Feeding Orchids-

[naoki]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Thank you HighSeas, b/c I didn't know that it couldn't be used for anything you eat, or eat off of... Gotta try to remember if I've used it on anything in my kitchen...

..what do I do if I have, and I don't wanna "sacrifice" it to my orchids?

It's probably not a big deal. If you have eaten corn, you probably have eaten IBA. NAA is slightly toxic, but with that concentration, you probably don't get anything.

IBA gets broken down easily with light, so it's better to keep it in dark place.

[Skayc1]

How much kelpmax do you use per gallon of water & can too much hurt your orchids? I'm not even gonna ask about IBA?...I got confused by that...what is the IBA and did I miss something?

[Ray]

I think there needs to be a bit of clarification here.

1) K-L-N is not currently available in many states, because they reformulated, so had to get EPA, then individual state approvals.

2) The synthetic hormones are quite effective, but also quite unstable. A freshly-produced bottle, kept unopened, refrigerated and dark, will be good for about a year. Let it get warm or be exposed to sunlight, and that time plummets.

3) The reason that many of these products are labeled for "non food crops" is regulatory in nature, not because of issues with their use on such crops. The primary use of Kelpak in the US for example, is wine and food grapes, and nuts. Stuff labeled for use on foods require more lengthy and costly licensing.

[Discus]

Originally Posted by Skayc1

I'm not even gonna ask about IBA?...I got confused by that...what is the IBA and did I miss something?

IBA is a TLA for one of the plant growth regulators/hormones called "Indole-3-Butyric Acid", which is much less of a mouthful as IBA. It's one of the Auxins.

---------- Post added at 12:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Skayc1

How much kelpmax do you use per gallon of water & can too much hurt your orchids?

KelpMax has clear instructions for dosage on the label.

As with anything, too much is too much and can be harmful.
The label doses should be fine for most plants, but if you think a particular plant is very sensitive (most common "supermarket" orchids aren't), err on the side of caution.
If it's not obvious, "normal watering" == drench, so something like 2 teaspoons [10ml] per gallon [3.78l if it's a US gallon, 4.5 if it's a UK gallon - being American label, assume US gallon], up to one fluid Oz per (US) gallon [~30ml or two tablespoons]. Generally with orchids, less is more when it comes to supplements!

Be aware that using growth enhancers (like kelpmax) without the "nutritional balance" of fertilisers and micronutrients can exhaust your plants - don't use them except as part of an overall fertigation programme.

---------- Post added at 12:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------

p.s. when are you guys in the USA going to start using sensible units that work in powers of ten? 1975 really is rather a long time ago now.

[Skayc1]

I don't know, stuff I buy from the store always comes in the old measurement ways, Our measuring stuff for cooking comes that way as well.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by Skayc1

I don't know, stuff I buy from the store always comes in the old measurement ways, Our measuring stuff for cooking comes that way as well.

Don't worry, in the UK we can't even fix on one system but mix and match

We measure car speed in miles-per-hour and fuel consumption in miles-per-gallon... however we buy our fuel in litres!

I would measure a person's height in Feet and Inches but measure the length of an orchid leaf in centimetres. I would measure a person's weight in Stone & Pounds (weight given in straight pounds like in the USA has little meaning until I convert to Stone & Pounds) however I would measure cooking ingredients in grams or kilograms.

I measure temperature in centigrade, but I know a good many people who measure temperature of something like water in Centigrade, but measure the temperature of the day in Fahrenheit.

I would buy a pint of beer, but a 2litres of milk

The list goes on and on... this country is really messed up in it's measurements. We supposedly have officially gone metric... so how come speed limit signs are still in miles-per-hour

[Ray]

The manufacturers of KelpMax recommend about 1:400 ratio to start, potentially using more as needed. Two teaspoons per gallon = 1:384, a tablespoon per gallon (which is what I use) is 1:256.

They also state that anything less than about 1:500 is a waste of time, resulting in no reaction, but I have had customers tell me otherwise.

I think that - as important as concentration - is frequency of use. The application of hormones "turns on" processes within the plant, and those, in turn, "turn on" other ones. the time span for the plant to return to its "base level" - the pre-treatment state - is in the area of 2-3 weeks, so that shoud be the maximum frequency of use. I go with 4-6 weeks.

[quiltergal]

Ray, is it OK to mix KelpMax with MSU? I've done it with no apparent ill effects on my plants, but I could not find any reference to mixing with fert on the label or your website. BTW, I just started using and am seeing LOTS of new growth.

[Ray]

Certainly! In fact, my "SOLO" & "SOLO-e" products - really intended for the smaller user - consist of KelpMax and fertilizer (MSU and K-Lite, respectively).

[Skayc1]

Is KelpMax basically a Seaweed Extract & would simply looking for a seaweed extract be easier?...me thinks when I go looking for the seaweed extract I might be coming home with another Orchid I don't want to try the synthetic stuff, I'm thinking of trying the seaweed extract.