I've been reading and researching on plant hormones. There was an inordinate amount of the particulate carbon byproduct of combustion being forcibly cast out from puckered posterior orifices for me to be comfortable continuing the discussion started in "First Pepper of the 2008 Season..."
First, I may be incorrectly calling them plant hormones at all. Some of the references I read said a more correct name would be plant growth regulators rather than plant hormones. Second is the assumption that we understand enough about plant physiology to understand and/or predict the effect of all or most phyto-compounds on our bodies. From the amount of research being done I would say there's a whole honkin lot we don't know. We already know that some of them have a powerful effect on our bodies. Phyto-estrogens, which, despite the name, are flavoinoids, are an excellent example. A few years back, I had some problems with uterine fibroid tumors. I wanted very much to avoid a hysterectomy and the first thing I was told was to avoid all soy and soy products. I bet most of you have an herbal supplement or two in your medicine cabinets, too.
So, I looked and looked for any work being done on auxin, since it’s the plant growth regulator seems to be the one most used by gardeners. I couldn’t find a single paper that tested its safety, only one that used indole acetic acid and follicle stimulating hormone in sheep ovary tissue culture to stimulate normal follicle development. Yeah, that was a lively read. I searched the OMRI (sit down, I’m not talking about you) web site, and didn’t find a single product that listed auxin. Botaincare has a couple of products listed, but not the ones that have auxin in them. Oddly enough, there was a whole subsection of products with gibberellic acid.
There were lots of sites that warned auxin in high concentrations is what makes a lot of herbicides work, and that auxin was the herbicide in Agent Orange.
So, I’m back to the fact that we don’t know if giving plants plant growth regulators is safe. If the research has been done, I couldn’t find it. And no, we can’t just assume it is because it seems logical. Remember they gave women synthetic hormones at menopause for years because it seemed to make sense that the estrogen would ameliorate hot flashes and the like, plus give some protection against heart attacks and cancer. Boy howdy is *that* a mess.
Now, as to the more immediate effects, auxin is why AJ’s plants are tall and straight. Auxin controls apical dominance and suppression of the lateral buds. Compare his 2 foot tall nagas with some of the equally healthy but bushy plants that some of the others have produced.
This is not, btw, a criticism, but an observation. I know others of you use products with plant growth regulators in them, but I read up on the Botanicare he’s using, and he has posted such lovely pictures. And he’ll forgive me for picking on him. *blows AJ a kiss* And I'm not suggesting that there is anything wrong with or unhealthy about AJ's plants, just that they clearly show the effects of auxin supplementation.
I’m not sure if giving them auxin will affect the amount and quality of the peppers produced. Auxin does play some part in initiating bud formation, but it’s a minor role and not as clear cut as apical dominance. It can delay flower senescence, but I’m not clear if delaying senescence would delay fruiting. Senescence is defined literally as the growth phase from full maturity to death of a plant or plant part.
Now, all this research turned up an interesting tidbit that might explain why my Nagas aren’t growing. I wish I could find the blasted article again, but it suggested that some of the beneficial mycorrhizae being used in horticulture inhibit auxin production. Auxin stimulates the production of secondary roots and, unlike stems, inhibits apical dominance in roots. Frustrated by my inability to get my hands on anything like Pro-Mix, I got something called Soluble Root Growth Enhancer that contains beneficial endo and ecto mycorrhizae. I think, and once again I can’t find the blasted article; but, forcibly casting out particulate carbon byproduct of combustion from my puckered posterior orifice, I think maybe my nagas might actually be auxin deficient. I added some Superthrive to the water of a couple of them last week and almost immediately have gotten a growth bump. And adding the Soluble Root Growth Enhancer is really the only thing I’ve done that’s significantly different.
So, I seem to have put myself right smack dab between a rock and a hard place.
First, I may be incorrectly calling them plant hormones at all. Some of the references I read said a more correct name would be plant growth regulators rather than plant hormones. Second is the assumption that we understand enough about plant physiology to understand and/or predict the effect of all or most phyto-compounds on our bodies. From the amount of research being done I would say there's a whole honkin lot we don't know. We already know that some of them have a powerful effect on our bodies. Phyto-estrogens, which, despite the name, are flavoinoids, are an excellent example. A few years back, I had some problems with uterine fibroid tumors. I wanted very much to avoid a hysterectomy and the first thing I was told was to avoid all soy and soy products. I bet most of you have an herbal supplement or two in your medicine cabinets, too.
So, I looked and looked for any work being done on auxin, since it’s the plant growth regulator seems to be the one most used by gardeners. I couldn’t find a single paper that tested its safety, only one that used indole acetic acid and follicle stimulating hormone in sheep ovary tissue culture to stimulate normal follicle development. Yeah, that was a lively read. I searched the OMRI (sit down, I’m not talking about you) web site, and didn’t find a single product that listed auxin. Botaincare has a couple of products listed, but not the ones that have auxin in them. Oddly enough, there was a whole subsection of products with gibberellic acid.
There were lots of sites that warned auxin in high concentrations is what makes a lot of herbicides work, and that auxin was the herbicide in Agent Orange.
So, I’m back to the fact that we don’t know if giving plants plant growth regulators is safe. If the research has been done, I couldn’t find it. And no, we can’t just assume it is because it seems logical. Remember they gave women synthetic hormones at menopause for years because it seemed to make sense that the estrogen would ameliorate hot flashes and the like, plus give some protection against heart attacks and cancer. Boy howdy is *that* a mess.
Now, as to the more immediate effects, auxin is why AJ’s plants are tall and straight. Auxin controls apical dominance and suppression of the lateral buds. Compare his 2 foot tall nagas with some of the equally healthy but bushy plants that some of the others have produced.
This is not, btw, a criticism, but an observation. I know others of you use products with plant growth regulators in them, but I read up on the Botanicare he’s using, and he has posted such lovely pictures. And he’ll forgive me for picking on him. *blows AJ a kiss* And I'm not suggesting that there is anything wrong with or unhealthy about AJ's plants, just that they clearly show the effects of auxin supplementation.
I’m not sure if giving them auxin will affect the amount and quality of the peppers produced. Auxin does play some part in initiating bud formation, but it’s a minor role and not as clear cut as apical dominance. It can delay flower senescence, but I’m not clear if delaying senescence would delay fruiting. Senescence is defined literally as the growth phase from full maturity to death of a plant or plant part.
Now, all this research turned up an interesting tidbit that might explain why my Nagas aren’t growing. I wish I could find the blasted article again, but it suggested that some of the beneficial mycorrhizae being used in horticulture inhibit auxin production. Auxin stimulates the production of secondary roots and, unlike stems, inhibits apical dominance in roots. Frustrated by my inability to get my hands on anything like Pro-Mix, I got something called Soluble Root Growth Enhancer that contains beneficial endo and ecto mycorrhizae. I think, and once again I can’t find the blasted article; but, forcibly casting out particulate carbon byproduct of combustion from my puckered posterior orifice, I think maybe my nagas might actually be auxin deficient. I added some Superthrive to the water of a couple of them last week and almost immediately have gotten a growth bump. And adding the Soluble Root Growth Enhancer is really the only thing I’ve done that’s significantly different.
So, I seem to have put myself right smack dab between a rock and a hard place.
I have started using another Botanicare product called liquid karma...why....it sounded cool and I remember the 60's....it is suppose to give the flowering/fruiting phase a jump start...
