My homemade "liquid karma" recipe

[h.h.]

Salicylic acid is found in the growing tips of willow shoots, and most fruits and vegetables. However, willow is the best natural source for it. And salicylic acid is a natural rooting hormone.
As for your banana enzymes, do you use ripe or unripe bananas?

While willow branches contain auxins and salicylic acid, auxins are not salicylic acid.Natural auxin is indole-3-acetic acid. There are also several manmade auxins, such as indole-3-butyric acid or indole-3-propionic acid. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is not an auxin.
While the tips of willow shoots do contain auxin, I can't find a reliable cite that says there's enough there to promote rooting in plants. This is about as close as it gets: (http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach...llow+rooting+site:.edu&hl=en&client=firefox-a) Willow water and rooting cuttings ?? A recent article in a popular horticulture magazine lead me to do some searching on this topic. Thanks to Dr. Jerry Cohen, Bailey Chair, in our Dept. for his comments. Many people feel using "willow water" will improve rooting on cuttings, especially roses. There are few, if any scientific findings to substantiate this, so it remains a "home remedy". The following articles explain how to make and use it, but the "auxin-like" compounds in willows do not appear to give consistent, reliable propagation results. Other natural auxin rich sources, such as seeds, may have a similar effect. Commercial rooting hormones are the most consistent, reliable products to stimulating rooting.
I ran across several sites that claim that if willow water doesn't work for you, aspirin might. That's BS. Commercial aspirin should not contain auxins.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-296132.html
I use my over ripe bananas. Really don't know if they help that much in the enzyme department. Maybe enzymes are what I'm looking for. With a well rounded diet, I haven't worried too much about them.

 

[Stankie]

Willow water is thought to contain Rhizocaline, a rooting substance that little is known about.

I made a batch of willow water this weekend expecting a highly anticipated clone coming my way this week. I think my efforts may have been in vain though . . . .
Maybe I'll use it to root some roses or something

 

[h.h.]

The extract in the link claims a light brown color. My extract is dark brown. I don't know the commercial concentration, but I use a couple gallons a day of the stuff with no burn whatsoever. Perhaps using down and dead, mine is less acidic.
As far as being redundant using both yucca and aloe, they are different in many ways and adding both can only increase diversity.
If I had x amount of dollars to buy either or, I'd get the yucca. Not knowing how the commercial products are though, at 13 bucks a pint, knowing how much I use, I'd be leery of even that realizing I might not get the full benefit. A few drops of dish soap might be as effective at that level.

 

[h.h.]

Willow water is thought to contain Rhizocaline, a rooting substance that little is known about.

I made a batch of willow water this weekend expecting a highly anticipated clone coming my way this week. I think my efforts may have been in vain though . . . .
Maybe I'll use it to root some roses or something

I use a lot of desert willow. Not a true willow, called so because of it's vast similarity. Starts easily, fast growing tips. Several other trees will fit the description. Pomegranates though they contain a lot of tannin. According to the opinion I posted, they don't necessarily transfer these qualities. Doesn't hurt though and adds diversity.
Just look at all the plants in your area. Google everything to see if it's been tested or has any ill effects or if any use has been found. Develop a sense of what you can use locally and use them all. Palm tree heart is very close to yucca as well. Not as much soap.

 

[h.h.]

Your specific link is to a posting on a forum - period.

Thanks for sharing.

Good job Sherlock.

 

[GoneRooty]

I stand corrected on salicylic acid, however there is studies showing that salicylic acid and rhizocaline will cause rooting without the presence of auxins. Salicylic acid is a phenolic phytohormone, which much is still unknown about.

As for your use of bananas for enzymes, by the time your banana is ripe, not to mention over ripe, the enzymes are pretty much gone. The enzymes you want are the ones that cause the banana to ripen. Try using green bananas, peels and all and see if you get better results.

 

[seanseanhen]

Aloe is an excellent substitute for dish soap as a surfactant, I have also used it in conjunction with turmeric, neem oil and sometimes lavender blossom extract to remedy pest and mould infections.

 

[h.h.]

I stand corrected on salicylic acid, however there is studies showing that salicylic acid and rhizocaline will cause rooting without the presence of auxins. Salicylic acid is a phenolic phytohormone, which much is still unknown about.

As for your use of bananas for enzymes, by the time your banana is ripe, not to mention over ripe, the enzymes are pretty much gone. The enzymes you want are the ones that cause the banana to ripen. Try using green bananas, peels and all and see if you get better results.

Interesting on the Salicylic acid. Many trees that contain it are easy to root.


