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CK's, GA's and Auxin

What's the consensus on plant hormone administration and fruit production? How well do commercial products work? Are they harmful to beneficial micro-organisms? Which products are best? Any insight would be much appreciated.
 
They may help but not needed for plant growth.

The 16 essential nutrients is what grows healthy plants:

Primary (macro) nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium

secondary -calcium, magnesium, sulphur

micronutrients - boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc




carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen :P
 
I have seen results using Fresh Kelp. Kelp is one of the best Organic sources of plant growth hormones. I have seen seedling grow leggy because the grow too fast. These seedling got the same light as the plants next to them that didn't get kelp.

I figure, the worst case scenario is the kelp adds microbes to my tea so why not? Though I feel You should focus on health rather than growth, because health promotes growth.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm a 2nd year grower. Last year I just had one super hot, a red bhut. I started late and the plant didn't start flowering until right around when the weather got hot. My plant grew susprisingly large all and all considered. It was well over 5' tall and had quite the canopy. It flowered like crazy and all but a few flowers dropped. When September came about it podded up like crazy. I got nearly 300 pods out of it.

My move to a single family home was deferred a year so I'm still in a condo with limited garden space. I have that same bhut, a 7 Pot Jonah and a TS Butch T. My plants are getting quite large and robust and I do have some pods forming. I'm frustrated about the flower drop I'm experiencing and we're entering a heat wave. I can't do much about the weather and I'd really like to have more of an early harvest.

I'm not concerned about getting more green leafy growth out of them. I'm looking for more pods and, above all, an earlier harvest. Could artifical hormones get me that? If so, at what cost?
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm a 2nd year grower. Last year I just had one super hot, a red bhut. I started late and the plant didn't start flowering until right around when the weather got hot. My plant grew susprisingly large all and all considered. It was well over 5' tall and had quite the canopy. It flowered like crazy and all but a few flowers dropped. When September came about it podded up like crazy. I got nearly 300 pods out of it.

My move to a single family home was deferred a year so I'm still in a condo with limited garden space. I have that same bhut, a 7 Pot Jonah and a TS Butch T. My plants are getting quite large and robust and I do have some pods forming. I'm frustrated about the flower drop I'm experiencing and we're entering a heat wave. I can't do much about the weather and I'd really like to have more of an early harvest.

I'm not concerned about getting more green leafy growth out of them. I'm looking for more pods and, above all, an earlier harvest. Could artifical hormones get me that? If so, at what cost?

No they will not speed anything up ;) I would not bother, the basic macro and micronutrients are more important.
 
Talk to Kevin(wayright), he will give you good info on the the "cheats." If you are at all interested in it do not listen to anyone till you talk to him.
 
You can cause a plant to grow faster than it's genetic potential. You use growth hormones, cytokins, gibberllic acid and auxins.
 
Thanks millworkman, I just shot waywright a PM. I'm quite curious to hear what he has to say.

Zappa, no my season won't be ending for approximately 4 more months. I'd like to have a solid supply of fresh super hots all summer long. I'm trying to assess the cost/benefit ratio of hormone administration. I'm hearing very conflicting things online and most of what I'm reading isn't even related to peppers (citrus, grapes, tomatoes, etc.). I'm just trying to get some information from people in the know.
 
Thanks millworkman, I just shot waywright a PM. I'm quite curious to hear what he has to say.
I'm just trying to get some information from people in the know.

If it was so helpfull then it would be used in agricultural production. Being that plants make these hormones them self in the RIGHT ratios there is no need to add them.
Cytokinin are important for laterial growth. Auxin causes vertical growth. they are made in the plant in the right ratios. Cytokinin shows its dominance in shrubs and low growing bushes. But dont take my word for it as Im not" in the know"

Tests show plants treated with these hormones rooted quiker and more plants rooted that had them added. At harvest time the ones given the hormones had NO higher yield......



