Introducing Electric Current on orchids

[Cyanea]

I read about enhancing plant growth with the introduction of mild electric current on plants. Also using magnetism to boost growth of plants.

Does anyone know with this will work to accelerate orchid growth?

[Ray]

I frankly doubt it.

[Paphluvr]

Electrical stimulation has been used to stimulate bone growth in fractures that are reluctant to heal. A number of technologies are used. I'm not convinced that there is no merit to this but would want to read what studies have been done.

[camille1585]

My boss loves testing all sorts of far-fetched sounding ideas to see if we can increase plant yields, and electro-stimulated plant growth ended up in the pile of highly experimental project ideas (and never went further than that). This is the article I had read about it, but I never went as far as looking for the scientific papers. I have no idea how this could affect orchids, nor if it is achievable in a home environment.
China is making its vegetables grow bigger, faster and stronger ... using electricity, News about Agrochem Industry

[Swimmingorchids]

I would be far more interested in the studies performed on increasing bone healing using electricity - which I have also never heard of.

If you want to boost growth above the normal potential of a plant the easiest way is to increase C02, light levels and nutrients accordingly.

Not saying it doesn't work, saw a guy on dragon's den who invented a home heating system using microwaves. Might work but frankly who cares if it does.

Setting up a watering system for individual plants is too labour intensive for the commercial market - let alone hooking each plant up to a battery so even if it does work in theory - the effects will be minimal if any and never practical in practive except for the home hobbyist who is bored and wants to hook up some x-mas lights.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Cyanea

Does anyone know with this will work to accelerate orchid growth?

Probably not. If it did work, or was commercially viable (if it worked), then we can be pretty sure that the commercial people, or somebody would be right onto it by now.

It wouldn't hurt to do some experiments though. For small scale ------ maybe easy to try. But would have to look at aspects like how much electricity and magnetism to be applied, and how to avoid surrounding factors like humidity, water, etc from destroying our devices. And whether it's possible to set up the system for large scale. And safety/reliability/economic/practicality aspects to be considered.

In history - we do know that some break-throughs are discovered from trial and error - with no initial theory about how a particular applied procedure might generate beneficial results. On the other hand - it can help to have some kind of scientific basis or reasoning before trying something out - such as applying electricity and/or magnetism to plants. That is ----- have some insight about what mechanisms are expected to make it beneficial in advance. A prediction based on some accumulated scientific knowledge ....... and then the idea could be tested after that.

[neophyte]

as swimmingorchids said, there are easier ways to enhance growth, such as providing optimal light, water, and ventilation. not sure how electricity or magnetism would work... electricity could burn the orchids, and magnetism (as of yet) has not been shown to have an effect on organic substances. however, the concept is still interesting, and if there were a paper on this, i'd definitely check it out.

edit: you could use that extra electric current to power up some grow lights, which has a proven positive effect on plants.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Swimmingorchids

If you want to boost growth above the normal potential of a plant the easiest way is to increase C02, light levels and nutrients accordingly.

If only that was true! You are never going to push a plant beyond its potential.

Carbon dioxide and mineral nutrition are raw materials available for the plant to use when growing, and light provides the energy for the production of fuel, but unless the processes that utilize them have been "starved" for any of them, having an excess doesn't do much. Let's use building a structure as an analogy.

If you have a large crew on hand, but only a small amount of supplies, the rate at which that structure is built is limited. Increase the volume of supplies and it can go up faster. However, if you only have two carpenters working, it doesn't matter how large the stockpile of nails, lumber, and fuel for the air compressor that powers the nail guns are, the construction rate is limited.

The combined rates of the chemical processes that occur within a plant determine its potential for growth, but there are a great many factors that can (and do!) prevent the plant from reaching it. Throwing more fuel and building blocks at them without being certain ALL of the others are satisfied is shear folly, and often counter-productive.

From a practical perspective, one of the best things you can do to accelerate your plants' growth is find a way to water them more. The old wives' tale that "orchids have to dry out between waterings", besides being downright wrong, has done a great deal to limit our plants from reaching that genetically programmed potential.

A plant's need for water as a building block is more than 18,000 times greater than its need for fertilizer. Find a way to grow your plants without suffocating the roots, and you can literally "pour it on" and reach closer to the potential.

[Cyanea]

[QUOTE
A plant's need for water as a building block is more than 18,000 times greater than its need for fertilizer. Find a way to grow your plants without suffocating the roots, and you can literally "pour it on" and reach closer to the potential.[/QUOTE]

I certainly agree...I switched many of my orchids to water culture/semi water culture. With LED, the plants grow pretty well even without much fertilizers....

[Swimmingorchids]

ray plesase stop talking to me.
Ever since I have joined this forum you have been acting like a little kid angry that someone dare post on your sacred forum.

I have 30 years of plant growing experience, am trying to learn about orchids now and am planning to grow vanda's that don't look like they have been starved of nutrients for the last year as your last vanda shot.

I have had enough of idiot know it alls that think their ego is hurt because a new grower dare give out advice on your boys club forum. Well guess what you are not always right, in fact I have seen you chat a fair bit of crap and the only reason you promote the products that you do recommend is because you sell them yourself so stop talking to me.

Just ignore me from now on - help the community and stop trying to argue with eveything I post.

Thank you