Super-Thrive: Is It Snake Oil?

John D'oh!

New Member
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?
 
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.
 
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. :peace:
 
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. :peace:
 
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
 
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.:peace:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
The point is, if you use the products improperly, you can screw up all kinds of shit. It it used for specific applications at specific times and with the specific acid.

Super-Thrive, if used correctly ar Roor pointed out, works great. Use it at the wrong time, and you never know what can happen. These acids are known to do certain things, that's why we use them, but they remain very complex little beings :)

Oh, lol, I am with you on this one RF :0D
 
Exactly. There is a proper application for everything.

You wouldn't use pH up or down if your pH is fine, as doing so would mess it all up. Pay attention to what you are doing and use common sense.

On numerous occasions I have used more then just a drop of Super-Thrive with no ill effects. I am not advising that you exceed the recommended dosage, but this does support the notion that it is very difficult to damage a plant with this substance.

In all likelyhood, it was not the Super-Thrive that was the cause of the hermies mentioned. Light leaks or erratic lighting schedules are probably the leading cause of plants turning herm. and it is much more likely this was the cause.
 
Hey i wanted to thank everybody for these post, I thought about trying it before i started to hear people talk about it, but i'm going to try it on my seedlings i have in rockwool cubes, they have already germinated but hasnt popped its head out of the cube yet i germinated them before i stuck them in the cubes, but im new to hydroponics and i want to try my new system out but dont have anything with enough roots to stick in the hydroponic system yet, they have been in the cubes since the 5th of november, im so anxious that i have opened some of the cubes to see if they are doing their thing inside, and i see the tap root getting longer, im just used to soil but want to move on to hydroponics, so Long Story short because of what ive read here im going to get some ST tomorrow and try it on my seedlings thank everybody :rollit:
 
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