Rooting Hormones

[jmrathbun]

I have a paph that has lost its roots though the leaves remain green and turgid. I've had it out of the pot for the past two weeks, hoping it would regrow some roots. Is there any sort of hormone or other treatment I can use to hasten the process?

[Leafmite]

If you can find a kelp solution for plants, that might work well for encouraging roots. I saved a few plants that way.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Kelpmax is highly recommended by many members here. Ray (OB member) sells it through his business, Firstrays.

[Ray]

...And it's on sale through Saturday!

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of KelpMax in a gallon of "warmish" water.
2. Completely immerse the plant and leave that way for a few hours.
   
3. Without rinsing, pot it up normally.
   
4. Water it in with the KelpMax solution.
   
5. Invert a clear plastic bag over the plant and pot, to trap the humidity, and keep it in a shady location. It does not need to be sealed.
   
6. The next two times you water it, use that same concentration of KelpMax solution.

After that, add it to your normal watering and feeding regimen once a month.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Kelpmax is highly recommended by many members here. Ray (OB member) sells it through his business, Firstrays.

I'll second that. Since I began using Kelpmax I've gotten really amazing root growth.

[camille1585]

Here's a thought about Kelpmax and the EU version Kelpak that's been going through my head a lot. If it's so amazing, and even gets praised in scientific journals (I found several articles), why is is so hard to get a hold of??? Is it only made in small quantities? All the EU sites I have found only sell to professionals. As a consumer it's impossible to get it.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Here's a thought about Kelpmax and the EU version Kelpak that's been going through my head a lot. If it's so amazing, and even gets praised in scientific journals (I found several articles), why is is so hard to get a hold of??? Is it only made in small quantities? All the EU sites I have found only sell to professionals. As a consumer it's impossible to get it.

It is made and sold in huge quantities, but only to large horticultural operations. There are very few retailers, because the manufacturer does not want to sell it that way. It took me in excess of two years from learning about the stuff to being able to resell it, and renaming it was part of the deal to do so.

The US importer, for example, sells hundreds of container loads a year (1 container = 14,400 liters).

It is actually used in many different ways; orchid growers use it primarily as a root-growth stimulant, but it also enhances branching in sympodial plants, can elongate flower spikes, and can - if timed right - enhance flower size.

Grape growers spray their vines at flowering, and that enhances pollen-tube growth after pollination (also likely in orchids), and causes the rachis to elongate, allowing the fruit to grow more fully and to allow better penetration of fungicides. Nut growers go for the pollination factor, plus the mitigation of drought stress.

Landscapers, like orchid-growers, rely on the root stimulation, to get their plantings more-quickly established. The Phillies, for example, used it when resodding Citizens Bank Park after the NHL Winter Classic tore up the playing field, and the Carolina Panthers have used it to rehab their turf.

There is a guy in (Indiana?) that sprays his giant pumpkin vines, and they are running 33%-50% heavier than they should be for their size, due to thicker pulp.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Ray

It is made and sold in huge quantities, but only to large horticultural operations. There are very few retailers, because the manufacturer does not want to sell it that way. It took me in excess of two years from learning about the stuff to being able to resell it, and renaming it was part of the deal to do so.

The US importer, for example, sells hundreds of container loads a year (1 container = 14,400 liters).

I guess that explains it then! it's so frustrating to read so many amazing testimonials about this product and not be able to get it anywhere over here... I'm not traveling to the US as often as I used to, otherwise I would have arranged to get a bottle from you on a future trip. I'll be using inferior seedweed extracts until that day comes!

[Intruder]

Is KLN as efficient than KELPACK or KELPMAX ?
Camille KLN is available on e-Bay and I use it with succès.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Intruder

Is KLN as efficient than KELPACK or KELPMAX ?
Camille KLN is available on e-Bay and I use it with succès.

K-L-N is a solution of inorganic salts of two rooting hormnes - indole butyric acid and naphthalene acetic acid.

If the product is fresh and has been stored and shipped correctly, it is very good. The issue is that they degrade rapidly, so the product may not be effective when it is old and/or allowed to get warm or exposed to sunlight.

The owner of Dyna-Gro told me that a fresh batch is good for about a year, if kept cool and dark. If stored at room temperature in subdued light, maybe 6 months. Warmer or brighter and it will degrade in a matter of weeks.

One of the nice things about KelpMax - besides the fact that it is a much broader-spectrum stimulant than those synthetic auxins - is that it is extremely stable. Some, stored at room temperature, was found to be viable 4 years after manufacture.