Best practices for bringing new orchids into your home?

[DrDawn]

I've heard great things about KelpMax all over this forum, so I just bought some to add to my fertilizer collection. Thanks!

[JScott]

Originally Posted by DrDawn

I've heard great things about KelpMax all over this forum, so I just bought some to add to my fertilizer collection. Thanks!

I'm glad you bought some. I'm always skeptical of products that claim to be able to do all the things KelpMax does. If you've ever heard of Superthrive, you know the kind of product I'm talking about. It claims to make plants healthier, bigger, more robust, and in fact your plants will never live up to their potential without Superthrive! Or at least that's what they would like you to believe. The truth is, Superthrive probably doesn't do anything at all. There is no scientific evidence that anything in superthrive will help grow better plants. So when I first heard about KelpMax, I was skeptical, but I looked into it and found that there actually was evidence that it works, so I bought some. I was astounded by how effective it is. It is great for encouraging roots on a plant with a compromised root system, but applying it monthly to healthy plants also results in a marked improvement in their overall health. The root systems become more extensive, the plants are bigger, happier, and overall just more robust. I'm skeptical of any product that claims to do too much, but KelpMax really does do everything it claims to do. I think you'll be very pleased with the results once you start using it. I assume since you've never tried it before you bought the 1 liter bottle. That's the one I bought first. But now that I know how well it works and I apply it to every plant I have once every month, now I buy the 10 liter jug haha. Good luck with your plant.

[Ray]

To be fair, Superthrive can work, as it contains a synthetic rooting hormone and the enzymes may reduce biofilm.

The issue with any liquid synthetic hormone is that, in order to make them water soluble, they must be converted into salts, which makes them chemically unstable. I was told by the owner of Dyna-Gro that a brand new batch of their similar KLN product will be chemically active for about a year if it is refrigerated. Heat and light shorten that significantly, and if you consider the conditions involved with trucking it across country, warehousing and distribution - not to mention how poorly people store it at home (or worse, in a greenhouse) - it’s no wonder many people feel it is worthless.

Originally Posted by DrDawn

I've heard great things about KelpMax all over this forum, so I just bought some to add to my fertilizer collection. Thanks!

KelpMax is NOT a fertilizer! You still need to use a tiny amount of fertilizer regularly, but KelpMax should be an additive to that.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by Ray

To be fair, Superthrive can work, as it contains a synthetic rooting hormone and the enzymes may reduce biofilm.

The issue with any liquid synthetic hormone is that, in order to make them water soluble, they must be converted into salts, which makes them chemically unstable. I was told by the owner of Dyna-Gro that a brand new batch of their similar KLN product will be chemically active for about a year if it is refrigerated. Heat and light shorten that significantly, and if you consider the conditions involved with trucking it across country, warehousing and distribution - not to mention how poorly people store it at home (or worse, in a greenhouse) - it’s no wonder many people feel it is worthless.

KelpMax is NOT a fertilizer! You still need to use a tiny amount of fertilizer regularly, but KelpMax should be an additive to that.

There are plenty of people who swear by Superthrive, and I don't think they would bother with it if they didn't feel convinced that it did something, so maybe in some conditions it can have benefits, but for myself and everybody else I know who has tried it, we didn't feel like it made any difference. KelpMax, however, is a fantastic product that results in rapidly noticeable positive changes in the plants to which it is applied. And like Ray said, use it in addition to your regular fertilizer program, not instead of regular fertilizer.

[DrDawn]

Update:

I got two orders in this week, one from Hausermanns (Masdies, Tolumnias, neostylis, Paph.) and one from OrchidPhile (Phals.).

I inspected them all very carefully on arrival, and put them near the other orchids (so they got some light but didn't touch anything). Today I repotted them all. Glad I did that! I found a mealworm (? tiny centipede-looking thing) in one of the Masdies, and the Phals were mostly fine although the one I would have thought was the healthiest based on the leaves and two flower spikes actually had the worst roots of them all! So, now everyone is happily in new media, carefully cleaned, and placed in good places for correct light/moisture. I'll continue to inspect daily for at least a few more weeks. Hopefully everyone will continue to be ok!

I've never encountered a worm/mealworm/centipede before in an orchid, how invasive are they?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DrDawn

Update:


I've never encountered a worm/mealworm/centipede before in an orchid, how invasive are they?

I don't think they spread particularly, but they can munch roots. When they are present, they're an indication of broken-down medium. They like "wet and airless" Repotting fixed that!

[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by Roberta

They like "wet and airless" Repotting fixed that!

I also mounted that Masdie, so no more "airless" areas! And I cleaned the roots thoroughly, so there was none of the old media left.