KLN or Superthrive.... who wins?

[Intruder]

Thank you Ray for your informations. Here in Belgium humic acid from two different origins are available: acid humic produced by the brown coal treatment (lignit) and acid humic extract used in aquariophily to simulate the Amazon brown waters. Of these two possible origins which have you tested?

[peeweelovesbooks]

Hello there. At what concentrations do you use for each fertilizer? Is it the same 1/4 tsp. per gallon? Thanks. I'm going to try this and see how it goes.

[peeweelovesbooks]

I'm sorry.... I forgot--where can you buy the S.T.E.M. fertilizer? thanks in advance.

[Ray]

WOW! Sorry this thread got lost.

Intruder, my humic acid was "extracted from peat", that's all I know.

Peewee, "1/4 tsp/gal" doesn't tell you anything. A quarter teaspoon of a 10-10-10 is identical to a half-teaspoon of a 5-5-5. You need to know the concentration in addition to the volume mixed, so you end up with a desired final concentration.

I also sell STEM, which is a fertilizer additive, not a standalone fertilizer.

[peeweelovesbooks]

Originally Posted by Ray

WOW! Sorry this thread got lost.

Intruder, my humic acid was "extracted from peat", that's all I know.

Peewee, "1/4 tsp/gal" doesn't tell you anything. A quarter teaspoon of a 10-10-10 is identical to a half-teaspoon of a 5-5-5. You need to know the concentration in addition to the volume mixed, so you end up with a desired final concentration.

I also sell STEM, which is a fertilizer additive, not a standalone fertilizer.

Thanks Ray. I see what you are saying.


At what concentration do you use the STEM that you sell?

[Don Perusse]

I read the thread Ross mentioned above. I always beleived that Superthrive is more of a vitamin rather than a rooting hormone, and have used it as such. I've used superthrive for years w/bonsai and treated as a fertilizer supplement not a rooting hormone. My little experience w/orchids, I have used the powder form of "rootone" and now have switched to KLN with good results. Some divisions have a perpensity for rooting rather quickly others not. Be interesting to see if you took the one with no roots (KLN) and now applied superthrive and see if you get the same results in the same period of time. Not an authority, just me!

[Dekejis]

I noticed, too, that the ST also has kelp extract, which contains a lot of auxins and cytokinins - hormones which affect root production and plant growth.
Personally, I use K-L-N; I like that it has both the synthetic rooting hormones. I also supplement with kelp extract (that way I get the whole works!), and I foliar feed with the kelp extract as well.

[dianecty]

Did you use SuperThrive just once - before you put them in the bag or did you have to put more? Is your bag completely sealed? How would I put a large plant in the bag? Can I put the roots and let the leaves or whatever doesn't fit hang out?

[AHAB]

dianecty,
you completely seal the bag to keep the orchid from drying out...
Ziplock makes a very large Ziplock bag, it can pretty much hold any orchid. I think the bag can hold five gallons.
You may want to soak the orchid in the solution for awhile then take some of that solution and moisten some sphagnum moss with it and put the moistened sphagnum in a corner of the bag away from the orchid so that that they do not touch. The moistened sphagnum just helps keep the relative humidity elevated.
hope this helps.
AHAB

[charmbutterfly]

I agree with what ahab has said. For my bigger orchids i use 2 large ziplock bags. i place one over the lower half and one over the upper half and i gently slide a rubber band down to where the two bags meet, and that keeps the humidity from escaping.

I will take pics of the large Cattleya divisions i have in bags growing roots tomorrow for you guys!