too good to be true?

I keep coming across botanist John Perez's website for homemade palm fertilizer. For $29.95, he guarantees his organic fertilizer recipe will promote phenomenal palm growth in only 7 days. Has anyone tried his recipe, and , if so, were the results as amazing as he claims?

Never mind. I just did some online research and word on the web is this magic elixer is snake oil. Mama was right.

I've always heard that most of these "grow fast" recipes are really bad for the plants too. Some might cause the plants to grow like crazy, but at what expense to the life of the plant is the question.

My brother bought me some of the "SuperGrow" harmone stuff once... I still say it's also snake oil. But he swears it works...in his head maybe. LOL

It probably contains gibberelic acid - the plant growth hormone .. GA aka GA3 really does work and makes plants grow like crazy, but the trade off its excessive elongation and fragility of the stems if you are not judicious and knowledgeable with your dilutions (we're talking parts per million). I use it to encourage stubborn, hard to germinate seeds at about 200 ppm and to bring a plant out of a coma or stalled growth, 50 - 100 ppm. It seems to have no effect that I can discern in encouraging cuttings to root .. though the jury is still out on that as I'm still experimenting.

It's fun to play with (like spraying a bit on immature buds) but you definitely don't want to be trying it out on your prized plants until you have experience with it.

The best palm fertilizer is Carl Pool. Gary Hollar, the palm expert who has Gary's nursery in New Bern, sells it and uses it on everything in his own yard.

It's expensive, but a little goes a long way and worth it. Just bought our annual bag, 50# for $50.

Entlie

Anyone remember a;ll the palms I used to have?
I am now palmless GRRRRR
And on the coast which means my palms ahould have grown better than in Raleigh.

Lavina