Super-Thrive: Is It Snake Oil?

[John D'oh!]

Exactly what is the deal with this stuff? I've seen people swear by it, and I've seen people say it's horticultural snake oil.

The labeling is very vague about what it is and is supposed to do, which makes me dubious of its' claims.

What do you think?

[Boss]

Sorry I have never used it.

[420oclock]

I would lean in the direction of snake oil. Which is great if you have a squeaky snake. It is difficult to evaluate products unless you compare results with a control group. The only time I've messed with SuperThrive, I soaked rapid rooters in water with a tiny amount of ST added. The cuttings placed in those rapid rooters took longer than a group that was not treated. That was my first and last experience with ST.

And the label is hoaky as hell.

[RooRman]

I am a huge advocate of Super-Thrive and it is in no way "snake oil".

Super-Thrive is basically Vitamin B1 and Thamine. Thamine is a rooting stimulant that can be used on seedlings as well as newly cut clones. I also use Super-Thrive on any plant with signs or stress from transplant and it works wonders on them. The best part is the smallest amount, one drop, is all this is needed per. gallon of water. Because it contains no active fertilizers Super-Thrive has no chance of causing nutrient burn or any other damage for that matter, so one need not worry about giving it to their plants. Furthurmore, I have seen first hand the vigor Super-Thrive induces in struggling plants and I can tell you it does in fact work.

Super-Thrive DOES NOT increase bud size or yeilds and mind you this is not it's intended purpose. Most people gather this misconception from the advertisment which pictures super large fruit which they then equate to a wonder formula that will make their plants giants... not so. Rather, it is used as a quick and effective cure-all for immature and unhealthy plants.

About the only thing I dislike about Super-Thrive is the smell that just won't come off your hands.

[420oclock]

Originally Posted by RooRman

I am a huge advocate of Super-Thrive and it is in no way "snake oil".

There are papers out there that support your claim:
Vitamin B1 Functions as an Activator of Plant Disease Resistance

But. . .there are also some people who disagree:
Beware of Gardening Myths

I guess my advice would be to go with what works for ya.

[RooRman]

Good information. I have always been an advocate of using/doing what is best for you and your plants as well. I am all for people reading liturature to gain knowledge and make an informed descison.

[Umpsy]

Superthrive kicks ass.

Ive used it to save clones that werent mature enough to root and help plants recover from overnuting(when I was a noob). I can see why people might think it was snake oil, to their credit they are probably good at growing and don't need anything to aide them. But as a noob this stuff saved my butt quite a few times. When I first took cuttings I had a 50% survival rate. The next time I added Superthrive to the soak solution and I got a 90% survival rate.

In light of this, my theory is that Superthrive is a great quick fix for screwups and inexperience but it doesn't increase the maximum yield or growth rate of the plant. I mean if it did show a significant increase in yield...wouldn't we all be using it?

But thats just my theory, let me know what you guys think.

Edit: lol, I basically just agreed with RooRman, but that's cool cause I have a RooR too!
-Umpsy

[JohnnyNitro]

It's worked well for me,Don't use It In the flowering cycle It will make your buds leafy,Non compact,Or loose If you prefer.

[sfhaze]

There are newer organic sources of B1 supplements. Check out "blast off" by botanicare, it's not as concentrated but sure sounds better.

[RooRman]

Originally Posted by JohnnyNitro

It's worked well for me,Don't use It In the flowering cycle It will make your buds leafy,Non compact,Or loose If you prefer.

Thats because it isn't meant for the flowering stage. It is intended for use on seedlings, clones, vegging plants and plants that are sick or in distress. As I said before, Superthrive will not improve yeilds.

However, it is good you posted this to deter others from using it during flowering as well.

[Juicey-Bluntz]

i used super-thrive for the first time a few weeks ago, shit sprouted and grew quick!

[Racefan]

Originally Posted by seesinthedark

Super-thrive used in veg. state will induce hermes!! the hormone in it will do this. different strains are affected some faster and some slower.This product is not worth messing with, that is unless your into bunk weed.peace bro puff on puff offten!

What? If you have some facts let's see them. Otherwise the above post is truly nothing more than a new growers opinion and on the edge of being a totally bunk statement.

[POTential]

I just read this post Race, and once again I agree with you.

