# I got twins!!



## Happypaphy7 (Mar 12, 2020)

Wasn't sure where to put this, and this seemed like an appropriate section to post this fun one. 
One of my Delrosi that bloomed not too long ago is in very active growth. 
This one growth is sending up two at the same time. 
It's literally bursting out of the pot and I'm dreaded about repotting.


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## Bob in Albany N.Y. (Mar 12, 2020)

That's a good problem to have.


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## Ray (Mar 13, 2020)

If you want to see such a thing more routinely, I have been receiving several reports that either treating with KelpMax every 2 weeks (rather than a month, as I recommend), or increasing the applied concentration, tends to result in multiple growths.

The most extreme case I have experienced was a complex paph I purchased from Hillsview Gardens. It arrived as a single, in-bud growth. Within a year, it was up to 8. More typical is like this hybrid from Lehua - received as two unbloomed growths, this was 9 months later, still in the same 4" pot:






FWIW - I have seen similar, rapid multiplication in phrags, catts and oncids, plus nepenthes and even dracaenas and aglaonemas.


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## MaxC (Mar 13, 2020)

Ray, with the every two weeks application would you stick to the 1:250 ratio?


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## Ray (Mar 13, 2020)

MaxC said:


> Ray, with the every two weeks application would you stick to the 1:250 ratio?


Yep, 1:250 (1 TBSP/gal) every 2 weeks or 1:125 (1 oz/gal) if you only want to apply it monthly.


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## Happypaphy7 (Mar 17, 2020)

Thanks, Ray.
I am aware of what the ingredients of KelpMax are and read about some reports regarding what they can do to plants.
I do think your post is rather misleading, though. Don't get me wrong. I believe you.

The thing is that the growth habit is mostly influenced by the genetics of individual plants depending on what they are as some species are relatively easy clumper, like wardii, sukhakulii, and many species in the subgroup Paphiopedilum, and this product may help further stimulate their potential on some plants. 
I doubt it will make all plants explode like that. Otherwise, everyone, especially the commercial growers, would use it on their crops and all the paphs would look like your examples. The reality is not so.
Some plants will be a stubborn single grower forever no matter what you do.

I have grown a few paphs (complex and parvis) that went from single growth to multiple new growths at a time (anywhere from three to five in one year after blooming for the first time) with just tap water. Single growths, then five, then ten, twenty, forty, and so on.

And by the way, Delrosi plant in the above pic has multiple new growths popping up all over the place. I just thought it would be fun to post the "twins".


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## Ray (Mar 18, 2020)

I agree 100% that genetics is the controlling factor. The more I look into this, the more I believe that growers are responsible for applying factors - most often unknown - that somehow limit the plant being able to fully meet its full genetic capabilities.

I think where additives like KelpMax come in depends upon the plant's current "state of the art". If a plant is struggling for some reason, the primary function seems to be stimulating root growth only. If the plant is being grown well, on the other hand, the boost in root and shoot growth is still present, but the plant has the capability of tasking advantage of some of the other components to take itself to another level of performance.


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## Silverwhisp (May 11, 2020)

Ray said:


> I agree 100% that genetics is the controlling factor. The more I look into this, the more I believe that growers are responsible for applying factors - most often unknown - that somehow limit the plant being able to fully meet its full genetic capabilities.
> 
> I think where additives like KelpMax come in depends upon the plant's current "state of the art". If a plant is struggling for some reason, the primary function seems to be stimulating root growth only. If the plant is being grown well, on the other hand, the boost in root and shoot growth is still present, but the plant has the capability of tasking advantage of some of the other components to take itself to another level of performance.



Regarding kelp supplements, aren’t you giving the plant extra K when you feed, e.g., KelpMax? My jug of MaxiCrop reads 0-0-1 on the label.


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## Ray (May 11, 2020)

KelpMax does contain some N, P, & K, but not enough to reach the requirement of being labeled as a fertilizer.

Some has to do with the dosing, too. If it was a 0-0-1, then used at 1 tablespoon/gallon would add only 3.9 ppm K.


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