Vitamin B1 is that miracle drug that makes all plants grow bigger especially after transplanting. It is added to several different kinds of fertilizer and plant additives. Guess what – it doesn’t work.
Photo Source: Farmer Fred Rant
The history of this myth is quite interesting and told in detail here. In 1930 a scientist noticed that vitamin B1 stimulated root growth in a petri dish in the lab. A few more tests and people started becoming convinced that it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. In 1939 Better Homes and Gardens published a report that showed vitamin B1 resulted in huge rose flowers and giant daffodils among others. The myth was launched and fed on itself; after all if Better Homes and Gardens says it is true – by golly it is true!
By 1942 even the original author of the study admitted that vitamin B1 had no positive effect on plant growth and said “It is now certain, however, that additions of vitamin B1 to intact growing plants have no significant or useful place in horticultural or agricultural practice” But it was too late. The public knew it worked, and manufacturers were selling it like hot cakes.
Products still contain it today even though the science community has known it does not work for over 70 years.
Don’t be duped.
BS! I’ve used B-1 for years and it always perks my plants up!
So your results are more compelling than scientific data?
I’ll bet you didn’t do controls, nor measure any data. Without that you can’t reach a conclusion. All you have is a feeling.
https://www.gardenmyths.com/scientific-method-important-controls/
My friend at the agricultural university has done research on orchid growing media, with and without the addition of thiamin. And the result is that there are differences in stem height and leaf width, although not in the number of leaves.
Here is a PDF file of his research, in Indonesian language : http://simki.unpkediri.ac.id/mahasiswa/file_article/2017/d4b9cfa7a9bd9e75b70512f6233f47c9.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj0v-T2t4P2AhXBRmwGHclQBM0QFnoECAQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0JUZio6T4P2AhXiCg
link does not work.
Actually there have been many studies at universities by microbiologist.
Where are the links to these many studies?
No one uses vitamin b as a fertilizer…. vitamin b works with plants to cause a systemic immune response, which helps boost the plants naturally immunity to disease for up to a week. The only scince in this post is a revision from 1942…. just keep that in mind
Do you have a link to prove that?
Thanks for the information. However it should be “B1 had no positive effect,” not “affect.”
Thanks Steve!
Mr. Pavlis, while I am grateful that you have put so much effort into providing, free of charge, and free from annoying adverts, this website, I can’t help but notice that, in this particular case, this particular “myth”, you never give us the actual article or paper, ie. the specific bit of literature, or what have you, in which this scientist, in classic Gallaleic fashion, recants everything he had previously stated or discovered, pertaining to B-1. Since no one is debating the fact that he, or she, made some sort of discovery in a lab and that it was good, I won’t bother with any nitpicking pertaining to that, however, I’m a bit surprised that you, of all people, don’t give us a link to the actual document in which the scientist says anything contrary to the original belief. You go as far as quoting him/her however, just as you say, your argument is nothing more then just “anecdotal”. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just making this all up. Where’s your literal proof? I’ll even accept a scanned image of a Xerox’d version of some hardcopy if that’s all you got, say like a news paper clipping? I’m not even sure that your assertion that it was in better homes and gardens or whatever periodical you claim it was in is true. For all any of us know, you made that part up to give further creedence to your rant about how the public will believe anything they read or hear, if it’s in some mind numbingly low brow magazine.
I await a cordial response please (but a sharp retort would be more entertaining to read, lol)
Where is your proof that it works?
I did an experiment on orchids 1 plant (A) i cultivated only using water +moss and the other (B) i add B1 + water + moss with ratios (11 drops B1/1L). The roots on B grow like crazy within 3 weeks compared to A. Hope this helps
Not really. Without replicated and measurements – it is just anecdotal info.
https://www.gardenmyths.com/anecdotal-evidence-not-worth-the-screen-its-displayed-on/
Robert what do you think of 1-naa as a growth stimulant ?
Plants make their own NAA – why do you need to add it? Without a scientific study showing it works – don’t use it.
Hello, thank you for this article and the thread too. Really interesting to read all of the arguments and the opinions here. I might agree with this article, saying B1 can’t be absorbed by the plant and root. But how about other chemical compound? It says contains chelated iron, zinc and manganese. Do you find them as useless as the B1?
No – those are plant nutrients.
Thank you Robert, I have used this product for years and always thought it was doing wonders, but alas I totally believe you. I just assumed because I saw good growth it was doing the trick. In fact I wasted $10 today on some. Well I’ll go ahead and use it but no more wasting money!!! Sad how we buy into stuff and get conned!
It is still fertilizer – but the Vitamin B1 adds no value.
Yea, but that pretty expensive fertilizer Bob, thanks again for letting me know!
$12 a gallon, 1/4 tspn dilutes 3 gallons of water? $12 is al ifetime supply!
also this wont have benefit to already healthy plants, HOWEVER what Einstein and his monkeys didn’t bother to do was spray it on damaged and unhealthy plants!
also, after you dilute it in your water PH YOUR WATER!!!!
toss what you dont use it will destroy PH in about 12 hours ..
I use it on sun burnt plants in the southwest, I have left some plants unsprayed and the leaves never recovered anywhere near as close to where the sprayed leaves recovered to, its like aloe on sun burns..
IT WORKS ON UNHEALTHY PLANTS! exactly WTF would it do to a healthy plant? get it to read a book to you? no wonder we are in such a mess