bleach in water for orchids?

[bob]

I would like some vrification. I read that 1 tsp. of household bleach
in a gallon of water is good for the color of blooming orchids and use
this solution to water the plants. Any thoughts?
Bob

[Ray]

I can think of no reason why sodium hypochlorite is of any nutritional value
to any plant, and the only color enhancement I could conceive of would occur
at one ounce per gallon, if used to clean algae off of the plants.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!

"bob" <drbob...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1110429336.8...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

[Ray]

Hydrangea color is determined by the pH of the soil.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!

"Lady Blacksword" <murribl...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1110468123.71ff12a6a4008374a5aaf08bdfcc410e@teranews...
>I can't remember either, Wendy, but you can also add a rusted chunk off
>iron to the planting hole on a hydrangea, as it's the iron they need for
>color.
> Murri
>
> "Wendy" <wendy7P...@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:yuZXd.29883$FM3.25100@fed1read02...
>> Hi Bob, I would think chlorine bleach would kill a plant?
>> Now I have read about some kind of crystals (name escapes me), that
>> people dose Hydrangeas to make them more blue?
>> Remove peterpan for email reply
>>
>> Cheers Wendy

[Aaron Hicks]

Offhand, I would say the crystals were probably ammonium sulfate,
which is decent fertilizer that acidifies the soil. Dropping the pH to
around 5 will turn 'em blue. Higher than that leads to pink.

Bleach is a solution of sodium hydroxide (lye), which has a
sufficiently high pH to hold dissolved chlorine gas. This is why mixing
chlorine with just about anything else (particularly acids) tempts fate,
as it may release chlorine gas as the pH drops.

Of course, the sodium hydroxide solution has a very high pH, and-
assuming orchid flower color is pH-related- could change the coloration of
the flowers. Remember that orchid bark and other media tend to be acidic,
as does their environment in general. Something with a high pH would be
very unusual.

That having been said, I have no idea as to whether orchid
coloration is related at all to substrate pH. I don't recall ever having
heard or read about this, and I've been growing for 23 years as of april.
I would think it likely that somewhere, SOME orchid has flower colors that
are at least somewhat variable with pH, but I don't think that garden
variety phals, cattleyas, etc. vary too much with pH.

Of course, if someone has information contrary to the conventional
wisdom, I'd love to hear about it.

The address in the header isn't valid. Send no email there.

-AJHicks
Chandler, AZ

[jadel]

Where did you hear this? Why would sodium hypochlorite enhance bloom
color? I don't see the connection.

J. Del Col

[Lady Blacksword]

I can't remember either, Wendy, but you can also add a rusted chunk off iron
to the planting hole on a hydrangea, as it's the iron they need for color.
Murri

"Wendy" <wendy7P...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:yuZXd.29883$FM3.25100@fed1read02...
> Hi Bob, I would think chlorine bleach would kill a plant?
> Now I have read about some kind of crystals (name escapes me), that people
> dose Hydrangeas to make them more blue?
> Remove peterpan for email reply
>
> Cheers Wendy
>
> bob wrote:

[Rob Halgren]

Wendy wrote:
> Hi Bob, I would think chlorine bleach would kill a plant?

Probably not, at least at the concentration Bob is recommending. I
wouldn't use it in a fertilizer solution though. If memory serves, Wil
Neptune used to recommend a fairly high percentage bleach solution for
cleaning the walls and floors of his greenhouse, and said that it didn't
matter if it got on the plants. He sprayed that stuff around like it
was going out of style. His plants are exquisite.

> Now I have read about some kind of crystals (name escapes me), that
> people dose Hydrangeas to make them more blue?
> Remove peterpan for email reply

Not sure what the crystals are, but color in hydrangeas is soil pH
dependent. I do not know that there is any evidence that color in
orchids is media pH dependent. Temperature dependent, light dependent,
yes. It would be interesting to find out if anybody has actually done
some experimental work to see if pH is a factor. I don't really have
the references to look that up.

> Cheers Wendy

--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

[Wendy]

Hi Bob, I would think chlorine bleach would kill a plant?

Now I have read about some kind of crystals (name escapes me), that
people dose Hydrangeas to make them more blue?
Remove peterpan for email reply

Cheers Wendy

[Rob Halgren]

Lady Blacksword wrote:
> If you say so. All I know is what I've been told, and what I've seen work.
> You probably know more about it than I do.
> Murri
>

You may both be right. Soil pH affects the availability of many plant
nutrients. Iron is always in vast excess in soil (almost all soil, it
is one of the most common elements on earth, after all). But it is much
less available to plants at the wrong pH range. So you could
(theoretically) overcome the wrong pH by supplementing with additional
iron.

Rob

[Lady Blacksword]

If you say so. All I know is what I've been told, and what I've seen work.
You probably know more about it than I do.
Murri

"Ray" <ray...@firstrays.com> wrote in message
news:r_KdnVsNdfC...@comcast.com...

[Ray]

Only what I've read, in this case. No experience whatsoever...

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!

"Lady Blacksword" <murribl...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:1110476227.a9c0e3b2fd9e2cc457530c3f724e3331@teranews...

[bob]

Hi Jadel:
I read the bit about house hold bleach im the farmers almanac.

[MPD]

Rob Halgren wrote:
> Not sure what the crystals are, but color in hydrangeas is soil pH
> dependent.

I can't remember where I read this, but the pH itself does not effect
the color of hydrangeas. The soil pH effects the plants ability to
take up aluminum (actually, I think aluminum sulfate). Plenty of
aluminum gives hydrangeas the blue color; absense results in pink. So,
pH is really an indirect effect.

--Matt

[Wendy]

Ok, I remember now it was Epsom Salts to up the colour in the flowers of
Hydrangeas. You are all correct that it brings down the PH.
Now I need to find out if Epsom Salts is sulfate of ammonia?

Remove peterpan for email reply

Cheers Wendy

[Phalguy]

Hello!

Epsom Salts is magnesium sulfate !

Claude

"Wendy" <wendy7P...@cox.net> wrote in message

news:Vh4Yd.29990$FM3.24034@fed1read02...

[Matthew Donadio]

Aaron Hicks wrote:
> That having been said, I have no idea as to whether orchid
> coloration is related at all to substrate pH. I don't recall ever having
> heard or read about this, and I've been growing for 23 years as of april.

Substrate pH effects uptake of nutrients. Check out Bill Argo's
articles from the IPA magazine: http://www.firstrays.com/nutrition.htm

--Matt

[dusty]

Wendy <wendy7P...@cox.net> wrote in
news:yuZXd.29883$FM3.25100@fed1read02:

It's called Aluminum Sulfate it makes the soil acid nice for blueberrys too
more info
http://henryfields.com/product.asp?pn=12774&sid=600283&EID=GL00000001180

Grow well and bloom magnificently
dusty