Cytokinin paste for orchids: features, rules of use and storage

Hormonal Cytokinin Paste is an effective agent for growing orchids. It allows you to grow children and grow young flower stalks in cases where all other methods of stimulation are ineffective. Nevertheless, the use of this drug has its own subtleties of application, therefore it should be applied correctly, otherwise the death of the plant is not excluded.

Cytokinin ointment is a complex phytohormonal preparation that is used on many plants, including orchids. The main active component of the paste is cytokinin, thanks to which active cell division and growth begins. The composition is sold in specialized retail outlets along with the rest of the houseplant care products.

When used correctly, a small package can handle a large number of plants. The hormone at the cellular level affects the growth of all cells in the inner parts of the flower - this property is important in order to effectively propagate the most capricious plants, which include orchids.

The rosettes can be planted one by one, or they can be left in a common pot - in this case, when blooming, you will receive a huge exotic bouquet. In addition, the drug has proven to be effective in a number of the following cases:

• when the flower has been in rooms with a low temperature for a long time, but has been moved to warmer living conditions;
• with overdried or, conversely, excessively waterlogged root system.

As a result of the action of the hormonal drug, instead of a single-stem flower, you can get a rather voluminous orchid bush, which will consist of a mother plant and 3-5 basal babies.

Let us dwell in more detail on the processes that occur after the use of this hormonal drug.

• Kidney awakening. On any flower, including an orchid, there are always buds in a state of sleep, which can be located both on the stem and on the peduncle itself. Sometimes they cannot wake up on their own after a long winter, so flower growers recommend applying cytokinin in order to wake up your green "pet" from sleep. The optimal period for processing in this case will be March or early April. Usually, active awakening and growth begins 10-15 days after application.
• Regulation of metabolism. Cytokinin ointment allows at the cellular level to influence the metabolism in the cells of the whole plant due to the production of amino acids. These proteins have the property of awakening the buds, the orchid is actively increasing in growth, while abundant and prolonged flowering is also observed, and the flowers themselves acquire a rich shade. This quality of the drug is especially appreciated by novice growers who can ruin the orchid with improper care. For example, if the top of the plant breaks, then you can treat the bottom of the plant with ointment and children and side shoots will begin to appear on it.
• Aging delay. When using hormonal paste, all cells and tissues of the plant are renewed, thereby slowing down its aging and decay. It was noted that the buds on such orchids last longer than on non-stimulated ones, and the number of buds is much larger.

The undoubted advantage of cytokinin paste is the effectiveness of the drug; it often becomes the last chance to save a dying plant. The advantages include the following:

• speed of action;
• impact on the metabolic processes of the plant at the cellular level;
• the ability to use in any conditions of content.

However, many note that almost nowhere, including on the packaging and in the instructions, there is no information about how much paste needs to be applied in one case or another, so everyone uses as much composition as he sees fit, which often leads to an overdose and death of a flower. In addition, there are situations when hormonal paste is not recommended for use, as it can lead to a significant deterioration in the health of the flower. Cytokinin should not be used in the following cases:

• when treating orchids that have suffered during illiterate care, when the plant is too depleted - in this case, all efforts will be thrown into the creation of young shoots, which will finally "undermine" the root system;
• in the presence of any pests, in this situation it will not be possible to achieve a young generation of shoots, and the mother will be simply destroyed, since all forces will be spent on reproduction;
• on young shoots, young orchids with a poorly strengthened root system often react to phytohormones with abundant yellowing and foliage shedding.

In order for cytokinin to benefit the plant, and not harm it, you should strictly adhere to the following rules and regulations for its application to an orchid:

• it is strictly forbidden to process more than 3 dormant buds at a time on one flower, since when the growth of too many young shoots is activated, the roots simply cannot cope with providing the plant with the necessary nutrients in full, which causes its weakening and even death;
• an overdose of the composition often leads to the fact that several peduncles are released from one dormant bud at once - in this case, it will not be possible to save them all, therefore, the largest and strongest should be left, and all the rest should be removed;
• to push back the scales and scratch the stem, only disinfected needles should be used, otherwise the risk of infection of a perennial with a pathogenic microflora increases;
• when carrying out stimulation, it is necessary to simultaneously feed the flower with mineral components.

The procedure for applying the paste is as follows:

1. for a start, the plant is carefully examined in order to choose a kidney suitable for processing, the extreme lower and apical responds best to stimulation;
2. using a thin needle, remove the scale covering the bud and carefully cut it off so as not to damage the stem;
3. when the green kidney is cleared of the cover, it is necessary to apply a small ball of the drug to it with a needle;
4. experienced florists recommend first scratching the bud a little, so the composition gets to its destination faster;
5. at the final stage, gently distribute the paste over the surface of the kidney and wait for the results.

The main mistake of many growers is to apply too much paste layer - then after 2-3 days young deformed shoots will appear on the stems.In this case, the most sick should be removed, and only one, the strongest and healthiest, should be left. After processing the orchid with cytokinin, the plant must provide comfortable conditions for development, namely:

• it is important that the flower receives enough light, therefore it is better to place it on the south or east side, while direct ultraviolet rays should not fall on it;
• orchid watering requires moderate, but regulatory - as the substrate dries; it is best to take spring or settled water for this, by no means not cold;
• a few weeks after stimulation, the plant should be treated with a solution of succinic acid - at the rate of 2 tablets per 1 liter of water - this fertilizer should be watered on the orchid every 2 weeks.

Cytokinin is consumed quite sparingly, so it can be used for a long time, but in order for it to retain all its useful properties, the drug should be stored correctly. This is best done in a cool place, such as a refrigerator. If you leave it near heating appliances, the hormone will lose its effectiveness, and if you stay near a heat source for a long time, it can become dangerous for the orchid.

However, immediately before application, the paste should be kept warm for several hours - it must warm up to room temperature, otherwise the plant may react to it with stress.

In addition to cytokinin, phytohormones include drugs such as:

• Keikigrow Plus - a Canadian-made paste that has the same effect on an orchid as a cytokinin one.
• Letto - a powdery analogue of phytohormones, it is diluted with water and used to spray the plant, as a result the condition of the flower improves (the stems become sharper, and the size of the peduncles increases).

Some growers prefer to replace cytokinin ointment with a homemade version. To do this, 1 g of benzyladenine is dissolved in 20 ml of alcohol, then 100 g of lanolin melted with steam is introduced. Everything is mixed well and left to harden for at least 2 hours. During this period, all alcohol vapors evaporate from the paste, and it becomes usable.

It is noted that flowering indoor plants make the atmosphere in the house more comfortable, which is why many people prefer orchids to all other types of green “pets”. However, orchids are very capricious plants, as the reviews show, growing it without stimulants is a real, but at the same time, extremely troublesome task. The use of cytokinin makes it possible to obtain new shoots very quickly. Most flower growers agree on its high efficiency, but it is important to apply the product correctly, and after processing to provide the plant with optimal living conditions, otherwise the result will not work.

For information about the result of using cytokinin paste for an orchid, see the next video.