Enzyme product: "Orchid Champion"?

[beanluc]

I just started trying a product called Orchid Champion. It's supposed to be an enzyme which breaks down dead root material into a form that aerobic microorganisms like.

The idea is that, you know, it's no substitute for proper watering and medium aeration, but it's supposed to help defend against an over-balance of anaerobic microorganisms down there, and even convert the material (with the help of the healthy, aerobic microorganisms) into food that the plant can take back up. It might help a root-sick plant recover faster. The manufacturer and the people at the hydroponics store where I got it say it's really effective at enhancing plant health.

Anybody use this stuff? Like to offer experiences?

BL

[Jorch]

I am using it also. I also have another similar product from the same company called "Grozyme" which I was told it is wonderful for preventing root rots especially for water-loving species. The person who told me that info was not a seller or agent, so it wasn't a sales pitch. I havent use them long enough to notice any difference.. but again, I don't really know how to measure the effectiveness of these products.

[Nico]

Hi! I found out today a new product, for me at least, which seems to be very helpful for growing orchids. What do you think? Here are the specification:

Orchid Champion™
The Secret of Master Growers
Want to grow like a champion?
1. Start with plant health
The secret is maintaining a healthy environment
for your orchids. Experts believe that happy plants grow bigger, stronger, faster and more beautiful than plants with an illness.
2. Maintain Environmental Control
Isn’t an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure? Maintaining the optimal environment is now made easier for the amateur as well as the master grower with revolutionary Orchid Champion™. Orchid Champion™ may well be the greatest breakthrough in floriculture in the last decade.
3. Always use Orchid Champion™ during the growing process

Orchid Champion™ is a natural cleaning formula designed to aid in the expulsion and breakdown of dead matter in the growing media and on tools or in equipment. It should
be used as directed with all watering regimen. It is compatible with all standard fertilization programs. Orchid Champion™ is not a nutrient or a fertilizer but a specialized OMRI registered enzyme solution that is sterilized and compatible with H2O2 in low ppm. The products shelf life is unlimited.
4. Foster Plant Health
Experts agree that cleaner systems foster the breeding and maintenance of healthier plants. Cleaner systems help avert the development of disease caused by over watering & the build up of dead matter. Healthier plants
have lower stress. Orchid Champion™ helps keep things clean.

[ronaldhanko]

Sounds like Carter's Little Liver Pills to me. "It's supposed to be an enzyme which breaks down dead root material into a form that aerobic microorganisms like." This sounds like complete nonsense. Is it going to make your medium break down even faster? How is it going to break down only dead root material, and even if it does how are broken down dead roots going to become something the plant can use?

[Royal]

I am wary or any "enzyme" product, for any intended purpose. Any product that is worth its salt will provide scientific data to back up any wild claims - not just testimonials. Just my two cents.

[Brotherly Monkey]

"and even if it does how are broken down dead roots going to become something the plant can use?"

I think they mean in the same sense that broken down compost can be used to fertilize plants.


If the product actually accomplishes that in any significant amount of time, without doing damage, is another matter

[Nico]

Thanks for the information! I haven't buy it and it seems is not a reliable product.

[jeffg]

I've seen their ad in AOS magazine, and been tempted to check it out. As I am on a perpetual search for more help for my plants, and, as such, a sucker for any ploy offering some amazing result or another, I end up in this speculative loop of possibilities of something better - reads: see the pile of zealously purchased, but unused stuff in the basement. When I look at it objectively, my plants are doing great with a simple routine of MSU. Orchids, I've learned, are designed for survival and adaptation without "technological" assists...

The marketing kind of elicits the idea of "magic" and reads like the bottle of superthrive - which, BTW, reads like "Dr. Bronners Magic Peppermint Soap" - very entertaining for a while, but like others, have indicated, where's the facts?

[Ray]

Consider this: If your potting medium is open and airy - AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE - the occurrence of anaerobic bacteria will be minimal. Anaerobic bacteria will thrive in a soppy, compact, suffocating mess of potting medium, but it will also kill the roots of the plant. Killing the bacteria may slow the decomposition, but it won't solve the problem.