HoaNui

Has anyone used this liquid on their bananas or any other plant for that matter? If you have what were the results, if any, did you have? Do you think it worked at all?

Superthrive Root Stimulator

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nannerfunboi

ive used superthrive for yrs.. the bottle seems a bit
snake oil like..LOL but i believe i have good results in
transplanting everything from my tropicals,vegys,other
plants i put out..

HoaNui

I've used it on some of my orchids but whether it did any good or now I don't know. I think I've had more success with my home-made seaweed extract.

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Richard

It's a combination of 3 hormonal extracts including seaweed. Holds the world record for most advertising per square inch on a label. It's true that it contains a lot of micronutrients but they have not been normalized for plants. Over-use can lead to plants exhausting themselves. Getting a balanced fertilizer is a better approach for both the plants and your pocket book.

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HoaNui

Yes, I stupidly paid £8.99 for a tiny bottle but then went to the beach and collected seaweed that seems to give the a better boost of nutrients.

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Darkman

I've used it when planting palms as recommended by the seller. He said he uses it everytime he plants a palm. Does it work? I don't know but the palms lived!

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oakshadows

Richard, What is your idea of a balanced fertilizer? We do organics as much as possible and have read of many ideas on the subject. It seems that there isn't really one thought on what is the best. Ferts are a subject that attracts all since it is needed to produce a harvest, but we want a quality harvest with the taste one doesn't get at the local supermarket. Thanks

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gaberoo

I agree with oakshadows...there is no one balanced fertilizer for all plants. Here in south florida a general fruit fertilizer is 8-3-9 (some also use 6-6-6).

Several landscapers I've spoken to also use SuperThrive...whether it works or not...who knows?
I've used it to protect plants from a cold snap and they've done well this winter (we also have not had that many cold weather days).

saltydad

I've used it sparingly for years, especially when rooting. Love it.

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Richard

I was referring specifically to micronutrients. They need to be present in certain ratios with each other -- too much or too little of one can (and often does) inhibit the uptake of another.

Most fruits sold in supermarkets are not tree-ripened but instead picked unripe and brought "to color" and texture by gassing them in a warehouse. Hence the poor taste. It is this very reason that I encourage people to grow their own fruits and vegetables or at least purchase them from a local farmers' market.

I agree completely. However, a complete balanced water-soluble fertilizer for citrus grown in soil will have the correct proportions of nutrients and no contradicting imbalances of micronutrients. Such a thing is also available as an organic formula in liquid form.

In summary, the reason I brought up micronutrients in the first place was to point out the misleading statements regarding them on the label of Superthrive when the actual benefit of the product is in the 3 hormones it contains.

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gaberoo

Agree Richard. I really didn't read all of the tiny print on the bottle of Superthrive (I bought it on faith because landscape people said that's what many nurseries used in order to guarantee plants...I haven't actually verified this with any nurseries though). It has also gotten some rave reviews by many hydroponics people (I won't ask what exactly they grow with it...I'll just assume it is vegetables and fruits).

One of the most complete (when it comes to micronutrients) fertilizers I've heard experienced plant people talk about is palm fertilizer (it is rather expensive though). I'm sure every plant has its own ideal "mix" though.
For instance, some mango people recommend only potassium for the trees (at least during most of the fertilization schedules).

For my own scant banana collection I just use the "superfruiter" that I buy in 50 lb bags at my local fertilizer company (Atlantic Fertilizer Company) and I'm not even very constant in its use (not too worried about getting any bananas yet...more focused on the rest of my yard and happy enough that the banana plants are growing well).

Back to Superthrive...it is expensive at around 120$ per gallon (but I feel better if I can give the young tropicals a better chance at surviving occasional winter frosts till they can become established and survive on their own). I wasn't aware of that "exhaustion" problem with using it too frequently so I'd appreciate any references you have so that I may look into this problem further.

sunfish

Richard

it could take a very long time

I haven't heard of that practice by nurseries in the western U.S. or even the larger online mail-order suppliers of plants -- many of whom are my customers. But ... its possible that some do it.

More typically they will use (a) EDDHA chelated 6% iron at about 0.2 grams per gallon, or (b) 20-20-20 at 100ppm Nitrogen.

The most sought-after complete ornamental palm fertilizer is 18-6-18 with secondary and micronutrients tuned for true ornamental palms (not cycads). A 25-lb bag sells retail for about $37. That would be enough to feed 25 full-size palms in the ground for at least 2 years.

It's not quite so fine as that -- there are several groupings that have more to do with the soils and ecology that the plants evolved in: Peaches and Che for example.

There is more than one approach to delivering nutrients to plants -- and in a low-budget orchard operation they will bring in container-loads of certain minerals at different times of year. It is not necessarily the ideal way feed the orchard, but it is sufficient.

Wholesale to distributors in pallet quantities it is about $10 per gallon. It is a consumer product -- not an agricultural product.

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fmu65

The garden center I work for sells it and we use it in the nutrient bath for our bareroot roses prior to planting them. I have read the whole label, and if you don't, you aren't missing anything. That has always lead me to believe it was snakeoil because there is no listing of active ingredients on the label or the manufacturer's website. I haven't used it myself, so thank you Tony for posting that citrus forum thread because it was interesting to read what the one person found out by doing a loose experiment of their own.

sunfish

I think maybe superthrive would give plants, cuttings a little boost maybe but that's about it.It's probably a little better than nothing.

gaberoo

Interesting stuff about Superthrive. Still, it seems like it does help (maybe not to the degree the advertising says, but enough to have some people notice a difference). Must be the auxins.

Wow! What a difference between wholesale price and retail!

So Richard...where can I get that other "stuff" (the chelated...) that some nurseries use to protect their wares?

My bigger question is: is there anything out there more effective than Superthrive? Say...some auxin or other plant hormone just as "effective" but much cheaper? Any other combo folks have found as an alternative to Superthrive?

oakshadows

Indole Acetic Acid 99% IAA 5 grams Auxin | eBay

Try looking at this.

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sunfish

Organic alternative to Superthrive? - Grasscity.com Forums

If not superthrive, what during transplanting?

Super Thrive Alternatives? - Plumeria Forum

HoaNui

Auxins, I have been told, have to be handled with care as they are suspected of causing, or do cause, cancer.

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sunfish

SUPERthrive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia