# Phrag caudatum



## Slipper lover (Oct 16, 2017)

i got a phrag caudatum in may it had small roots it has grown to or three new ones but it has stopped i was wondering if you have any tips on how to make it grow new roots (without kelpmax ) oke:


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## Linus_Cello (Oct 17, 2017)

Hydrogen peroxide?


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## Slipper lover (Oct 18, 2017)

okay how would i use that to grow roots on it with hydrogen peroxide


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## Linus_Cello (Oct 18, 2017)

Water with it. The oxygen it produces supposedly helps grow roots.


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## SlipperFan (Oct 18, 2017)

Not straight H2O2, though. There are several articles on the internet about it. Here is one:

Hydrogen Peroxide Solutions for Orchids 

Now that the cool weather is here we will be moving our prized orchids inside and along with them will come unwanted pests. I have found a hydrogen peroxide solution that works well in killing the pests and their eggs, although for a heavy infestation several applications may be necessary. First, I’ll explain briefly what hydrogen peroxide is and why it kills bugs and their eggs on your orchids.

A water molecule is H2O – 2 hydrogen atoms bonded onto 1 oxygen atom. This molecule is in a very stable condition because the oxygen atom is happy to stay as one of its parts. A hydrogen peroxide molecule is H2O2– it has an extra oxygen atom (hence O2) sprung onto the water molecule. Because the extra oxygen atom does not want to stay in this spring-loaded position, as it takes a great deal of energy for it to stay attached. At the first opportunity this atom will jump free and oxidize or “fizz” any organic particle or compound with which it comes in contact. In short hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidant that will react with anything organic to become carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. In our application, the organic matter with which it oxidizes is the pests and eggs on the orchids.

Hydrogen peroxide is very expensive because it is difficult to manufacture (a 35% concentration is $25 a litre). It is produced commercially by passing electricity through sulphuric acid, which leaves a weak solution of H2O2 that is then distilled to increase the concentration. H2O2 comes in several strengths:
a. 3% solution sold in drugstores - on a cut it fizzes and oxidizes germs and organic blood cells;
b. 20% solution used as a hair product; and
c. 35% food grade solution sold in some hydroponic stores. - full strength, from the bottle, will burn the skin H2O2 in a concentration of 5 or 10% can be used several ways on your orchids or houseplants.

To create a 5% solution:
Add to 1 litre of water: 30 ml concentrated 35% H2O 20 ml alcohol; 2 ml detergent (acts as a binder)
a. The 5% solution fizzes any insect eggs and destroys most insects upon contact yet is harmless to plants and skin. I have found it effective as a spray for an infected plant.
b. The second great use is to add a 5% solution to your fertilizing mixture. Plant roots can easily handle this strength and it immediately attacks root bugs and bacteria while releasing oxygen to the roots as it reverts back to water.
c. A 10% H2O2 solution is a fantastic disinfectant for the greenhouse and will also end up as straight water. In summary, H2O2 can be used to eliminate pests and their eggs, disinfect a greenhouse or as a preventative measure. Reprinted from the Orchid Society of Nova Scotia (OSNS) with kind permission of the author and OSNS.


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## Slipper lover (Oct 19, 2017)

what contentration do you reccommmend and what percent hydrogyen peroxide


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## Linus_Cello (Oct 19, 2017)

Probably easiest is to start with the 3% drugstore solution.


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## naoki (Oct 19, 2017)

I'm not sure if H2O2 can really promote root growths. I quickly looked into it (in scientific lit.), but I didn't see it (note that I just spent only 20 min or so). H2O2 is an important molecule in plant physiology. It is involved in defense against pathogen, prevention of damage due to a byproduct of photosynthesis, seed germination etc. Also, it appears to be involved in the response to stress (UV, drought etc), and there are some suggestion that it may act as a messenger (hormone). They are more related to STOP signals, so I would be cautious.

I'm not sure if full text is available, but this paper has a good review:
Quan, L.J., Zhang, B., Shi, W.W. and Li, H.Y., 2008. Hydrogen peroxide in plants: a versatile molecule of the reactive oxygen species network. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 50(1), pp.2-18. (link to abstract)

It doesn't have to be Kelpmax. Since you don't have the location data in your profile, I'm not sure where you are located, but there should be lots of other seaweed products (e.g. MaxiCrop) with auxins (hormones which is involved in branching of roots). Or synthetic auxins like NAA or IAB are available (DynaGro K-L-N, Superthrive etc). Vitamin B2 seems to be not effective for rooting, though.

But before going with the hormones, are other parts of culture OK (Light, Temp, RH etc)? If you are not using artificial light, the amount of light is decreasing at this time of the year.


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## Tom499 (Oct 19, 2017)

A heat mat helps in my cases of this.


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## Stone (Oct 24, 2017)

Let it dry between waterings.


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## Slipper lover (Oct 25, 2017)

I have heard that letting it dry out between waterings promote root growth ive had it happen . Do you have any idea of why these happens when you dry out the plants is it to search for water ?


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## naoki (Oct 25, 2017)

It is a simple adaptation. Plants have to make the decision on how they have to allocate their resources (primarily carbon assimilated via photosynthesis). In the wet environment, they would invest more to the leaves to get more photosynthates. Roots don't photosynthesize as well as leaves, so they are wasteful. On the other hand, if there isn't enough water, plants don't get enough water for photosynthesis (and other functions), so they have to shut down the photosynthesis by wilting. So they have to invest the resource to roots. Plants have mechanisms to fine-tune and optimize root:shoot ratio. Nitrogen (and other macro nutrients) is another factor, and air humidity influences the ratio, too.


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## Brabantia (Oct 26, 2017)

naoki said:


> It is a simple adaptation. Plants have to make the decision on how they have to allocate their resources (primarily carbon assimilated via photosynthesis). In the wet environment, they would invest more to the leaves to get more photosynthates. Roots don't photosynthesize as well as leaves, so they are wasteful. On the other hand, if there isn't enough water, plants don't get enough water for photosynthesis (and other functions), so they have to shut down the photosynthesis by wilting. So they have to invest the resource to roots. Plants have mechanisms to fine-tune and optimize root:shoot ratio. Nitrogen (and other macro nutrients) is another factor, and air humidity influences the ratio, too.


What the relation between nitrogen (or phosphorus) and roots grow ?

Envoyé de mon Nexus 9 en utilisant Tapatalk


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## Slipper lover (Oct 26, 2017)

I would also like to know the ratio that seems quite interesting .


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## naoki (Oct 26, 2017)

Brabantia said:


> What the relation between nitrogen (or phosphorus) and roots grow ?
> 
> Envoyé de mon Nexus 9 en utilisant Tapatalk



Breabantia, in general, the behavior of the plants is to optimize their growth rate. So if there is sufficient N (or other mineral nutrients), they reduce allocation to roots. When one of the mineral nutrients, they invest on root production. There are fair amount of research about this, but here is an open-accessible one:
https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/92/6/795/164998/Root-Shoot-Ratios-Optimization-and-Nitrogen

Interestingly, K, Mg, Mn is an exception according to the intro of this paper.


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## D-novice (Oct 27, 2017)

Get rooting hormone, apply that, give it the right conditions (potting media, humidity, water to roots) and then WAIT. It will root. Plants want to grow, they're genetically programmed to do so under the correct conditions. Patience is the orchidist's greatest ally, and the one of the hardest parts of growing (for me, anyway).

H peroxide sterilizes things and, if I'm not mistaken, denatures proteins. Not sure why this would be a good thing if there isn't a pest/disease problem. This is no longer used in medicine for wounds, if something better is available, because it kills everything, including the tissue adjacent to the wound. 

For a mere $10 you can 10 detailed culture sheets on many orchid species from https://orchidculture.com/COD/. The first two are free, they will send those on the honor system before receiving payment. That's a pretty good help to understanding what conditions that species is likely to prefer.


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