Growth stimulators after growing season... - Orchid Board

tucker85 · #1 09-08-2010, 12:37 PM

I would assume that it’s not a good idea to use growth or root stimulators after the growing season ends around October. How do you feel about products like K-L-N or seaweed extracts during flowering and resting cycles? When do you use products like these?

Connie Star · #2 09-09-2010, 11:19 PM

I'd like to know, too. Anyone?

orchidsamore · #3 09-10-2010, 07:35 AM

I am a commercial nursery and use Essentials brand root hormone year round. The results have been excellent.

The reason to consider restricting chemical fertilizers is that the excess nitrogen encourages leaf growth at a time when 'the plant is not growing strongly'. I think the premise is wrong and the orchids are still growing strong in winter.

As to the specific products mentioned. KLH is simply chemical fertilizer Nitrogen-Phosphorus-potassium with IBA (idyul-butic acid added at the rate of 1 million to 1 - KLH literature)

IBA (commonly sold as roottone) is not soluble in water so the concentration will always be low. It is a manufactured chemical product and not organic. The NPK is the same as any other fertilizer and excess use can burn plants.

Seaweed extracts are excellent year round but expensive and relatively weak.

Essentials brand of root hormones is a totally organic product made from seaweed. The growth ingredient is gibberelic acid similar to IBA in result but it is water soluble and sold at a 1,000 to one ratio. Since it is organic it can not burn plants regardless of dosage. I have forgotten to add water before using it and thus used it 200 times stronger than necessary without ill effects on the plants.

The product is made by extracting the necessary parts of seaweed and other plant products. Then heating and feeding the product until it reaches the high concentrations.

It is not bad advice to lower the use of whichever fertilizer you use in summer, but I would not eliminate it. There are plants that do better without any nitrogen in winter such as Nobile type Dendrobium, but since Essentials does not contain nitrogen I can use it on everything year round.

If you want to stay with chemical fertilizers, then switch to potassium nitrate in the winter rather than a balance fertilizer.

orchidsamore · #4 09-10-2010, 07:41 AM

tucker85

there will be a big display of these and other organic products at the Mounts Botanical Garden show this weekend in West Palm Beach.

I seldom have room for all the products including composting bins, which I will have on display.

If you can not make it I hope to see you at the AOS show Nov. 19-21, which is almost next door for you. We will be there as well. Our booths are under our corporate name Pelican Coast Farms, Inc.