Research performed in by U.C. Davis – Dept. of Agriculture, Sunset Magazine and others, reveals that Vitamin B-1’s restorative powers have indeed been greatly exaggerated.

The magazine tried six different treatments on Marigolds.
Four had vitamin B-1 in them.
One had Vitamin B-1 alone,
One had B-1 with phosphorous,
The other two had B-1 with 3-10-3
The fourth had 10-10-15 fertilizer respectively.
The fifth treatment was simply a 10-10-15 fertilizer and the sixth was plain water.

THE RESULTS WERE INTERESTING!

B-1 alone was the worst. No growth.
Plants given the fertilizer alone were flowering after four weeks.
The other two took 6 weeks to bloom.
The clincher was that those given plain water did better than those given the B-1.
 
Before I start getting drunk on these experiments, I looked at some suggested alternatives.

1. Green Light Liquid Root Stimulator with a genuine IBA (Indole-3 butyric acid) rooting hormone with a starter fertilizer solution This product is a 5-20-10 fertilizer (liquid), condensed (you only need 3 1/2 tablespoons per gallon) This Green Light Organic Root Stimulator & Starter Solution – One Quart 5-15-5 (Discontinued by Manufacturer) was sold at amazon for 49.99 and SHIPPING! Some bargain eh! It was also found for a fair market price of $10.50 and the shopper found the same product at and at a hardware store for $4.84.

2.Ferti-Lome Liquid Root Stimulator & Plant Starter Solution is very much the same thing, but more reasonable.16 oz. Size 6.99 and 6.00 shipping on eBay.

3. Most plausible to me was Dr. Earth Organic #2 Starter Fertilizer with beneficial microbes 4 lbs. for 19.32 and free shipping. (eBAY) I bought it! Edit on the bottom.

The third alternative being: AERATED worm or compost tea Is this Aerated vermicompost tea: like the B-1 story? Fanciful or fact?
 
Holy exaltations!! GARDEN SCIENCE like Monsanto and the safety of Round-Up often reports what they pretend to see and are often very unreliable. It is thus no wonder that this garden quackery flirts with near theological rabid testimonials. “I can drink the stuff and not be harmed.” BACK to Aerated Compost TEA known as ACT.

1.”When sprayed on the leaves”, ACT “helps suppress foliar diseases”.
2.”It increases the amount of nutrients available to the plant”.”
3.”ACT speeds the breakdown of toxins”.
4.”It’s “even been shown to increase the nutritional quality and improve the flavor of vegetables”.

The science or hype behind this is:

1.”The soil is full of microorganisms that aid plant growth and plant health–bacteria and fungi, which are decomposers, and protozoa and beneficial nematodes”.
These will fight the “bad guys” you want to get good guys into the soil and on 60 to 70 percent of the leaves.

Good bacteria work CHEAP.
3a. They consume the bad guys.
3b. They may produce antibiotics that inhibit them.
3c. They compete for nutrients.
3d. They compete for space. ???My local Nursery stocks this for 8.00 a gallon. WOW. I for one am for spraying ACT against the wind.
The plant and root stimulator business is almost indistinguishable from that of a seller of snake oil.

Mind you, I do give credit to a product called Oxygen plus which may sometimes rescue the over watered and over fertilized green victim.
Good data is rarely offered. I for one tried mycorrhiza in many different forms on blocks of hundreds of plants and did a similar test. The mycorrhiza treated plants did no better than the placebo ones and the ones given a gasp, commercial fertilizer grew the best. The other two groups were given a balanced organic food buffet just to be fair.

A Google commenter made an interesting point referring to Super thrive and the fact that cultivars are important in such testing.

Timing” is very important, not only in the stage of the plant but when you transplant. Plant hydration is maximum in the morning and lowest in the afternoon. Transplanting should keep this in mind. Same for pinching off flowers or rank growth. Water quality is another issue.

One thing I did overlook regarding the B-1 issue was the percentage of active ingredient. Decades ago our Nursery stocked three or more kinds … Vigoro, Ortho Up-start (with fertilizer) and Best (Occidental) B-1. The percentages ranged from .025 to .25 (can’t remember for sure) but one product had ten times the B-1 than the other. If the study used one of the .0 one hundreds no wonder  the poor test results. By diluting it down to the gallon you get near zero active ingredient.

Returning to “Menkian” marketing, I just love this one! Plant Stimulant & Soil Treatment” Add Compost Tea for the Healthiest Plants!”

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On a lighter note this could be a classified for relationship seakers.. Depressive Melon cholic, climbing the walls seeks Choleric Tumble weed for mid-winter dormancy relief. “Lets get Mycorrhizial!” Write … Blue Hubbard, Round Valley, CA.

(C) Herb Senft 2015