What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

GA-3 on leaf cuttings

Has any one experimented with putting GA-3 on leaf cuttings? i have been told that it will increase the number of sprouts and they will grow much quicker, but i do not know what % solution to use or how to apply it. Just a thought, couldnt it multiply the chromosones of the sprouts too?
 
Where does one even purchase Giberallic Acid?
 
Aside from B. gigantea, what else would people use it?
 
Aside from B. gigantea, what else would people use it?

On all hard-to-germinate seeds......

Drosophyllum being one of the most difficult.

The MegoGro solution is based on GA3 too.
 
You can also skip stratification needs for seeds that require it as well.
 
On all hard-to-germinate seeds......

Drosophyllum being one of the most difficult.

The MegoGro solution is based on GA3 too.

Never needed it to germinate any of my Drosophyllum.
 
....then you musta had some freakin' sweet fresh seeds!

Lucky you. ;)
 
Ga-3 has lots of uses. I have applied it to the petiole of a VFT during formation to make a monster trap. It is good for germinating seed but it can also multiply chromosomes to create multipolyploidal plants. Multipolyploidal plants are usually unstable or die but if any of them are viable and true to form they will grow much faster and get much larger than the normal form. I am surprised, i expected to be bombarded with too much info. It looks like i am going to have to start another experiment.
 
  • #10
Can you imagine what GA 3 can do to a D. multifida extrema?
 
  • #11
Ga-3 has lots of uses. I have applied it to the petiole of a VFT during formation to make a monster trap. It is good for germinating seed but it can also multiply chromosomes to create multipolyploidal plants. Multipolyploidal plants are usually unstable or die but if any of them are viable and true to form they will grow much faster and get much larger than the normal form. I am surprised, i expected to be bombarded with too much info. It looks like i am going to have to start another experiment.


I am going to do some experiments on plants this summer too. I'm gonna try a strong GA3 solution on a typical VFT, Cape sundew and a S. Rubra.

See what kind of Frankenstein-like freaks I can create. ;)
 
  • #12
I found this on a web site a couple years ago, I cannot remember where. I find it rather informative on GA3:

Gibberellic acid was first discovered in Japan in 1935 as a result of the study of a condition common in rice plants called "foolish seedling" disease, which caused the plants to grow much taller than normal. The effects of gibberellins weren't widely understood until years later. Gibberellic acid, GA3 is a naturally occurring plant hormone that regulates the growth of plants, including triggering seed germination. Gibberellic Acid is not manufactured; it's a natural product extracted from the Gibberella fujikuroi fungus. There are over 100 known forms of gibberellic acid; GA3 is the most effective.

Seeds of many plant species require exposure to low or high temperature within a certain period before they will germinate. This process is called thermal stratification. Alternatively, the hormone gibberelline can be used to break such dormancy.

Alcohol soluble GA3 Powder 90% is the most economical form of Gibberellic acid. It is soluble in 70% common rubbing alcohol. Before it can be used is must be turned into a liquid. The amount of Gibberellic acid that needs to be used is very small. Drop the correct amount of powder in a small bottle, then add a few drops of rubbing alcohol. The only reason to use alcohol is to dilute the Gibberellic acid powder. Use just enough alcohol to wet the gibberellic acid powder. If after a couple of minutes you can still see some powder add a few more drops of alcohol. Then just add water to get he right concentration. It is often being said that alcohol will damage plants. Yes, but not in the very low concentration needed to dissolve Gibberellic acid. 90% GA3 powder will not dissolve in water. Once mixed it loses viability within a week, even if refrigerated.

You don't need much of the solution to soak your seeds, just enough for the seeds to fully swell. Most seeds can be soaked in the small poly-bags. Tiny seeds should be folded up in a filter paper for ease of handling when soaking. Larger seeds can be soaked in a pill bottle or small jar.

For exemple: 100mg of GA3 in 200ml of water gives you 200ml at 500 ppm (part per million). 100mg of GA3 in 400ml of water gives you 400ml at 250 ppm. 1g of GA3 at 90% concentration will be supplied as a powder in a small ziplock bag, sufficient quantity to make a 2 liters of solution at 500 ppm. You should have enough for a couple of years.

Use strong solution, 500 ppm, on very hard to germinate seeds; and a 250 ppm on seeds that are just hard or slow to start. Seeds enclosed in a hard coat may be submit to a higher concentration, 750-1000 ppm. You can scarify the seeds at first. Soak seeds for 24 hours and at most three days for the ones enclosed in a hard coat. Keep the seeds at room temperature with occasional careful shaking. The seeds may then be sown. Don't use it on easy to start seeds unless you dilute it greatly, like 25-100 ppm, and soak them only for 2-3 hours. Normal, easy-to-sprout seeds will become very elongated and stretched out, then die if GA3 is used on them. Concentrations of about 2 ppm can cause tubers to sprout earlier.

Gibberellic acid can also influence the timing of flowering, flower gender, flower size and increase the number of flowers. If a plant is sufficiently developed, premature flowering may be induced by direct application of GA3 to young plants. Formation of male flowers is generally promoted by concentrations of 10 to 200 ppm, female flowers by concentrations of 200 to 300 ppm. You may have an increase in the number of flowers by direct application of GA3 to young plants, at 25 ppm.

When there is difficulty with fruit set because of incomplete pollination, GA3 may be effectively used to increase fruit set. The resulting fruit maybe partially or entirely seedless.

GA3 applied near the terminal bud of trees may increase the rate of growth by stimulating more or less constant growth during the season. Since GA3 regulates growth, applications of very low concentrations can have a profound effect while too much will have the opposite effect.

Although GA3 is not listed as a poison, the following precautions should be observed. Flush with water any GA3 that may get into the eye. Avoid skin contact if possible and wash away any contact with soap and water. Avoid ingestion of GA3.
 
  • #13
Soooo, if using it for leaf pullings, would you soak the entire leaf?
 
  • #15
Thanks for digging that up!
 
  • #16
Ga-3 has very unstable results so in theory you could get an amazing plant but it would probably take an entire life time to get a stable plant with the desired characteristics.
Another product that is much better for this than GA-3 is chultizine, (i Dont remember how to spell it) It is very powerful and i have failed every time with it.
I just recieved some Poorly packaged P. ehlersae so i have perfect donor plant for testing GA-3 on leaf pullings and am going to start the experiment today.
 
  • #17
Colchicine, very nasty poisonous compound -- though effective for inspiring polyploidy.

Y'all are welcome to play with Gibberellic Acid, but I've always wondered about the sanity of spending $$ on hormones to induce plantlet formation in leaf-pullings of Mexican Pinguicula, when they quickly produce copious quantities of plantlets if you just drop them on the floor.

Use Gibberellic Acid on something that needs it to obtain the desired result.

[If your meal is not sweet enough, "add a sweetener", not more salt.]
 
  • #18
I soaked my P. ehlersea leaves in a weak solution of GA3 for 4 hours and they all died within a week. I then soaked P. ehlersea leaves in a weaker solution for 4 hours and they all produced about 4 plantletts each and compared to the non soaked leaves which produced one plantlett each they sprouted 4 days earlier but they are not growing any faster. I used a tooth pick for measuring the GA3 so i do not know what concentrations i used but i am purchasing a scale so i will post the concentration later.
Fryster, if you have done this before why dont you post your results or any helpful tips?
 
  • #19
No results yet.

I have yet to set up any true experiments due to a busier-than-usual work schedule. :(

However, I've discovered that you don't want to get GA3 on your growing media. On peat it causes a ferocious green mold to sprout and grow rapidly. (a real seedling killa)

And, GA3 causes dead LFS to suddenly turn green and spring to life! Or so it appears......
The "green" I theorize is some kind of mold again, growing inside the dead LFS.

So, be careful with GA3 and your growing media.
 
Back
Top