Cytokinin paste for orchids: application, reviews, how to use

Basic elements for color formation

The optimal supplemental nutrition for phalaenopsis is considered to be inorganic mineral complexes in liquid form.

They contain a full range of macro- and microelements necessary for development. And although their composition is quite rich and includes not only the main (N, F and K), but also other macro- (Ca, Mg, Fe, etc.) and microelements (Zn, B, Cu, Mn, etc.), on packages basically the ratio of only the main 3 elements is indicated.

In the process of forming flowering arrows and in general for flowering, this ratio should look something like this - 2: 6: 6 or 4: 8: 8.

Nitrogen

This element is responsible for the growth of vegetative mass. An orchid needs to build up leaf mass and its full development. Poorly developed foliage significantly reduces the feeding area, which often leads to the death of orchids.

Fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be used.

It is advisable to use complex fertilizers or special fertilizers "For orchids", which mainly contain nitrogen. For example, "Uniflor-growth", "Kristalon red", etc. Experienced orchidists advise to reduce the dosage 3-4 times from the recommended.

Important! You should be aware that the application of fertilizers with a high nitrogen content before flowering (30-50 days) is either significantly reduced or canceled altogether. Nitrogen oversaturation causes:

Nitrogen oversaturation causes:

• Intense orchid growth,
• Softness and cracking of fabrics,
• Flowering is significantly reduced or does not occur at all, which can often stop for several years,
• The immune system weakens and the plant easily succumbs to diseases and pests.

Lack of nitrogen is expressed in a change in the color of the leaves with the presence of marbled yellow or pale green spots. The foliage does not grow, shrinks and becomes weak, which leads to its withering away.

Phosphorus

The main element affecting the formation of peduncles and blooming of flowers. Also, getting enough phosphorus for nutrition affects the flowering time.

It is especially necessary for orchids that have not entered mature development. It is he who influences the nature of flowering, the important processes of photosynthesis, protein and carbon metabolism.

Determines many processes: cell division, seed ripening, etc.

An overabundance of this basic element is extremely rare. This is noted by the blackening of the tips of the foliage, mainly in orchids of the Odontoglossum species, or its hybrid forms.

More often, there is a deficit, which is expressed in the curvature of young shoots, loss of leaf color, stop flowering and, in general, in the weakness of the plant.

Potassium

Promotes a complete metabolism in plant tissues and the rate of photosynthesis

Its important participation in improving the immune system of the plant from various diseases and harmful insects. Formation of roots, leaves and moisture retention in plant cells is also a merit of the presence of a sufficient amount of potassium

Its overabundance entails:

• The orchid lacks nitrogen, which causes all the manifestations associated with nitrogen deficiency;
• The plant weakens, stops growing. White or yellow spots appear on the leaves. The structure of the leaf becomes soft and it dies off quickly.

Application features

Very little preparation is required when using. For example, 100 grams of pasta is a huge amount, which is enough for more than one flower garden, not only at home, but also in a greenhouse.

Mandatory conditions for using the paste:

• The method "the more the better" with cytokinin paste does not work.If you overdo it with the application of the paste, then instead of "babies" or the appearance of a new peduncle, the bud may dry out. It is also possible that just the "green mass" of the plant will grow. Several branches may appear that the plant cannot master.
• You can apply the paste only in late winter - early spring, when the orchids are not dormant.
• During application, you need to feed the orchid with complex and nitrogen fertilizers. After the formation of a peduncle or children, it is necessary to feed the plant with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.
• Take good care of your orchid. Light, watering, temperature and humidity should be as close as possible to your type of orchid.

When you can't use the paste:

1. On a diseased plant affected by pests or under stress. You can artificially produce flowering on a weakened plant, but destroy it.
2. On leaves and roots. For rooting, another phytohormone is used - auxin, which stimulates the formation of roots. It is used, for example, in the "Fitoklon" preparation.
3. On young plants and children. Do not use the paste before 5 leaves or if the orchid is less than 2 years old
4. On fresh shoots - tops.
5. With a weak root system.
6. Cannot be used on more than three buds of the same plant.
7. For the resuscitation of orchids. In this case, use other methods in order not to harm the plant even more.
8. On an orchid that is still in bloom or has just faded. Don't force the plant! Give him a break!

