"SuperThrive"

I know I have seen it mentioned around DG, and then I found a bottle at the hardware store, lol.

Now WHAT do I do with it? What have you used it for? What dilution for what job? What have you heard/read/wanted to try??

The packaging and bottle label sure isn't real specific, lol.

http://www.superthrive.com/index.html

Hi Gayle...just peeking in to see what you were talking about. Now I'm going to visit that link and see what it is and WHEN I need it! LOL (I *need* everything when it comes to the garden!)

~julie~

I know of a lot of people who use it and swear by it....adamantly.
Then again, I know of a lot of people who've used it and haven't noticed *any* differences.
And then again, some people have noted that *over-use* seems to cause problems with new growth.

I've used it off and on and have to be honest....I haven't noticed any true benefits.

Most all of those who have used it agree that it's great for soaking plants that you're transplanting, or plants you've just received in a trade.....or new cuttings (unrooted)
(Me....I always forget to do that!)

It's supposed to be great for 'stressed' plants, but I've used it on some of those.....and, again, didn't notice any benefits.
I've also heard of (and used it this way myself) it being used in a mister to 'mist' foliage.

It's to be used *in addition to* fertilizing, it's not meant to replace fertilizer.


The most common amounts seem to be just a drop or two drops per gallon of water.

That's about all I know about it.....I don't have enough experience with it (some people have taken two identical plants and used ST on one and not the other) to form a 'solid' opinion either way.

I use a cap per 2 gallons. I can't really say it works or not. If it does 1/4 of what it says than that would be good. I mainly use it for transplanting or with 1x plant fertilizations per year. I was interested in comparing it to Algoflash which I have not used.
Al

Is this something like Messenger?

To SuperThrive or not to SuperThrive, that is the question. OK… all joking aside, I’ve read all their claims on their packaging and I’ve visited their website and there are too many variables not noted that could have attributed to the impressive growth of those trees.

First, Trees planted two months earlier means nothing to me. When were the first trees planted? In the middle of summer during a drought? How about too early in the season meaning the first batch could have been exposed to an early frost or two? What was the source of the trees planted first as opposed to the trees planted two months later? What was the size of the trees planted two months later as opposed to the size of the first batch of trees planted? Were the first trees planted into a heavy clay while the second set of trees were planted into properly amended soil? In addition to the SuperThrive, were the trees planted two months later fertilized while the first batch wasn’t? Too many unknowns. Nice photo but it really doesn’t “tell all” and I believe that was by design.

Second, do a google search for an agricultural testing lab. I got over 20 million hits. Seems as if everyone who is anyone has an agricultural testing lab these days. Gosh, I guess I even have one. Sounded really great when I first read it on their web site but in all actuality, they probably have several agricultural testing labs on their property and the photo was taken of their main agricultural lab which just so happened to be of their SuperThrived trees. Ho hum… not impressed.

Third, SuperThrive’s typical reports and testimonials are submitted by nurseries, head nurserymen, landscapers, landscape architects, a spattering of individual from gardening clubs, florist supply companies, garden centers, distributors, and one reference to some place called California Polytechnic College. I couldn’t find a website for California Polytechnic College but it probably exists. I did find a reference to California Polytechnic State University which is somewhat confusing. I suspect the similarity in names was intended to be confusing. I guess I would have to ask why, given this product has been around for so long, are there no glowing testimonials from anyone with a PhD after their name. Where are all the citations? Yes, there was reference to some sort of research at Texas A&M that surfaced a while ago when I googled but it was a third party reference. I did another google search, and the only sites I saw referencing research at Texas A&M were sites where SuperThrive was being marketed, no hits from Texas A&M's site. I was able to find one reference that stated a Texas A&M study had claimed to have found no benefit to any "tonic" type additive but that was nothing more than a third party reference also.

The “Doctor” who developed SuperThrive won’t part with what’s in his magic potion hiding behind the ingredients being a “trade secret”. I guess I wouldn’t take that to task if his product actually had performed for me but it didn’t. Superthrive is said to have Vitamin B in it along with IBA. IBA can be found in most of the products we buy to root cuttings. Difference being that IBA in SuperThrive is in a very diluted form. If we are attempting to root cutting, why not just pick up an assortment of rooting powders? We could then root anything from Nepenthes to Hoya and anything in between? If it’s the vitamin B everyone is interested in, wouldn’t it be a lot cheaper to merely dissolve a vitamin in some water?

I’ve done quite a few “home experiments” with this product. I am certainly no scientist and the experiments I “conducted” should by no means be viewed as anything other than a neophyte playing around with a product but… I’d say SuperThrive is snake oil.

