Is Superthrive safe for VFT??

[venusflytrapfreak]

I was wondering if Superthrive is good to use and if it is safe for venus flytraps? Is it an acid base liquid? Does it help newly transplanted flytraps?? Does anyone use it for their CP's?? What is everyone's opinion about this product?

Thanks,

Ricky Haag ;D

[pinglover]

Can we say high priced snake oil in unison

[wadave]

I would certainly agree with pinglover, it is expensive.

However, if you've got some already and you wanted to know if it's safe to use, it's fine. I have some for my bonsai when I root prune to encourage healthy root growth.

I've used it when repotting my VFT's according to Peter D'Amato's instructions in his book The Savage Garde. I like to soak them for at least 30 mins in a weak solution, I think it was 1 drop per cup of water.

I'm not sure how effective it is but I can't say I've lost any of my VFT's after using it either.

Dave.

[venusflytrapfreak]

Ok thanks guys!! I will try it when I transplant my flytraps!!

Ricky

[Aidan]

See this earlier thread:

icps.proboards105.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cephalotus&thread=1187649099&page=1

[Alexis]

Don't waste your money. 'Shock' is not something that most plants in this hobby suffer from after being uprooted and transplanted elsewhere over a period of days. There are fussy plants out there, but Dionaea isn't one of them.

As for its other claim of promoting root growth - that's a load of cobblers too. It doesn't even have any effect on non-carnivorous plants.

The dodgy 1950s packaging should give you some clues about the product as well. It's the kind of product you'd find advertised next to X-Ray specs in some newspaper from a bygone era.

[venusflytrapfreak]

Ok thanks for the information guys!! I appreciate it!

Ricky

[DroseraBug]

I suppose a rather small scale experiment could provide you with answers. A few replicates with and without superthrive. Can you tell a difference? I think I'll try it in the spring. It is a pretty and promising label on the bottle but the scientist in me want to see some statistics.

I've been transplanting Sarracenia for years from rhizome cuttings with no superthrive and have no problems getting growth.

Someone did some experimentation with Nepenthes:
www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq3600.html

I suppose it could be differt for every genera/species but who knows without experimentation?

[pinglover]

To SuperThrive or not to SuperThrive, that is the question.

I don't hate the product, I just wish their marketing was a tad bit less sensational. We all want a quick fix and in the quick fix department that product stands alone. It does it all! Makes you want to charge the doors of the closest retailer elbowing your way to the front of the line to get your hands on those little miracle drops screaming, "Me First! Me First on gardener proof potions, tonics, and elixirs!" I feel so empowered just having owned it that I should go right out and buy a wooden baseball bat to root.

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 was 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 for the kitchen scientist in me. Nice photo but it really doesn’t “tell all” and I believe that was by design.

Second, do a yahoo 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 might exist. 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 cuttings, why not just pick up an assortment of rooting powders? We could then root anything from Nepenthes to Hoya and everything 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? Sorry, that's the kitchen scientist coming out in me again.

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, most people who religiously use SuperThrive run out of the product. Some of those who run out realize they don’t notice any difference.

[Not a Number]

pinglover said:

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 might exist. I did find a reference to California Polytechnic State University which is somewhat confusing.

Cal Poly exist. Just ask any So Californian such as myself. Google on "Cal Poly" - Bang!

www.calpoly.edu/
www.csupomona.edu/

FYI it is California Polytechnic State University. Campuses in San Luis Obispo and Pomona.

[pinglover]

Those two links are both to California Polytechnic State University. If you go back to the SuperThrive website, I believe you will find they referenced California Polytechnic College. I suspect we're dealing with two different schools here but maybe not.

[Brian Barnes]

I had a bottle of it years ago and suddenly had the strange urge to pour it all over myself and watch Lawrence Welk. Is that normal protocol? ;D Bri.

[pinglover]

How dare you... you brut you. You wasted precious little miracle drops! How could you?

[Steve D]

pinglover said:

To SuperThrive or not to SuperThrive, that is the question.

(. . .) Bottom line is that sooner or later, most people who religiously use SuperThrive run out of the product. Some of those who run out realize they don’t notice any difference.

In my own case, I used to use Superthrive "religiously," but after so many hundreds of transplantings of Venus Flytraps after soaking them in water with a few drops of Superthrive, one day I got tired of that one little extra step and just rinsed the plants and left them soaking in plain rainwater while I transplanted them.

Ever since then, occasionally I'll use Superthrive because my bottle isn't empty yet, but most of the time I don't use it. I can't say I notice a difference. When the bottle's empty I very well may not buy another, because although it doesn't appear to harm the plants at all, it just doesn't seem to help too awfully much either.


Good plant handling and transplanting technique is much more important I think.

Steve

[pinglover]

Let s/he who has not SuperThrived throw the first stone.

Interestingly enough, I find an incredible amount of really great information online at web sites for basement and closet pot growers. These people certainly are on the cutting edge of lighting! While poking around, I couldn't help but notice that several of them came to the same conclusions as most of us, "using it is a victimless crime" however I found quite a few people chiming in that carnivorous plant folk swore by the stuff so there must be something to it which is why some of them are still using it. Interesting.