I’ve used this for years…found it at a big box store, so was skeptical. I think it does help plants “thrive”.
I use as a foliar spray and in compost teas. Im new to tea this year.
Any other successful users? Opinions on efficacy?
Happy gardening!
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I use it when they are seedlings. I use rapid start and SuperThrive together when they are in the dome. I like it myself. I start 4 seeds and I plant 4 plants in the net cups every time with no failures in a long time. I think it has helped with that success
The reason it works is the B vitamin complex it has all kinds of different B vitamins. The B vitamins are known for faster cell division. So you get faster shoot growth and faster root growth. The catch or rub is, if you don’t have all the nutrients presents, but that accelerated growth, its going to grow weak or inferior stems and leaves. That’s why a lot of people just do it at the start when they know thier soil mix is hot and rich and there are not deficiencies. To get that quick growth a planting.
Personally, I bought it for every girl I did 20 years ago. Its been around forever because it works well at the start. These days I really don’t think it makes that big of a difference (sorry to contradict myself). What I mean is I spend more effort preventing a deficiency so I don’t have to catch up. What I have noticed is that even if those plants start off quicker, the others catch up by week four. Honestly, every B vitamin in super thrive is also available and a can of Red Bull. Red Bull has the B vitamins in it. I know many growers that use that as a cheap alternative to super thrive. If you read the back of the can, it has almost all the same B vitamin complexes as the superthrive. The Red Bull can. Just keep it in the fridge and add the 10–12 drops per gallon as the superthrive.
The other active ingredient in superthrive was a plant growth regulator (PGR) named 1-naphthyl acetic acid. The new formulation of superthrive removed this. They added kelp which is also loaded with PGRs. The kelp is a natural PGR while the 1-naphthyl acetic acid was not natural but lab made. I don’t know any details of why the 1-naphthyl acetic acid was switched to kelp hormones instead. All I know is they reformulated it in 2011 to the kelp PGRs.
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I have some of the old stuff, which I think might have something in it that helps the roots grow more of those tiny little cilia hairs on them. That was the only reason that I kept using it, & I’m not even 100% sure about it helping to do that. But there was a report that the old forums would go back to, showing an ingredient or very similar ingredient of ST - I think it actually might have been that acid that they apparently took out now - helping to grow more of those cilia hairs. Now I wonder if it was another one of the ingredients in the report, or if the replacement ingredients do the same thing.
Also, I don’t use it during flower, or in excessive amounts.