Another note: If a plant gets all needed nutrients and has good grow conditions it will produce these. If you include them to a lacking fertilizer program that is NOT getting the full needed nutrients then they would help and increase a noticeable yield. But that goes back to just supplying plants with the needed nutrients, and good grow conditions.
 
If it was so helpfull then it would be used in agricultural production.

These are used in commercial agricultural production.

Capsicum, I do appreciate the feedback but I feel that:

1) You're over-simplifying some complex issues
2) You've never used any of the countless commercially available plant hormone products out there

Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
 
These are used in commercial agricultural production.

Capsicum, I do appreciate the feedback but I feel that:

1) You're over-simplifying some complex issues
2) You've never used any of the countless commercially available plant hormone products out there

Please correct me if I'm mistaken.


But that goes back to just supplying plants with the needed nutrients, and good grow conditions.


"2) You've never used any of the countless commercially available plant hormone products out there"

Yes I have. :P Thats why i am saying there is not much they do as far as yield goes. I used botanicare liquid karma which is kelp. kelp contains a lot of auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins. I simplified my program with higher levels of secondary macro nutrients and seen real change in yield.

I am pointing out that kelp which contains these helps in many ways, but would not increase yield or nutrition of a crop compaired to something like Calcium.

Again Liebig's law of the minimum...

"A nutrient that is able to limit plant growth according to Liebig's law of the minimum, is considered an essential plant nutrient if the plant cannot complete its full life cycle without it. There are 17 essential plant nutrients."



http://en.wikipedia...._of_the_minimum
 
I don't know anything about how those hormones might affect fruit set, but flower drop due to failed pollination is most likely due to the air parameters. Overnight temps, morning temps, morning humidity and daytime high temps are the key parameters. The O/N temp is not likely the issue right now as it is plenty warm and you are getting flowers to develop, so it is probably one or both of AM temperature and humidity. Daytime highs above 95 can also impair fruit set in most peppers (though I have a c. frutescens in my back yard that was setting fruit on 105 degree days last year). I don't know if your plants are in pots or in an area where you might be able to influence those parameters but if you are determined to get fruit set now you will need to do something about it. You should only need a few days of controlled conditions to get a nice batch of pods started. Once the flowers are pollinated and the pods start to form the air parameters don't matter much so you can go back to your regular care regimen.

If you are interested I will dig out my book that has the relevant table. I thought I saw the numbers posted on here too, but I can't seem to find it now.
 
If you are interested I will dig out my book that has the relevant table. I thought I saw the numbers posted on here too, but I can't seem to find it now.

If it's not too much trouble I'd really appreciate it. My 7 Pot Jonah is in a 10 gallon Air Pot so I can somewhat manipulate its conditions. My other 2 are in the ground. I don't have a soil test kit so anything I could say about macro/micronutrient deficiencies would be speculation. With that said, I believe the soil to be good as I've ammended it with a ton of compost, worm castings, bone meal, guano, etc Everything looks really healthy.

I'm over-watering as my pepper plants are surrounded by many of my wife's plants which need more frequent watering. I can't wait to be out of this condo and into a place where I have some space! Anyways, the 7 Pot has the most pods which isn't saying much. It's also receiving the least amount of water.

I'm sort of digressing. Next chance I get I'll post some of the more interesting plant hormone info that I've found.
 
Checkout a glog by wayright, he shows a picture with what appear to be hormones, he does not expand on them. But look at his previous glogs, his plants are huge.

Having tried liquid karma for less than a full season, I find it hard to accept a person's view on the big picture with so little experience.
 
Checkout a glog by wayright, he shows a picture with what appear to be hormones, he does not expand on them. But look at his previous glogs, his plants are huge.

Having tried liquid karma for less than a full season, I find it hard to accept a person's view on the big picture with so little experience.

I have used botanicare liquid karma.....

Thats ok dont take my word for it maybe a German Chemist Justus von Liebig

"A nutrient that is able to limit plant growth according to Liebig's law of the minimum, is considered an essential plant nutrient if the plant cannot complete its full life cycle without it. There are 17 essential plant nutrients."
 
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