This was published in Stemma Magazine: Superthrive or Superjivecolor>size> The question regarding the value of Superthrive as a miracle tonic for plants is often bandied about in horticultural circles. Over the years, I had read claims that ranged from, "I put it on my plant, which had never bloomed, and it was in full bloom the next day." to, "It was dead - I put Superthrive on it and the next day it was alive and beautiful, growing better than it ever had before." I decided to find out for myself. If you look for information on the net, you will probably only find the manufacturers claims and anecdotal observations, both so in want of anything that resembles a control. Though my experiments were far from purely scientific, I tried to keep some loose controls in place so that I could make a fair judgment of its value, based my own observations. Here is what I did, what I found, and the conclusions I made about any value the product Superthrive might hold for me. On four separate occasions, I took multiple cuttings of plants in four different genera. In each case the group of cuttings were taken from the same individual plant to reduce genetic variance. The plant materials I used were: Ficus benjamina, (a tropical weeping fig) Luna apiculata (Peruvian myrtle), Chaenorrhinum minus (a dwarf snapdragon), and an unknown variety of Coleus. In each instance, I prepared cuttings from the same plant and inserted them in a very fast, sterile soil. The containers containing half of the cuttings were immersed/soaked in a Superthrive solution of approximately 1/2 tsp per gallon of water to the upper soil line. The other half of the cuttings were watered in with water only. In subsequent waterings, I would water the "Superthrive batch" of cuttings with a solution of 10 drops per gallon and the others with only water. The same fertilizer regimen was followed on both groups of cuttings. In all four instances, the cuttings that I used Superthrive on rooted and showed new growth first. For this reason, it follows that they would naturally exhibit better development, though I could see no difference in overall vitality, once rooted. I can also say that a slightly higher percentage of cuttings rooted that were treated with the Superthrive treatment at the outset. I suspect that is directly related to the effects of the auxin in Superthrive hastening initiation of root primordia before potential vascular connections were destroyed by rot causing organisms. In particular, something I looked for because of my affinity for a compact form in plants was branch (stem) extension. (The writer is a bonsai practitioner.) Though the cuttings treated with Superthrive rooted sooner, they exhibited the same amount of branch extension. In other words, internode length was approximately equal and no difference in leaf size was noted. As a second part to each of my "experiments", I divided the group of cuttings that had not been treated with Superthrive into two groups. One of the groups remained on the water/fertilizer only program, while the other group was treated to an additional 10 drops of Superthrive in each gallon of fertilizer solution. Again, the fertilizer regimen was the same for both groups. By summerÂs end, I could detect no difference in bio-mass or vitality between the two groups of plants. Since I replicated the above experiment in four different trials, using four different plant materials, I am quite comfortable in drawing some conclusions as they apply to me and my growing habits or abilities. First, and based on my observations, I have concluded that Superthrive does hold value for me as a rooting aid, or stimulant if you prefer. I regularly soak the soil, usually overnight, of my newly root-pruned and often bare-rooted repots in a solution of 1/2 tsp Superthrive per gallon of water. Second, and also based on my observations, I no longer bother with its use at any time other than at repotting. No evidence was accumulated through the 4 trials to convince me that Superthrive was of any value as a "tonic" for plants with roots that were beyond the initiation or recovery stage. Interestingly, the first ingredient listed as being beneficial to plants on the Superthrive label is vitamin B-1 (or thiamine). Growing plants are able to synthesize their own vitamin B-1 as do many of the fungi and bacteria having relationships with plant roots, so it's extremely doubtful that vitamin B-1 could be deficient in soils or that a growing plant could exhibit a vitamin B-1 deficiency. Some will note that I used more of the product than suggested on the container. I wanted to see if any unwanted effects surfaced as well as trying to be sure there was ample opportunity for clear delineation between the groups. I suspect that if a more dilute solution was used, the difference between groups would have been even less clear. It might be worth noting that since the product contains the growth regulator (hormone) auxin, its overuse can cause defoliation, at least in dicots. The broad-leaf weed killer Weed-B-Gone and the infamous "Agent Orange", a defoliant that saw widespread use in Viet Nam, are little more than synthetic auxin. Al