Factors that cancel or slow down the action of cytokinin:

• drought;
• low temperatures;
• at too high temperatures it may be necessary to reapply the paste after 10 days.

To eliminate negative factors, you need to follow certain rules when processing with paste:

1. The cooled paste must be heated at room temperature for two hours. Keep the orchid warm enough when applying.
2. Moisten the treated area. Cytoconin is not washed out with water.
3. When processing, make sure that the paste does not get on the leaves or other parts of the plant.
4. If the air is dry, provide sufficient moisture around the orchid. This could be using a humidifier or placing the orchid on a rock sump filled with water.

Can I use it when there is no peduncle or bud

There are experiments with the use of paste on the trunk, when there is no peduncle: “On the trunk above the leaf, you need to scratch and spread with paste. Then wait 2-4 months. " There are positive results.

If there is no bud, then you can process the place where it was and perhaps a baby or a new peduncle will begin to grow on the side.

Can I use on orchid bulbs

There is little information on the Internet and books on the use of paste on bulbs, but phytohormones-cytokinins can be used on plant tubers. The instructions for use are the same as for peduncles.

The mechanism of action of the paste

Each plant has dormant buds on the peduncles or stems of the orchid. They can not always wake up immediately after the transferred wintering. Cytokinin helps them wake up. You can process the flower in March or early April. Ten days after use, the plant begins to bloom actively.

The active substance of cytokinin paste acts at the cellular level and improves metabolic processes by producing amino acids. The flowers grow rapidly and begin to bloom profusely for a long time. The flowers themselves become brighter

This property of the drug is important for beginners who are just starting to cultivate delicate capricious flowers.

If the top of the orchid is broken, then the processing of the lower parts of the exotic will give the growth of children and lateral peduncles. When treated with a hormonal agent, plant cells are renewed, and they age much more slowly. Buds wither without treatment faster and there are fewer of them on the bush.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of cytokinin paste is its efficiency and fast action.The drug acts on flower cells. It can be used regardless of the conditions of flower cultivation. But at the same time, there is no information on the packaging about the use and concentration of the paste, so many growers harm the orchid. In rare cases, the flower may even die.

Cytokinin paste should not be applied if the orchid flower is depleted. The plant will throw the rest of its strength into the formation of children, shoots and roots will simply die. You can not use it if the flower is affected by pests. The orchid will use up its reserves not for fighting insects, but for the process of active reproduction. The use of phytohormones in young plants can lead to yellow leaves and their discharge.

But the paste can be used in many cases when other means do not give the desired effect. She can save an indoor flower after prolonged improper care or when kept in adverse conditions. The remedy is used when, after wintering, the orchid does not bloom and does not multiply, if it takes an asymmetrical shape.

When used correctly, cytokinin paste will not cause any harm. It is safe for animals and humans, but it should be treated with rubber gloves. After the procedure, hands are thoroughly washed.

In Europe and Russia, pasta is prohibited. The instructions on the package do not contain the exact dosage and recommendations for the use of the product. If the concentration is exceeded, deformation of leaves and shoots, deformities are possible. On the first application, the orchid begins to grow rapidly, but then slows down again until the next treatment. The drug is unfortunately addictive. It should not be used with other growth promoting agents. If the treatment is carried out incorrectly, then the flower quickly weakens.

Self-preparation of the composition

Not always cytokinin paste can be found. Some growers prepare it themselves. For this, lanolin is purchased in a pharmacy weighing from 100 to 200 grams. And you will also need benzyladenine, which is part of the medicine for burns. You can buy it in the departments with chemical reagents. Six grams of this substance is dissolved in a small volume of alcohol. The product is not soluble in water.

After that, 100 grams of lanolin are dissolved in a water bath. The substance is placed in a glass container. After the lanolin is dissolved, it is mixed with alcohol. The components are mixed and drained into a glass container. Do not cover the paste with a lid. The alcohol evaporates completely after a few days. The paste is ready to use. For long-term storage, the preparation is closed with a lid.

