Carla in Sac
No I do not sell Spray N Grow (but maybe I should!) :)

Spray-N-Grow is a scam. It is a prime example of the power of suggestion on innocent gardeners.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

You can make many products seem miraculous if you do research where you have plants growing in an artificial soil devoid of essential minerals. Add those minerals in this context and the results are statistically impressive.

Many years ago, I purchased and used S&G for two seasons. The first season, the treated plants did pretty well, but I wondered whether the product was responsible for that, and the 2nd season ran control groups. The treated and control groups performed exactly the same. Most soils are not deficient in essential minerals and micronutrients, and if they are, use of compost or other organic amendments is the answer.

Always be wary of products that depend on testimonials from the clients for publicity. When people buy a seemingly worthless but expensive product like S&G, they want it to work so badly that it does, or it seems to.

S&G is believed to be nothing more than a kelp extract (at best), but of course the formula is "secret". When a product so good has been around for 30 years, you would think some university or other ag research institution would have tested it and rendered a judgment. But none have. All they have is their testimonials from people who so, so want to believe. They do not publish the testimonials from people who think they have been ripped off. So I would turn your question around: Have you seen any proof, other than the personal testimonials, that this product has beneficial effects?

If you want to send them your money, that is up to you. This is the thinking that has kept this company going for 30 years. Unfortunately, it's legal.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Konrad

If you want to settle the matter in your own mind, a side-by-side comparison test is certainly the way to do it. I have to add that I don't consider Dave's Watchdog to be gospel either. These sites can be salted. Why wouldn't they be?

As you mix it up, don't forget to watch for the magical color change from clear to urine yellow. That is part of what is supposed to show it's working.

Like Alan, I was born a skeptic, even questioning the nutritional content of my mother's milk.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Wow, is this how people evaluate legitamacy on the internet. How confusing it must be and how easy to promote a scam. I could generate as many positive revues as I wanted and my incentive could just be profit motive.

Lycheelover, what is your reasonable explanation for why commercial agriculture hasn't bought into this product. There is tremendous international competition (as well as local) in the commercial production of food. If SNG worked as advertised how on earth would it not be used by farmers all over the world. Please answer this question. Logic is very important to me- almost like a religion. Remember that this product has been around for decades and the producer has every incentive to sell as widely as possible.

If you won't at least try to answer this, I guess my input is completely useless to you and I'll not bother you again.

certainly, sautesmom who gave it a positive review on this thread is not a fake review, as I know carla and have swapped scion wood with her! she is also a very experienced gardener who is unlikely to think a product works just because the company says it does.

Look, im probably just as big a sceptic as jelly and harvest, but if i see something intriguing with some evidence that it works, i dont automatically write it off in the name of scepticism. I look into things.

bottom line is, im doubtful i will see much of a difference in my tiral but i think, given all the glowing testimonials, its worth looking into.

harvest and jelly, please continue to offer me the benefit of your experience. i truly appreciate it. peace and happy gardening, lycheeluva

Consider this: testimonials aren't evidence.

Jellyman and harvestman have it right.

Beyond that, in order to be a true trial of a product, it must be run over 3 seasons to determine if results are consistent.

And sorry to say, a test using only 2 plants -- one treated, one not -- doesn't qualify as an adequate trial.

In commercial quantities all agricultural product prices shrink.

I have seen so many majical products make the rounds over the decades- in horticulture and every where else (especially diet). Testamonials are always generous with these products- and I wasn't suggesting S+G's were all contrived.

20 years ago I bought S+G and trialed it because the sales pitch also sold me to at least give it a chance. These days I'm a lot harder to con(vince).

Now I take my cues from commercial production where the wheat seperates from the chafe rather quickly.

I still think a side by side test would give you something to go on other than our opinions, although Jean is right that one swallow does not make a spring, and doing several groups of different types of plants over time would be better. If you buy this stuff, you will have enough to try on other things as well. The one-season comparison I did was enough for me.

Harvestman's point on the disinterest of commercial agriculture in this product is telling. Since S&G is quite expensive, I would suggest you avoid using money set aside for other important projects, such as buying lottery tickets at the 7-11.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

"You said "im probably just as big a sceptic as jelly and harvest, but if i see something intriguing with some evidence that it works..."
Consider this: testimonials aren't evidence.

