SUPERthrive vitamins-hormones mix

[kavanaru]

I recently acquired a new Catasetum pileatum and a Cattleya mosiae for my collection at an Orchids show. It was from a Venezuelan nursery, and all their plants were brought without roots (cut off for transportation reasons). This should not affect too much the dormant Catasetum, but for the Cattleya, could be a problem, as currently it is not growing. The guy from the nursery suggested using a product from the USA (you cannot buy it in Europe) called SUPERthrive vitamins-hormones mix (vitamin B1, 1-Naphthyl acetic acid, and 25% dissolved “incognito” solids) together with CLONEX rooting Hormone gel (4-indol-3-ylbutiric acid / easy to obtain in Europe). I am always a bit skeptic with all products promising super growth, as it is the case with SUPERthrive (if you see the pictures in their homepage, it is almost like magic!). My questions to the experts: Does anyone of you have experience with these products in orchids culture? How do you use them and how safe are they? Can SUPERthrive be used with established orchids with each watering, as it is mentioned on their instructions, in order to improve their growth? The reason I ask all of this is because while searching the web, I also found one or two big European nurseries that use SUPERthrive when re-potting their plants: first watering after re-potting with SUPERthrive and Dyna-GRO K-L-N Rooting liquid, then they let the plants rest for a while, and then water normally without additives.


…and yes, I already have both products at home. The guy from the nursery gave me some.