I kind of figured that was where you were heading with the banana question. It sort of struck home. The enzyme action is why I throw them out. They're used up at that point.
If citric acid is used to preserve the gel, I guess to stop the fermentation, would it work against the enzymes??

 

[GoneRooty]

I do know citric acid inhibits the enzyme phenolase, the enzyme that causes the browning of a cut apple, etc. Not sure if it would work with bananas, have to double check on what enzymes are in bananas, but I think it should work.

 

[h.h.]

I do know citric acid inhibits the enzyme phenolase, the enzyme that causes the browning of a cut apple, etc. Not sure if it would work with bananas, have to double check on what enzymes are in bananas, but I think it should work.

That is true. They put it in the aloe vera as a preservative I guess to stop fermentation the same as an apple, but if I am after the enzymes, this might not be such a good idea.

 

[GoneRooty]

I would still say the best way to get the enzymes from bananas would be to use green unripe bananas peel and all, that way the enzymes are all still intact.

 

[mad librettist]

enzymes are just catalysts. they lower the energy required to accomplish a reaction.

which reactions are you trying to create?

 

[CC_2U]

I would still say the best way to get the enzymes from bananas would be to use green unripe bananas peel and all, that way the enzymes are all still intact.

That's the way it works for papain enzyme - it's from green unripe papayas.

Not sure about bromelain enzyme from pineapples - ripe or unripe?

CC

 

[GoneRooty]

Bromelain is the collective term for enzymes (principally proteolytic enzymes) derived from the ripe and unripe fruit, as well as the stem and leaves, of the pineapple plant,

http://www.greatvistachemicals.com/biochemicals/bromelain.html

It's from a chemical company, so I'm not sure if there are differences in quantity/quality of enzymes depending on ripeness and part of plant.

I do know fruits ripen as a result of enzymes, I wonder if the type and quantity of enzymes in the fruit changes as it ripens? ie. certain enzymes increasing while others decrease during ripening.

 

[CC_2U]

GoneRooty

Not that it's necessarily germane to this discussion but one of Gil Carandang's BIM formulas uses papaya and he stresses that green papaya are what you want to use. Makes sense on several levels.

Also have you looked at using coconut water from fresh green coconuts? Some interesting uses coming out of SE Asia and Australia. Interesting enough to play around with it perhaps on some marigolds - something cheap and expendable! LOL

 

[h.h.]

enzymes are just catalysts. they lower the energy required to accomplish a reaction.

which reactions are you trying to create?

A loud boom would be fun.
I guess it would depend on your medium if enzymes were helpful or not. Using extracts to feed they be an aid in breaking down the organic matter. The question is, do they degrade in the presence of citric acid, are they suppressed, or maybe just a little bit bummed out? Still thinking of the aloe.
I know it's a catalyst. What are the principals? Organic matter and...oxygen?
I chopped some up and added it to dried desert willow flowers and soaked in some yucca. This I'm using as a top dressing. Won't this create greater enzyme activity?

 

[h.h.]

GoneRooty

Not that it's necessarily germane to this discussion but one of Gil Carandang's BIM formulas uses papaya and he stresses that green papaya are what you want to use. Makes sense on several levels.

Also have you looked at using coconut water from fresh green coconuts? Some interesting uses coming out of SE Asia and Australia. Interesting enough to play around with it perhaps on some marigolds - something cheap and expendable! LOL

Buy the fresh young coconuts. I've used coconut milk, bubbled it up with char. The fat sticks to the char leaving the water which goes in the brew.
What you want is the water though from the actual coconut, young being the best. It's what they used to use to grow cultures.
I've bought a couple and added 1 to maybe 3 gallons of water with no ill effects. The meat and shell I break up till I get bored and add it to the soil. The meat breaks down quickly and the roots seem to take to the meaty shell. Nice on the hands when you recycle as well.

 

[CC_2U]

The use of coconut water during WWII by US troops for 'blood' transfusions in the South Pacific Theater is interesting enough to consider playing with the young green coconut water (really a gel) - what the heck?

CC

 

[GoneRooty]

Hey CC, I've been drinking coconut water for years! Crack off the top of a baby coconut and slide a straw in and drink away! Yeah, coconut water, not to be confused with coconut water, is a perfect isotonic beverage. The closest to human plasma you can get, and it's full of electrolytes and minerals, its nature's Gatorade, without all the crappy colorings and stuff.

 

[CC_2U]

My favorite local Thai restaurant offers coconut water with SE Asian mint and shaved ginger - good stuff to kill the heat from their curries.

There's 'something' there in coconut that might be beneficial to soil health - I'm sure it's worth testing and investigating with perhaps.

CC