Caring for the orchid during the action of the remedy

While waiting for the result, check the kidneys so that they do not dry out and, if necessary, spray with a little warm water. The result can start to show in one to two weeks.

Feed your orchid with fertilizer. Towards an integrated fertilizer for orchids add nitrogen.

You can feed it with succinic acid (sold at the pharmacy). Crush 2 tablets and dissolve in hot water. Top up with water up to 1 liter. Spray or water with a warm solution 2 times a month.

Provide the plant with enough light. It is possible that the orchid buds did not awaken due to its lack. The cytokinin paste will help them wake up, but if there is insufficient light, the kidneys will be weak.

Make sure that there is no strong overheating or hypothermia of the substrate in the pot.

Kidney activation

You can treat the kidneys with ointment at the end of February, but the best time is considered to be March, April. Awakening a sleeping flower is not difficult, even a beginner can handle it. All the necessary tools are prepared for work:

• blade;
• sewing needle;
• tweezers;
• ear stick;
• a toothpick;
• gloves.

Until processing, the ointment is stored in a cool place, for example, in the refrigerator. Otherwise, in a warm and bright room, its beneficial properties will disappear.3 hours before use, it is taken out of the refrigerator and kept at room temperature. If the ointment is used cold, the plant can get stressed. How to awaken a sleeping kidney, step by step:

1. On a healthy, faded peduncle, a bud is chosen, which is moistened with boiled water. To do this, use a cotton swab. The most suitable buds are located above or below the peduncle.
2. The scales covering the kidney are bent back with a needle, then torn off with tweezers. A light green bump will appear. If the flakes are left on, the paste will be more difficult to apply. All sharp instruments are pre-disinfected with ethyl alcohol.
3. In order for the orchid paste to penetrate deeply into the kidney tissue, a small incision must be made. To do this, the tubercle is carefully scratched with a needle.
4. A small amount of the paste is applied in a thin, even layer to the kidney. Better to smear it with a toothpick. When propagating orchids, a ball of paste weighing 2.5 mm is placed, and a ball of 1.5 mm is enough to form a peduncle.
5. If you apply a small amount of the paste and reduce the air temperature by 3 ° C at night, you can achieve a lush bloom. When propagating a flower, everything is done the other way around: they put a large amount of paste, the temperature is raised. Thanks to such conditions, children should be formed.
6. Spraying your buds regularly with warm water will keep them from drying out.
7. Sometimes 2-3 shoots are formed from one bud. This happens when too much paste is applied. The weakest shoots are cut with a sharp knife, leaving the strongest. Otherwise, they will interfere with each other, develop. Places of cuts are treated with crushed activated carbon.
8. It is possible to determine by the kidney whether a rosette or peduncle has formed after 21 days. If the end is blunt, then the arrow is growing. Children have a pointed tip.
9. It is possible to stimulate the growth of the peduncle not only by lubricating the buds on a healthy arrow, but also on the trunk. To do this, a scratch is made in the bosom of the leaf, then a layer of paste of 1.5 cm is applied there.To the orchid does not suffer, the paste should not get on the root or leaf plates of the plant.

If necessary, re-treatment is carried out after 7 days. Although most growers believe that the processing procedure should be one-time. This will allow new shoots to actively develop, while receiving enough food, without sharing it among everyone.

Getting a new kidney

To obtain a new bud, you must select a site on the stem. Small scratches are made on its surface. The best place is above the sheet. The work is performed with a disinfected needle:

• grab the ointment with the tip of a knife and spread it with a thin layer on top of the scratches;
• all treated areas must be moistened with a cotton swab if the room has dry air.

The first kidney should form in 4 months. If it does not appear, you can try to treat the area near the old kidney. After a while, a new flower should appear on the side.

Features of applying paste to an orchid

For the tool to be really useful, the florist must follow a number of rules. It is not recommended to process all the buds on orchids. Usually, no more than three kidneys are treated. The plant simply will not be able to provide all new shoots and peduncles with useful substances. He does not have enough internal reserves for their full development.

