Use of alcohol in raising orchids

[ChrisJGreen]

WOuld it really be a good idea to introduce yeast etc etc to orchids?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by jcaesar

Do you think it could be sold in a dry form and the buyer adds his/her own Methanol that they obtain from a local source? Did Jerry mention why he stopped production? The last time I communicated with him I believe he mentioned that someone was buying him out (sometime in '03/'04). I have great results with Jerry's Grow...I guess I have to ration my last bottle.

Of course you could do that - if you can find undenatured methanol.

He stopped because of the costs associated with production and shipping associated with the methanol.

[Jerry Delaney]

Originally Posted by littlefrog

I do try to apply some ethanol internally when I'm repotting. Usually in the form of a good beer. But that is more for the grower than the plant.

Hey Rob, would you like some help repotting this spring????

[dounoharm]

good thinking ray, and good advice....there is nothing like a well formulated fertilizer to promote growth and blooming....one that comes from much research and a sound understanding of plant growth habits and nutrition....leave the alcohol to the adults doling out the fertilizer....

[jcaesar]

Originally Posted by Ray

Of course you could do that - if you can find undenatured methanol.

He stopped because of the costs associated with production and shipping associated with the methanol.

Do you have Jerry Rodder's e-mail address? I'd like to contact him. I found methanol on the Internet...UPS charges $20 to ship it. Might be able to find a source locally and bypass shipping altogether.

Does anyone know the shelf life of Jerry's Grow? I found a box with three unopened bottles that have been sitting in a dark closet for the past 4-5 years. The first bottle seems fine.

[Aceetobe]

The patents are available online if I recall, and they have the exact formulation. I contacted Jerry a while ago (ca. 2002) to talk about it right after he stopped production of Jerry's grow.

Methanol is pretty nasty stuff, and I personally would stay away from it. Your liver has this enzyme called Alcohol dehydrogenase which converts alcohols to their respective aldehyde. This is great to get rid of alcohols. Unfortunately, for methanol, the associated aldehyde is formaldehyde. You drink a little bit of methanol, and you'll completely fix your tissue.

Methanol will travel readily through your skin, and will also penetrate thin rubber gloves quite easily. For methanol the LD 50 is approximately 20 mgs/kg. Which means about 40-50 tablespoons of methanol absorbed through your skin is enough to kill you.

Beyond this, it is not very environmentally friendly, and should be disposed of only down a toilet or house sink, and never in a storm drain.

[maitaman]

We started using alcohol for some pest control in the fifties and saw that it could also increase availability of some fertilizer elements. We used it to reduce certain bacteria and particularly nematodes. Detergent, ammonia and alcohol will control some types of mites and some scale quite effectively and is good to prevent some rot on Phals. Don't use too often because the detergent can lock some minor and trace elements.

[orchids3]

Ray, Could you tell us how much methanol per gallon of final solution (ready to put on the plants) you would get using Jerry's grow. I have never used it myself but a lot of people I have talked too give it high marks.

[jcaesar]

Originally Posted by orchids3

Ray, Could you tell us how much methanol per gallon of final solution (ready to put on the plants) you would get using Jerry's grow. I have never used it myself but a lot of people I have talked too give it high marks.

I too give it high marks...one of the reasons that I'm concerned is because my stash is dwindling. After my 4 year hiatus from orchids, my collection was looking really awful. I had shoved all the survivors of the last hurricane into my only standing greenhouse and let nature take care of them until this summer. In September, I started watering & fertilizing (Jerry's Grow) again. My spidermite & mealy bug ladden plants fattened right up, multiple growths popped and a flush of roots went out. (Nuking them into submission with Isotox took care of the bugs). Plants that I should have tossed as "terminal" are showing robust signs of life. I wish I had taken before and after picts. I'm really sold on the stuff. I wish it were Spring...the plants would really be taking off. (As a side note, few of my friends had less than spectacular results with it, but that had to do with applying too much fertilizer (causing excessive, weak growth) and not providing enough light).

If you find out the "recipe", please let me know. I have been searching around for sources of Methanol (which I understand from a fellow poster, you have to be careful when handling it). I don't think its a problem obtaining it locally or via Internet.

[orchids3]

Thanks for the safety warning!