Here is what I have done to date-
1) I planted 1400 (yes you are reading correctly, that’s one thousand four hundred) bare root saplings 3 years ago and bought enough SuperThrive to douse all of them I planted on the south side of my property. My findings were that the trees that I could reach with my garden hose that were watered during the drought lived. No differentiation between having been planted on the north side or the south side. It all came down to which ones were able to be watered during the drought and which ones weren’t.
2) I transplanted 6 seedlings I germinated of the following into individual pots:
Antennaria, Aquilegia, Asclepias, Carya, Chionanthus, Cladrastis, Digitalis, Drosera, Gymnocladus, Hystrix, Juglans, Liatris, Monarda, Polemonium, Quercus, Sarracenia, and Viburnum. I’m sure I’ve missed a few. Anyway, 3 of each were SuperThrived and three of each were not. All were grown side by side. No difference. They all survived transplant but the three Drosera that were SuperThrived declined until they were mush. So based on this, I would suggest that SuperThrive never be used on Drosera.
3) I transplanted numerous mature Sarracenia into larger pots and SuperThrived them all. Bad experiment because I forgot to use a control. No way I can tell you if they did better having been SuperThrived or not.
4) Then I played around with SuperThriving plants that were shocking from having bark stripped by rabbits. Another not so great experiment because the odds are that all those fruiting shrubs would have died anyway. None survived. The fruiting shrubs that did survive were not treated with SuperThrive but they were protected by Miracle Tubes so that the rabbits and deer couldn’t get to them.

That about sums up the "debate" from my perspective. I’ve had much better success by focusing on protecting my plants from critters as well as trying to meet as many of their cultural requirements as was possible by using the most appropriate potting mixes, watering properly, fertilizing responsibly and at the right time and with the correct fertilizer, and sighting the plant properly and by this I mean paying attention to zone/light/soil/drainage/location/etc. The price of SuperThrive has been steadily creeping up over the years. I can’t condone using this product any longer just because everyone else does or because nurseries swear by it or simply because it doesn’t seem to do any harm.

In lieu of some form of reputable research data; and mind you I’m not even all that interested in any type of rigorous scientific standard but literally any reputable research data would suffice after this many years of this product being sold, I remain a skeptic and view my prior use of the product as one of many ways I was separated from my money. My opinion of SuperThrive is that it is a placebo, nothing more nothing less. It’s a "use it and feel like you are doing something good" product.

I found one reference on the net that made me laugh, the author wrote this, “Using SuperThrive is a victimless crime. It does not hurt to use it but using it DOES condone dissemination of valueless anecdotal drivel.” Pretty funny actually unless… you, like me, got wrapped up in all the hype and were actually using the product and paying hard earned money for it with no measurable benefits other than claims made by people selling it. That same author also went on to comment that, “NO ONE has bellied up with even reasonably acceptable evidence… No one has shown a difference on a macro scale nor is there anything to suggest changes on a micro scale.” Based on exhaustive searches looking for “evidence”, I would have to agree with him/her. Bottom line is that sooner or later, people who religiously used SuperThrive run out of the product. Many who run out realize they don’t notice any difference.

Now I think I will duck behind my soap box.

lol!! Whew!
There!...Someone who did some real testing!

Peeking out from behind soap box....

You better re-read my #3 and #4 experiments. We're not exactly talking controlled scientific testing here on any of what I did... more like kitchen science out of a 6th grade science book. Not exactly anything to phone home to Mom about.

Something else not factored in is that when we lose a plant that we have our hearts dead set on growing, we tend to open up the good old IE explorerer to do a little search of exactly what makes the plant survive and flourish. I think we all grow as gardeners over time and that by sharing, our growing skillsets collectively increase. We all ultimately surface from the "take two or three steps backwards to take one step forward" routine eventually as we learn from our own experiences as well as those of others. I make a tremendous amount of mistakes because I'm out there "experiencing" a lot by doing. The more mistakes I make, the more I learn. Let's just say that I have "experienced" SuperThrive and would like to have every last dollar I spent buying it back. Some mistakes just aren't so much fun they are worth repeating and the stuff is incredibly expensive.

EQ, this is exactly why I started this thread! Some people swear by it, some hate it and some have never heard of it. I had seen it mentioned, but no specifics were given. I wanted more personal information than what I was able to Google, and I was pretty sure I would get it here. Since I'm a newbie gardener, I hoped someone with more experience, and waaay more knowledge would come and fill me in. And you did, lol, THANK YOU!!! I'm glad I haven't opened it yet, and that I kept my receipt. I was wanting hope for my plants, not hype.

Now if someone would find the formula and bottle "Gayle-Proof Potion" I'd buy gallons!

mg

I don't hate the product, I just wish their marketing was a little bit less sensational. We all want a quick fix and in the quick fix department that product stands alone. It does it all! I feel so empowered just owning it that I should go right out and buy a wooden baseball bat to root.

Ummm..... Me First! Me First on gardener proof potions, and tonics, and elixirs! If you had any idea what I have done to plants around here experimenting, you would be grabbing your sides and rolling on the floor begging me to stop telling you. What's even worse is that I actually thought some of my lame brain experiments would work! Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous the money I have cost myself. I could have had more plants to "experiment" with!

I am not defending this product in anyway, the truth be told I get it free at work and could use it quite a bit, but I don't. I use it out of theory - not always the smartest thing to do. Do I believe all their claims - of course not - sort of modern day snake oil salesman. I will still use it on limited applications, any additional benefits are a bonus. Gayle I don't think you'll get a definite answer like you want, but when there are some many variables to the results that's typical.

I'm so glad I decided to visit this thread,,,,Gayle,,,Thanks for starting it.

I have never heard of this product. And now that I have, thanks to Eq, whom I trust completely with Any gardening question, potion, advice and so on, I will gladly pass it up if I see it in the store.

Eq,
Your *experiments* are enough to convince me this product is prolly not worth my money. Thanks for saving me from spending it on this.

Oh, and I'm in on the Gayle-Proof Potion,,,LOL,,,maybe it would be Kelly proof too???
Kelly