[Boss]

Originally Posted by seesinthedark

Super-thrive used in veg. state will induce hermes!! the hormone in it will do this. different strains are affected some faster and some slower.This product is not worth messing with, that is unless your into bunk weed.peace bro puff on puff offten!

THE HISTORY, ORIGIN AND USES OF GIBBERELLINS
Gibberellins were discovered by Japanese plant pathologists studying "bakanae" disease ("foolish seedling") of rice, in which seedlings grow elongated and die. In 1898 Shotaro Hori demonstrated that it was caused by a fungus, now known as Gibberella fujikuroi. In 1926 Eiichi Kurosawa reported that a chemical produced by the fungus caused the symptoms, and that the substance was heat-resistant, not losing its activity after 4 hours at 100°C (212°F). In 1935 Teijiro Yabuta first isolated a non-crystalline solid and named it Gibberellin. In 1938, Yabuta and Yusuke Sumiki first isolated a crystalline compound from the cultured fungus.

Since this time, 79 different gibberellins have been isolated, many of these from the seeds of a wide variety of species. Gibberellic acid-3 (GA-3) is the most widely used, and is produced commercially by growing the fungus in huge vats and then extracting and purifying the GA-3.

Many different gibberellins are present in common plants. Rice contains fourteen GAs, and rice anthers contain up to 3.4 micrograms of GA-4 per gram fresh weight. Maize (corn) seed contains twelve GAs, maize pollen 9 GAs, wheat and barley contain 5, and 4 day old wheat seedlings contain 11. GAs are produced in the roots of onions and act as bulb suppressants, preventing the swelling of the bulb until the proper time. GAs control sex differentiation in cucurbits, spinach, hemp, and maize. GAs control shoot elongation in many plants, and dwarf forms of some plants are due to GA deficiencies. Developing peach seeds are rich in GA-32 and extracts have been used to induce flowering in Xanthium and Perilla. Ferns produce GA-related compounds called antheridiogens which trigger antheridia formation.

Gibberellins are used in agriculture for various purposes. GA-3 is sprayed on seedless grapes to increase grape size and yield, and it is used on navel oranges, lemons, blueberries, sweet and tart cherries, artichokes and other crops to decrease or increase fruit set, delay rind aging, etc. These effects are highly dependent on concentration and stage of plant growth. For example, 0.02 micrograms GA-3 promotes flowering of dwarf Ipomoea nil, but 2 - 20 micrograms inhibits flowering. Ten micrograms of GA-3 applied to pea seedlings nearly doubled shoot length if applied at 3 days old, but barely affected 9 day old seedlings. GA-3 and GA-13 trigger female cone formation in almost all Taxodiaceae and Cupressaceae— an 8 month old seedling of Sequoiadendron produced a female cone after weekly GA applications. Extremely small amounts of GAs may cause effects- as little as 2 nanograms (billionths of a gram) can trigger cone formation in a Cupressus arizonica shoot-tip. The Pinaceae do not form cones with GA-3, but need GA-4, 7 & 9. This property is used to speed up tree-breeding programs. GA is used to trigger flowering of sweet potatoes in breeding programs, to help tomatoes set fruit at high temperatures in the tropics, & to stimulate flowering in the Araceae, such as in breeding taro. GA-3 applied to seed of chinese cabbage overcomes the need for chilling or long days to trigger flowering, so is used in the tropics for breeding.

Developing seeds are active sites of GA biosynthesis, and studies have found increases in GA levels in seeds during cold treatment and germination. The germination of old seeds has been improved with use of GA. Applied GA-3 may trigger dormant seed germination, in many cases overcoming the need for special or prolonged dormancy-breaking conditions such as cold. treatment, light, after-ripening, etc. We have designed these kits for the study of this effect.

[Racefan]

Thanks for the article on giberellic acid Boss. I'm not sufre where you stand on the topic with the post though.lol
To seesinthedark...I want proof that superthrive, when used as directed by the manufacturer, at what?...1 or 2 drops per gallon or something like that causes hermies. I know of a lot of growers who use or have used this product with great results. Right here in this post alone we have over 100 collective years of growing and using superthrive without developing hermies from the product yet one person comes on and blankly states...superthrive "will" cause hermies if used during the vegetive state. Not that it "could" cause hermies or "has the ability" to cause hermies...but "will" cause hermies. For that blatent of a statement...I need proof! Otherwise I'll continue on with the 1 drop per gallon twice a week during veg and smoke the results I reap.