SUGAR!!!!

[frostedeyes]

hi just read an article that people add sugar mixed with their fert some rich guys do use honey! lol! ok... uhmm i just wanna know if this thing works! since sugar is the maid food source to plants, point is why not just give them sugar directly to the plants.

[Psyched]

Sugar can be used for fertilizer when diluted with water but it can attract sugar ant which can attack the orchid itself, especially the young buds leaving small holes behind. So it's rather inadvisable.

In the other note, attracting ants can be beneficial since they can predate other insects harmful to orchid. For example, people use pour sweet milk dilution around orchid infested with weevils. The ants will come and sneak into the holes left behind by weevils larvae then feast on the succulent flesh of the said larvae.

It's rather advisable to use MSG instead of sugar. MSG is said to stimulate orchid in producing growth hormone. I add a bit of MSG every once in a while and my orchids grow pretty well but since I use a lot of different kind of fertilizer, I can't really tell if the MSG has significant effect or it's the other thing that works.

[frostedeyes]

OMG MSG! really! woah!... ok dat adds to my question!


MSG
HONEY and SUGAR

lol!

[frostedeyes]

how much MSG anyway in a gallon of water?

how much sugar in a gallon of water? just in case!

[priz_m]

MSG? wow! never thought of that one!

[tim abbott]

I just posted some pics on the introductory page about vandas. The lady whew grew them recommended periodic additions of sugar to the water, I forgot to ask how much she used.

Tim Abbott

[Kuldking]

hmmm... sugar to orchids. I wonder if my cattleya would benefit from it.

[Ray]

Be careful with such ideas. IF the concentration of sugar, msg, or whatever in the solution outside of the cells is too great, instead of the plant pulling the "nutrient" into the plant, the osmotic pressure will try to extract water from the cells instead.

A water molecule is a lot smaller, so can travel easier.

[frostedeyes]

oh scary lord ray is warning us about the use of the harmful chem. ray...m would u know how much concentration with the sugar /gallon? thanks

[Ray]

No, I would not. However, and email conversation I had with a plant biologist offered the following:

"Epiphytic orchids have extremely dilute sap compared to other plants (about 1/4) so their ability to pull water from external solutions is very low. Any increase in external solutes counter acts this ability, so if you want to get water into the plant as quickly as possible soak it in pure water. A sugar water solution will just pull water out of the plant. The cell membranes are semipermeable, letting water out with no resistance, but stopping everything else from coming in. The sucrose must be actively brought into the cells. At that point the cells of a sick plant are not set up to do this very effectively (few transport ports), and are low on energy to activate the ports or to process the sucrose into available energy (ATP) once it gets into the cell. "