See the following article on St Augustine Orchid Society Orchid Supplement or Snake Oil -
https://staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/O...OilBySueBottom
On Ethanol she noted using 80 proof vodka at 0.2 tsp/gal and only on high light orchids during the highest growth cycles in spring/summer. See the entire paragraph on her use of vodka. I couldn’t copy the paragraph - probably understandably protected.
There are several articles on the use of Ethanol and Methanol being used as plant growth supplements. Most that I read use percentages up to 20% as soil application note the plants didn’t do so well, particularly ethanol. However, there were some info as to Methanol working as a foliage spray on tomatoes, cotton, rice, roses and noting increase in growth and yield. Just do the following search - “methanol and ethanol as plant growth supplement” and you will find a number of articles.
Here is an article about a farmer in high light Arizona -https://apnews.com/58c0a3cf1456807d0fc0ab71bca20346
In some articles Ethanol was noted to hinder growth where methanol increased growth however the amount used was considerably above what Sue used for her plants.
See -
The Effect of Alcohol on Plants | Sciencing
My suggestion, after you read as much as you can by reputable sources - is to try on one or two plants that you have extras of or can easily replace. I would try Sue’s amount and schedule as she describes and only on a healthy plant with a good root system. If you have success, then try with a tray of older seedlings of the same mericlone (not seedling crosses).Don’t forget to keep a control group. I haven’t used ethanol nor methanol as a supplement. Have used regular alcohol to wipe away mealy bugs, scale. Tread forward carefully and let us know how it goes. u
You may want to check Wiley Online Library for science based articles - I did an initial search on just orchids and many articles come up - you just have to filter through them or do a more specific search. It can be unwieldy, some things are free to read, others like books you can see if your library can get in. For example I read most of the vanilla book but now can’t remember how I got in to read it. But many articles come up with the abstract and then you click on the full article or the web address and the full article comes up. Books are less likely especially new ones due to they are currently for sale such as the 2017 Microprogration of orchids which is quite involved and in 3 volumes and covers all propagation on many types. But again, your library may be able to get from the national agricultural library.
Added link- Very good patent article on using methanol to improve orchid plant growth. Fairly long article/ patent application with description, claims, results, etc Gave formulas and NPK of high nitrogen fertilizer used during trials. Indicated successful results and gave details. “BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION My U.S. Patent 5,642,586 describes a method of improving the growth characteristics of orchid plants which comprises applying to the roots of the plants an aqueous solution containing methanol and a fertilizer........”
EP1030555A1 - Use of methanol for improving plant growth
- Google Patents
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