Sugar water as a reviving supplement?

[AprilShowers]

Has anyone tried soaking an orchid's roots in sugar water to revive/rehydrate it? I have heard about this on YouTube and am thinking about doing this to try to rehydrate some of my sick phal orchids.

[tmoney]

hey there. while i'm sure you will get other/better responses, my own experience is that sugar water can make an ok fertilizer or supplement when no better option exist (and a good fertilizer for some non-orchid plants). but personally i probably wouldn't use it as a health restoring measure. in fact, a rule i usually follow is that if plants are suffering then NO ferts or supplements are actually better until health is generally restored.

if i were you, i would seek out some kelpmax /kelpak (yes, i am banging that drum again) or other growth hormones...or, better yet, just use plain water. good luck with the saving tho!!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by tmoney

hey there. while i'm sure you will get other/better responses, my own experience is that sugar water can make an ok fertilizer or supplement when no better option exist (and a good fertilizer for some non-orchid plants). but personally i probably wouldn't use it as a health restoring measure. in fact, a rule i usually follow is that if plants are suffering then NO ferts or supplements are actually better until health is generally restored.

if i were you, i would seek out some kelpmax /kelpak (yes, i am banging that drum again) or other growth hormones...or, better yet, just use plain water. good luck with the saving tho!!

I agree!

[estación seca]

It's used by people who grow succulent trees after shipping or transplanting, which often happens when they're leafless. It's readily taken up by roots and can be used as food by a plant which may not be able to produce its own. Most orchids with leaves can produce their own sugar so I don't think extra would help. You would need to be careful about concentration so you don't damage roots. The tree people use about 1 teaspoon / 5ml granules per gallon / 3.78 liters of water.

It is also used to feed soil organisms. I've heard a soil scientist say periodic supplementation of one cooking cup of granulated sugar (90ml volume) is enough to treat 1 acre / 4,047 square meters of orchard or turf. When I empty and refill my hummingbird feeders I save the remaining sugar solution to put into vegetable and flower beds.

[Steve83]

If your plant is dehydrated or unhealthy, I'm going to suggest finding the 'root', cause of the plants condition if truly dehydrated.

[Roberta]

Here are some notes from Mary Gerritsen for helping to revive plants that suffer dehydration in shipping. Not a long term fix, but rather first aid...

Recommended procedure for caring for bare root orchids after unpacking.

1. Make up a solution of sugar water, room temperature. This is 1 to 2 tsp of table sugar per gallon of water.
2. Remove the packing from your orchid, and place the roots (not stem or leaves) into the sugar water solution. If you have more than one plant, prepare a different solution for each plant and soak them in separate containers.
3. Let the plants soak for 1 to 3 hrs in the sugar water solution.
4. Remove the plant from the solution and wash the roots off with more water (without sugar). Gently pat dry with a paper towel.
5. Turn the plant upside down (so the roots are at the top).
6. Using a small brush (e.g. paint brush from your watercolor set), gently paint a thin layer of Cloud Cover on the top and bottom of the leaves of the plant. Keep the plant upside down the entire time so that the Cloud Cover does NOT get on the roots (VERY IMPORTANT). If you have a lot of plants or it’s a very big plant, you can also spray the cloud cover on the leaves (top and bottom). Be careful, don’t get any on the roots.
7. Let the cloud cover dry completely (about a half hr, depending on the room temperature)
8. Turn your plant upright and plant in your favorite potting media or mounting. If mounting, you may want to place some Spanish moss (the bromeliad) around the roots to improve the humidity


There are a number of products with the same feature, e.g. Wilt Stop, Wilt Proof, TransFilm…they all reduce moisture loss through the leaves by transpiration. You don’t want it on the roots because it will inhibit water absorption. Carefully read the label on the product you buy to determine if it needs to be diluted before using. You can find most of these on Amazon, as well as from other horticultural supply companies.

( Wilt Stop comes diluted and relatively small quantity... I could not find Cloud Cover, and the others come as concentrates and pretty expensive)