Too much paste should not be applied. In this case, one "dormant" bud can release several shoots at once. Of all the shoots, only one of the strongest and most viable is left. Other sprouts are simply removed.

The needle, with which the scales are removed from the growth bud, must be disinfected so that the plant does not become infected with microorganisms. When the growth of new shoots begins, you should additionally feed the flower. Nutrients will give the plant strength. Before fertilizing, you need to carefully examine the orchid.If the plant has released a new peduncle, then it is fed with potash and phosphorus fertilizers. If new children have appeared, then fertilizing with nitrogen compounds should be carried out.

Contraindications for use

There are situations when paste cannot be used. Such a measure contributes to the deterioration of the condition of the plant. The hormonal preparation should not be used to resuscitate too depleted plants. Released peduncles and shoots will provoke a deterioration in the condition of an adult plant and can lead to the death of the orchid.

If the plant is damaged by parasites, then this is also not worth doing. All his strength will go to growth, and not to fight insects. It is not recommended to process young shoots and plants. Such flowers do not have a developed root system, and the hormonal agent will lead to yellowing of the leaves. A young flower may even shed its leaves.

Caring for the plant before and after applying the drug

After treatment with cytokinin paste, orchid care is as follows:

1. Lighting. The orchid loves to grow and develop only in a well-lit area. It is best to keep it on east or west facing windows so that there is no direct sunlight.
2. Watering. The flower after processing with the paste requires regular and moderate watering. Moisten as the soil dries out, using warm and settled water.
3. Top dressing. 2 weeks after stimulation with the paste, you need to buy succinic acid, from which to make a nutritional composition and water it 2 times a month. To prepare the solution, take 2 tablets, turn them into powder and pour 1 liter of water.

Our experts have prepared materials for you on how to feed an orchid so that babies appear, as well as during flowering. In addition, we present you with information on how to independently prepare fertilizer for a plant.

Description of cytokinin paste

The paste contains vitamins and growth hormone cytokinin, which is the main active ingredient. Thanks to the hormone, cell division is stimulated. The lanolin component, on the basis of which the preparation is prepared, allows to retain moisture and penetrate substances deep into the plant epithelium. The area treated with the paste is actively supplied with nutrients. The hormone stimulates amino acids, which leads to rapid cell division. Thanks to the drug:

• the plant wakes up quickly after hibernation;
• flowering lasts longer;
• stepchildren form faster, new shoots grow.

Externally, the paste looks like honey, it is produced in small plastic tubes, which are hermetically sealed. One package is enough to handle a large number of flowers. The shelf life of the drug is 3 years.

Impact on the plant

Before describing all the positive and negative qualities of the drug, it is necessary to consider how it affects plants. Orchid belongs to capricious crops. Her breeding is accompanied by difficulties, and sometimes she cannot wake up after hibernation. Therefore, flower growers advise to wake it up with the help of cytokinin paste. 2 weeks after using the drug, new babies, peduncles and stems begin to form. The use of cytokinin paste allows:

1. Extend the life of the plant. The paste, interacting with amino acids, is able to normalize metabolic processes in cells. Through these amino acids, flower and growth buds are awakened. Thanks to the preparation, the flower is renewed. The buds become stronger and larger, flowering lasts longer, and the aging process slows down. Also, the hormone prevents drying and dying off of shoots. If the bottom of the orchid, which was left without a top, is treated with a paste, new babies will begin to appear.
2. Awaken the kidneys. Each arrow and stem of a phalaenopsis has several dormant buds. Those located on the sides are not always activated, which gradually leads to the drying out of the arrow.In this case, the inflorescence can only appear from the upper bud. To prevent the kidneys from dying and the peduncle to fully bloom, a cytokinin ointment is used.
3. Propagate an orchid. Plant propagation occurs vegetatively. A paste is used to awaken the axillary buds. Due to the action of the hormone, root babies appear from the kidneys in the amount of 2-4 pieces. To make the bush huge with many lush flowers, young rosettes are left on the mother plant.
4. Stimulate flowering. Hormonal paste activates the appearance and growth of the peduncle when the plant itself does not want to do this.

