Question on promoting roots

[moniluhum]

Have a Phal. which hasn't been doing well. Has lost leaves and when repotted has few healthy roots. I was wondering if using a root stimulater might be helpful. Purchased Bontone rooting powder which I read somewhere could be used. If this a good idea to use and if so how do you use it?





Please disregard the last picture. I can't delete it.

[raybark]

Rooting powders are intended for use on woody plants with tough external tissues, so must remain in close proximity to the tissue for a long time and provide high levels of hormones for the duration. Because of those facts, they contain far more hormones than an orchid root system can tolerate, and are not soluble to allow you to dilute them, so I highly recommend you return the product to the store. Instead, look for a liquid rooting hormone product.

The more common ones used on orchids are Dyna-Gro K-L-N and SuperThrive, but there are other brands out there. They contain indole butyric acid and/or naphthalene aceitc acid - synthetic analogs of natural root-stimulating auxins - and when absorbed by the plant, will cause it to start putting out new roots.

The only thing to watch for is the freshness of the bottle - those synthetic hormones degrade rapidly when exposed to heat or light, so become ineffective relatively quickly. (There is a lot of debate about the effectiveness of those types of products, and I'm betting it's due to getting old, "dead" stuff.)

If you get a fresh bottle of either, soak the plant in a solution of 1 teaspoon per gallon of water for about 30 minutes, then repot it. Then, at three-to-four week intervals, add a few drops to your regular irrigation solution.

I have found that there are liquid seaweed extracts, such as KelpMax (disclosure: I have a financial interest in it), that are far superior in effect, and are chemically stable for a lot longer.

[moniluhum]

I am interested in the KelpMax. How would you use it?
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Also, can you recommend a good fertilizer? I am currently using Dyno Gro and am wondering if there is a better one.
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[raybark]

KelpMax is a kelp extract that is loaded with 18 powerful hormones and a BUNCH of other nutrients. It should be applied no more than every 3 weeks at a tablespoon per gallon added to your fertilizer solution.

I am partial the the MSU fertilizers and K-Lite, but as I learn more and more about orchid nutrition, I am more and more convinced that they are such "light" feeders that almost any one will do, as long as it has a complete array of minor- and trace elements.

That is not to say that the plants all have the same nutritional needs, and might benefit from diferent formulas, but I think for the average grower, it's not crucial.

[tucker85]

I agree with Ray. Seaweed or kelp extracts are very effective at stimulating root growth.

[manishaK]

Hi moniluhum,

Roots of my phal had also rot, after cutting rot roots and placing in new medium and regularly using Dyna grow bio stimulant
i could really see roots of orhid growing.. though i takes time but definitely results are positive.

[Mammatam]

Hey there! I also lost nearly all my below the surface roots on 2 phals. There are aerial roots but I'm not really sure how healthy they are. Although green when wetted, I'm not seeing the green tips that show growth. I've cut all dead and rotted roots and repotted in a bark mix. I made my own pots with clear Solo cups and a screwdriver!! The cups are just big enough around to support the leaves. The leaves had become horribly limp and some wrinkles, that's how I knew I'd not been caring for them properly!

Anyway, new medium, new pots, set them on a tray of beads with water in it a little over a week ago. There's like 1 white root under one plant, maybe 2 on the other. Again, being new I am not certain how healthy those are either. When I watered them Wed, I tried setting them in a bowl but the bark just kept floating out! So I just ran the faucet over for a few minutes each plant. Tepid water. Next day, posted pics on Facebook and a lady said the bark looked too dry, they needed more humidity. Now I've watered again, just set them in a smaller cup of water for like 30 minutes, and tented a plastic bag over them to retain moisture. I'd like to promote new roots. ---- Vendor information request removed - see FAQs on Posting ----
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[lijun]

hi tammy,.. i can't imagine how good or bad the phals are,...

[Mammatam]

hi tammy,.. i can't imagine how good or bad the phals are,...

Hi lijun, I have finally gotten onto my PC and started my own thread here "My Poor Babies". I just posted a couple replies with pics, although they may not have been moderator approved yet. Maybe you could keep an eye out for them and let me know what ya think?

Thanks!

[lijun]

ow yea, i've seen it. it looks good.