honey as nutrient for a catt - Orchid Board

sii · #1 07-30-2011, 05:56 PM

As I wait for my catt to do something, (roots or growth would be nice) I search online to see what works for some people in saving a rootless cattleya. I've ordered KLN online from a local place, but little did I know they're on vacation until Thursday.

Something that came up online was honey:

For a few hours each day, or overnight each night, set the plant in a container of water deep enough to completely cover the rhizome. Even without roots, it will absorb water. And if you include water-soluble nutrients when you do this, they will be absorbed also. One of the simplest and most directly beneficial foods to use for this purpose is honey. Dissolve enough in the water to make it an amber color, rinse the rhizome off when you’re done, and it’s that simple. Plain sugar works also, but it promotes mold.

When it’s not sitting in water, put the plant in the bag with the moist sphag and hang it directly under a fluorescent light or set it in a pot of wetter sphag and put it in a sunny window sill.

Any thoughts on this?

Kelo · #2 07-30-2011, 06:58 PM

Honey is an antiseptic too so it may well help fight off any rot. There's no reason why honey wont do the job. If you can add some seaweed extract too that will help root development.

Fernando · #3 07-30-2011, 07:13 PM

Honey is antiseptic in high concentrations; a solution "amber colored" will just feed the microorganisms in the substrate and that will promote rotting.
High ambient humidity and a clean rhizome will help, together with lots of patience...

Fer

sii · #4 07-30-2011, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fernando

Honey is antiseptic in high concentrations; a solution "amber colored" will just feed the microorganisms in the substrate and that will promote rotting.
High ambient humidity and a clean rhizome will help, together with lots of patience...

Fer

I've been hanging on since March.

Probably won't get the KLN until Friday.

Kelo · #5 07-30-2011, 08:44 PM

Have you got a picture of the plant?

glengary54 · #6 07-30-2011, 09:51 PM

sii - a few questions for you - is your plant a bifoliate? Can you post close-up pictures of the rhizome, paying particular attention to any eyes on the pb. How did the plant wind up rootless. And lastly do you know the name of the plant or at least the genera. More info would really help.

Fernando · #7 07-31-2011, 04:11 AM

sil - four month is not so much.... I've plants that sometime don't grow at all for more than half a year, where it looks like they are slowly dieing and than appears a new shoot. My problem then is that the plant tries to grow "out of time" in the colder winter month, so that watering is a real challenge.

If you are sure, that there is no agent in the substrate or hidden under the rhizome destroying every growth the plant is developing -scale insects, caterpillars, bug larvae, etc. - and continuously weakening the plant, than it would be good advice to not to disturb that dormancy.
Good luck with your plant

Fer

sii · #8 07-31-2011, 11:59 AM

Kelo, I hope the pictures I'm posting are okay. Don't have a great camera.
First pic is the whole plant, then the leaves, then opposite sides of the rhizome.

Glengary - I got this plant last year. It's called a Pot. ahchung yoyo "fighting fish". After it finished blooming, I decided to see what was below the medium and it was a mossy death - all the roots were gone. I cleaned it up and have been waiting since. I think my original post about this on the OB was in March. does bifloiate mean 2 leaves? Just in case I'm posting the leaves as well.

Fernando, my catt is not in medium. Hasn't been in a while. I've got it in a pot inside a terrarium with over 50% humidity. The rhizome does not touch the water. I've misted with water, liquid seaweed, fertilizer on the leaves. I even bought a root product from Advanced Nutrients called Revive (1% N, 1% Calcium, .5% Mg, .3%Iron) Someone mentioned that if it doesn't have roots, this product won't help.

So here I am. Any thoughts?

keithrs · #9 07-31-2011, 12:04 PM

Seaweed will do a better job then honey. Honey is used for plants with potting soil to feed the microbes in the soil. It attracts ants, roaches, earwigs and other insects.

I had to wait about 7 months before one of mine started to grow with KLN. It takes awhile, especially if the lead its coming off of is dormant lead. After using and not using KLN, I find it almost worthless for me. At lease for plant that have no roots. May help once roots start.

Good luck and got my fingers crossed for you!!!

mmursuli · #10 07-31-2011, 12:13 PM

I'm currently dealing with the same thing. Since it's a catt division my neighbor gave me, I decided to do some experimenting. My catt only has two p-bulds and I have her "growing" in water. I added some Hormex (more or less the same as K-L-N) and I'm starting to see a new growth and one or two potential roots. I'll post a few pics in a few