Why is the drug dangerous?

If the cultivation of the flower took place in unfavorable conditions, and because of this is in critical condition, cytokinin ointment will help to cure it. It is also often used when the appearance of the plant is spoiled by asymmetrical leaf growth or other problems that other remedies cannot cope with. Despite all the advantages that the drug has, it has a number of disadvantages:

1. Leaf plates and shoots are deformed if the dosage is exceeded. Experiments are carried out to determine the required dose. It can be different for each plant.
2. After the first treatment, the plant begins to grow intensively, then freezes. Without repeated use of the drug, the orchid will not be able to develop normally. The ointment is addictive. Further processing will not bring positive results, so it will be useless to carry out them.
3. The use of the paste in conjunction with other biostimulants is prohibited.
4. The effect of the hormone on plant cells occurs at the genetic level. When the flower is dormant or weakened, the drug continues to stimulate cells to multiply. If you choose the wrong period for processing, the orchid will wither or die.

Stimulating orchids with hormonal ointment

The best time to treat the kidneys with cytokinin paste is at the end of winter or the first 2 months of spring, when the plants wake up from sleep. So that the drug does not lose its beneficial qualities, it is stored in the refrigerator. Before use, the paste is kept indoors for 2-3 hours to soften. Prepare the necessary equipment in advance:

• gypsy igloo;
• tweezers;
• ear stick;
• scalpel or razor blade;
• a toothpick.

How to properly handle the kidneys

The procedure for processing an orchid with cytokinin paste includes the following steps:

Sharp instruments are disinfected with ethyl alcohol. Choose a healthy, faded arrow. The best result is obtained with the treatment of the lowermost or upper kidney. They are moistened with boiled water using a cotton swab. Scales are removed from the kidneys by prying them with a sterile needle. The remains are removed with tweezers. A green tubercle will open - a sleeping kidney

It is carefully scratched with a needle so that the active substance penetrates deep into the tissue. A small amount of paste is taken with a toothpick and evenly applied to the kidney

You need to smear the surface with a thin layer. To form a peduncle, a mass of 1.5 mm is applied. And for the reproduction of orchids, cytokinin paste is taken in an amount of 2-2.5 mm. To prevent the buds from drying out, they are periodically lightly sprayed with warm water. With an excess of the drug from one bud, several shoots may appear at once. All together they will not be able to develop correctly, they will only interfere with each other. Therefore, the strongest escape is left, and the unnecessary ones are removed with a disinfected knife. The sections are sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.

On a note! After 3 weeks, it is already clear from the revived kidney that it will turn out from it - a peduncle or a new rosette. If its tip is pointed, then a baby is formed, tk. the arrow grows with a blunt end.

Cytokinin paste is used primarily to lubricate the kidneys on the live frog. However, it is possible to stimulate the growth of a peduncle on the trunk of an orchid. A drop of the agent with a diameter of 1.5 cm is applied into the bosom of the leaf, having previously made a scratch there with a needle.Avoid getting the paste on the root or leaves to avoid damaging the flower. It is useless to handle the shoots, or pseudobulbs, of sympodial orchids, since they do not have dormant buds.

Caring for a treated orchid

An orchid treated with cytokinin ointment needs optimal conditions and enhanced nutrition. The action of the phytohormone slows down when the substrate is dry, cold or hot. Therefore, after processing, the flower is kept at a temperature of + 24 ... + 26 ° С. The place should be light, but the orchid should be shaded from direct rays. If necessary, include phytolamps. If the air in the room is dry, the orchid is placed in a tray with wet expanded clay. Watering the treated orchid should be regular and moderate.

Orchids stimulated by cytokinin ointment are fed with complex fertilizer for epiphytes. When the peduncle is formed, a potassium-phosphorus mixture is added. For the normal development of children, a nitrogen supplement is required. The orchid will benefit from spraying or watering with succinic acid. The solution is prepared in the proportion of 2 crushed tablets per 1 liter of warm water. The frequency of its use is 2 times a month. Succinic acid improves the absorption of nutrients by the flower.

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