Every single one of these stories is touching! Great thread idea Sara-Ann! I haven't been growing roses very long but I can think of a few little things - my MIL has the same name as a hardy shrub rose, and 4 years ago when her beloved dog had to be put down, I bought one and planted it where the dog was buried. She seems so happy with it, points it out all the time, and I'm so glad :) - for my first birthday after marrying DH, he asked me what I wanted and I told him I wanted a rose plant :) I didn't know anything about them, and neither did he, and I was also thinking that maybe I'd be disappointed because it wouldn't be a surprise :) But I was so surprised and touched that he asked questions at a garden center and picked from the roses they suggested the one he thought smelled the nicest - the rugosa Blanc Double de Coubert you know - and we planted it together and now we notice the suckers that come up each year and transplant them around. It's sweet and I like seeing sort of a different side of him :) - Actually it was that rose above that really got me into roses. I saw 'Blanc Double de Coubert' on the tag, but didn't know it was a name, thought Coubert was a store or something, anyway I googled a bunch of words on the tag and Pickering Roses came up. I looked at their catalogue and was so amazed at all the different beautiful roses and soon bought New Dawn at a hardware store (unruly heap of prickles...) and others, and on it goes. - LOVE having an excuse to stop to talk to people in their front yards! This might be my favorite thing :)

I had similar shock about parents still living. The parents of one of my brother's lifelong friends came to his gathering. The friend, who passed years back following a motorcycle accident, was the same age as my brother. My parents died in 1975 and 2000. Someone told me this guy's parents were coming and I was shocked to think his parents were still alive. I was so happy to meet them and I couldn't help but saying "you're so young" when I met them. I guess that was better than "you're still alive". I was just in the mindset that the parents of people my age are no longer with us though of course that's not true in many cases.

I’m sorry to say, I can’t see any future for this relationship Yeah, I have to agree. Your expectations are unreasonable. I've heard that women marry thinking they can change a man into what they want him to be ... and men marry women thinking they'll never change ... and both groups are wrong. The issue with which you're dealing will never change; he will always be that boy's father. I actually do applaud you, however, for looking a little deeper into your feelings and realizing that what you really want is a partner for yourself with no children Very much so. Right now you have choices. Once you're married -- okay, you still have choices, but they come with much bigger consequences. You’re jealous of a four year old who only sees this “great dad” once every month or two, and you’re asking if this marriage will work? Seriously? Yeah, "great dads" are more involved than that. I'd also question how the ex-wife received full custody -- unless something bad has happened, couples tend to share custody. However, you're wise to recognize and question these feelings. I'm 23 and he's 32 Don't discount the fact that you're still very young, and 9 years age difference is a part of this equation. You still have your 20s ahead of you -- all those exciting firsts in terms of career and home, whereas he's in his "settling down to a routine" years. Having been through both these phases of life, both were wonderful, but I am very glad my husband and I were in the same phase at the same time. We recently got engaged and moved in together ... I'm scared that I'm making the wrong choice here and walking into a lifetime commitment that is stressful. Red flags: You know that living together before marriage increases the chances of divorce later? And people who've already divorced are more likely to divorce again? Added to those unhappy facts, you're concerned about whether you're going in the right direction. These are big red flags. The introspection to which you're subjecting yourself is a good first step -- is this what you really want? I'd say come clean with him -- tell him how you're feeling, tell him you're questioning your choices. I'd move out. Not break up, but move out. It'll be easier to examine your feelings with a little space between you. Once you're SURE, then make a decision -- either go ahead and get married, or say goodbye. I feel like crying and a little hurt every time he talks to his son on the phone. This is a very strong reaction to a small thing. How are you going to react when you're merging your finances and you see a portion of his paycheck going to this child? When you're going back to work when your child is eight weeks old, and you're thinking you could stay home if not for that payment? How about when that child has a first day of school? When he has to decide whether to attend his son's baseball game or your new child's dance recital? When the son's mom's rules don't match your house rules and discipline is hard? When your child gets a car for his 16th birthday and the older son says, "No fair -- why didn't I get one?" When you plan a vacation and the older child doesn't want to go with you and won't say why? These are the things I hear my stepmother-friends talk about, and they're a whole lot more complicated than a phone call. It's also tough to be the child in that situation. Ask yourself truthfully if you empathize with the child -- as his stepmother, you'll have to be able to do that. He said that he never really loved his ex wife and that he was unhappy in their relationship. And you believed that? Do you really think he was so foolish as to marry someone he didn't love (or at least didn't think he loved)? He's telling you what you want to hear -- or you're hearing what you want to hear. You need the truth, whether it's comfortable or not. got herself pregnant Biologically impossible. You're looking to make the other woman the scapegoat, but it takes two to get pregnant. Either -- again -- he's telling you what he thinks you want to hear, or you're hearing what you want to hear.