> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [OGD] epigenetic effects >> > WHat about excessive /prolonged use of hormones in meristemming, which may > be the cause of overly vegetatively proliferating plantlets which produce > numerous small growths and refuse to bloom even after years of optimal > culture. Benlate anyone? > Bonaventure
I have had 2 plants that produced so many new growths that they were working their way down to seedlinghood. The one I kept, the other being virused, was trimmed of excess growths regularly and is now not only near blooming size, but has stop that nasty habit of too many growths. It is now acting quite normal. I think the plant was probably super saturated with hormones and that the concentration of hormone is slowly diluting with growth. I note it has never bloomed for me, but I will keep it another 2 or 3 years to be sure that it is hopeless, as the change to normal growth is certainly encouraging. On the subject of hormone treatment, I have a bit of home experience under my belt, as I was looking for a faster way to get sphag and bag basket-cases and recent bareroot imports on their way earlier and before too much loss of vigor occurred with elapse of time. I was using liquid hormones, mostly, that could be reapplied and I discovered a couple of very interesting things. First, it did not matter whether I used auxins or cytokinins, including the common rooting power readily available, the effect was the same on sympodial rhyzomes. All cause new growths to break very readily. In fact, one had to be careful to only put the hormone on the area where new growth was wanted. The second thing of interest was that the hormone re-addition must be stop as soon as the new eye starts to swell. What happen on a couple of plants where the re-application was continued was that the new growth did not produce roots, but got out a little ways and then that new growth broke an eye, and growth continue with the second eye. I have no idea if the plants, with hormones then stopped, would ever finally produce roots, as these were the basket-cases, and, having spent their all on growths without producing roots, the objective of the sphag & bag, they finally expired. Cynthia, Prescott, AZ _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
