Super Thrive

[Whimgrinder]

Originally Posted by Ray

The nepenthes study apparently did not take into account the freshness of the material tested, so proves nothing to me.

I'm not sure how you got that from Barry's article. He took cuttings from plants he had available and treated them, and planted them. How much fresher could the cuttings have been? Do I misunderstand what you're suggesting??
Or are you suggesting the SuperThrive used in the experiment wasn't "fresh"?

[Ray]

Sorry. I should have been clearer. I was referring to the freshness of the SuperThrive.

The synthetic rooting hormones are quite chemically unstable. A fresh batch of K-L-N, for example, if kept dark and refrigerated, will degrade completely in about a year. Allow it to be a room temperature, and that may be a matter of months, and if you allow it to get hot, weeks. Add to that what it may have been exposed to in-transit to the vendor or to you, and not knowing how long it has been on the vendor's shelf, and you have no way to know just how effective it will be.

Scientifically, NAA and IBA absolutely do stimulate root growth, however I have discontinued carrying any synthetic hormone products, as KelpMax is more effective, containing a lot more than just root-growth stimulating hormones, and is far more chemically stable.

[Whimgrinder]

It sounds to me like you've decided there are other products far more worth investing in. (Readers take note) So, SuperThrive is a product that potentially loses efficacy in as short a span as a few weeks or months from the time of manufacture? And yet the parent company suggests it has an long/indefinite shelf life. (Though if you read the FAQ, it only addresses concerns about the product being frozen or discolored and doesn't actually address shelf life) I quote: "MY SUPERTHRIVE HAS CHANGED COLOR/CONSISTENCY OR HAS FROZEN. IS IT STILL GOOD?
Yes. Over time, SUPERthrive will darken but remains consistently effective. This also means you may notice your brand new bottle of SUPERthrive is clearer than the months-old batch you just finished using. Cold does not affect SUPERthrive."

I find that paragraph to be remarkably vague and doesn't actually state the longevity of the product in storage.

It doesn't make sense to me to invest too heavily in a product that has few (if any) proven benefits and is potentially useless if it sat too long on the shelf before you bought it, now does it? It's all too "Jerry Baker/Cleve Backster" for my comfort. I prefer facts over fantasy.

The Carnivorous Plant FAQ: About SUPERthrive

[FrFrancis]

I definitely think Super Thrive isn't worth the cost and effort. I have 50 orchids and a small bottle goes bad before I can use it all and with good fertilizer and water I get good roots anyways. So this begs the question: "is that kelp supplement just the SuperThrive of today's growers or does it really benefit the plants?"

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by tucker85

I know growers who still use Superthrive. I think it's a good product but I got better results from a seaweed product so I switched to that. Here in South Florida, Superthrive has a reputation for causing flower deformities if you use more than the label recommends. At the recommended dose I think it does help promote plant health.

To what Tucker said, and to follow up the most recent post of FrFrancis:
1. I also experienced deformity in Cattleya alliance flowers after over-use of KLN - one bloom cycle only, did not persist, back to normal next bloom cycle. Was it the KLN? Hard to tell just from one plant.

2. I have used a different brand of kelp from what Ray sells (Growmore vs. the Kelpmax Ray sells). I do see increased root branching with consistent use. However, I have not attempted any kind of trial to see if there is a quantifiable benefit to using the kelp (or to test the alternate hypothesis, that I'm an idiot that has wasted money on dead seaweed juice).

If I was a betting man, I would wager that there is a real benefit to using the kelp. I'm happy with the Growmore, and based on comments by many on this and other orchid forums, it appears that people that use Kelpmax are happy with that too. I have never heard of deformities caused by using a kelp product (has anyone else?). I suspect that in addition to the plant hormones, there is a significant micronutrient content too.

[silken]

I've used various kelp products and am certain I have seen improved root growth when any of them were used. Good roots equals more nutrient uptake it seems to me. I am often forced to buy bare root orchids when vendors come to shows, in order to get ones that I want. the roots are often in very poor shape or almost non-existent. I am quite certain I would lose a good number of these purchases if not for soaking them in kelp water as soon as I receive them.

[The Orchidist]

Can you offer me a place in Canada that sells and ships kelp related products , I know kelp max from ray is suppose to be great , just not to crazy on paying big duty fees to have it shipped to me . Thanks

[silken]

Originally Posted by The Orchidist

Can you offer me a place in Canada that sells and ships kelp related products , I know kelp max from ray is suppose to be great , just not to crazy on paying big duty fees to have it shipped to me . Thanks

I buy kelp from any hydroponics store. We don't even have one in our city but I would think London would. I have to wait until I am in Edmonton or somewhere. But it seems every hydroponics place has some brand of kelp product and I have had good success with several. Otherwise I can recommend several Canadian places to order online.

[emg53]

I bought my liquid kelp from Home Depot. Do you have them in Canada? From what I've read here it looks like I need to buy some more since I've had it almost a year. It is great stuff.

[silken]

Originally Posted by emg53

I bought my liquid kelp from Home Depot. Do you have them in Canada? From what I've read here it looks like I need to buy some more since I've had it almost a year. It is great stuff.

We have Home Depot's. But I have never seen kelp there. It's the same big orange store but when you complain that we can't get something that the U.S. ones have, they say it is practically a whole different company

Needless to say, no such thing as bag babies in ours either.