid degradation) or the expectations of the user. (I once had an Amazon KelpMax customer request a refund because he saw no root growth within a few days of application...)
For purposes of discussion, I classify stimulants in one of three ways, "direct", "indirect", and "shortcut".
Products containing auxins and cytokinins - KLN, Superthrive and others - are direct stimulants. They artificially boost the concentration of the hormones in the plants' system, stimulating action. Overdosing can lead to flower deformation (I've done it. Fortunately, it's reversible), stunted growth, "leggy" growth (if the cytokinins are in greater concentration than the auxins), or plant death.
Mega Thrive is an “indirect stimulant”. It is a urea-based foliar treatment that contains “mega” doses of molybdenum and boron. By delivering high doses of those trace elements, the plant is stimulated into producing auxins that stimulate root growth. Anecdotally, it seems to work well, but there are some potential down-sides to it’s use: one is the possibility of killing the plant by overdosing those trace elements, another is the flower deformation/stunted plant growth thing from the boosted auxins, and a third is the possibility of killing a child or pet that may chew on the plant, as the molybdenum makes the plant itself toxic.
Some probiotics
might be considered "indirect stimulants", as many bacteria species secrete indole-acetic acid, an auxin that stimulates root growth, but generally, I think it's better to simply expect them to be "protectors" more than anything else.
There are species in Quantum-Total that are nitrogen-fixing and photosynthesizing, so they produce food and fuel from right within the plant, without it having to expend its own resources to do so, so that might also be construed as a "shortcut" stimulant.
That is also where I place KelpMax, which is, without a doubt, the safest and most effective stimulant available. While it does contain some natural hormones, making it "direct", it’s level of stimulation is far greater than one would expect for the amount contained, and that has been attributed to the other plant growth regulators, vitamins, amino acids, alginates and other polysaccharides present in the kelp juice, which can be used immediately - sort-of like an IV. Unlike other kelp extracts, those "shortcut chemicals" are not destroyed during production. Even the producers don't have a solid handle on the product's action, but laboratory and field studies all confirm its efficacy.
Hybrid Mode