Jean- careful! I'm an attorney so very qualified to argue with you on this- in fact testimonial are evidence- certainly they are not proof or infallible evidence but they are evidence. Evidence just means something which goes toward proving a point. Testimonies do not prove a point but they go towards proving a point.

If I grow 2 identical pots of gooseberries , one using the spray and one not, and the sprayed pot had a 30%+ yield- i would be damn impressed- not saying I would bet my life on the product, but certainly impressed enough to use it on all my fruit the following season to see what happens.
unfortunately, i do not have the space to conduct but the smallest trial (consisting of one with and one without)

I've personally experienced this many times in my life, with friends recommending various products that were quite expensive, but wholly ineffective.

I think a reasonable test could be conducted with as few as ten to twelve plants, but two are going to tell you about as much as a coin toss.

Someone here, interested in SNG, should do a proper test and post the results.

Carla in Sac
(who has been gardening for over 30 years, and, I might add, won $2,500.00 in 2007 for the best tomato in Naturesweet's Tomato Challenge--with the help of Spray N Grow)(yes you can google it)(but I'm sure that's a scam too)

Seriously, you may BELIEVE you can make it so that the only difference is which one gets the spray, but you cannot. That's the whole point of doing statistical analyses with adequate experimental and control groups. Biological organisms and their microenvironments are complex. You can't be assured that each plant is nibbled on the same place by the same amount by the same insects, that the sunlight each receives is exactly the same on the same leaf area for the same time, that the roots are able to extend the same distance and are under exactly the same competitive pressures and on and on. There will be variation between plants due to factors over which you have no control and of which you may be unaware. How much of the variation you can properly ascribe to random factors and how much to the treatment you cannot possibly know with only two plants.

Dave

The question was does anyone have any personal experience with Spray N Grow. I related my long-term experience with it, as used yearly in my garden.
You can either use it, or don't use it, you can even opine whether or not you think such a product COULD exist but...
I REALLY don't appreciate you calling me a naive, lying scam artist in a public forum, when you've never even tried to ask me a question about it, or anything for that matter. It's not like I joined GardenWeb yesterday to pop in here and write a puff-piece, I have been posting here for years, I am a real person who gardens as a hobby, and, frankly, I think my real-life experience trumps your knee-jerk narrow-minded baseless opinions issued from your desk chair. Would you be making such nasty comments to my face? Or is it just on the internet you think it's OK to libel someone?

Carla in Sac

I have looked over Harvestman's posts, and don't see him calling you anything. I haven't called you anything either, but I stand by my judgment that S&G is a scam.

I am sure you are a wonderful gardener, with long experience. So are many of the other people that use and praise S&G. But that's part of the issue. Capable gardeners grow beautiful fruits and vegetables with or without this product, but, having paid a lot of money for a clear liquid, they want to credit the liquid not their own skills. You probably would have won the grand tomato prize whether you used S&G or not. And congratulations.

Harvestman can be, shall we say, a little indelicate, but he has made some very logical arguments, and is not guilty of any personal attack in this case. This is a simple difference of opinion, and let's leave it at that.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Incidentally, I wouldn't be too concerned about being a "treasured and valued member" of any web site. This is the 2-D world of human relationships. In my opinion these relationships are interesting but extremely superficial. Carla, you are unknown to me and I couldn't possibly legitimately insult you. My intention was only to ridicule S+G

Still, Mudflapper's humanity is very admirable. Love is always good, even 2-D love.

"but so far you are the only positive post for this"- carla is also the only person on this thread who has actually used the product in the last 10 years. in addition there r the 13/13 positive responses on daves garden.

"is the 2-D world of human relationships. In my opinion these relationships are interesting but extremely superficial"
harvest- i actually very much appreciate some of the froends i have made on this forum who have given me and traded with me scion wood and plant cuttings. I have also spent 5 days tropical fruit hunting in miami with a forum member. we also met up with a bunch of other forum members while we were there and went out for dinner and had a great time. there is no reason why you cannot cultivate internet relationships into live relationships if u so choose.

I like to use Epsoma products that seem common here.

I also own and occasionally use Superthrive, especially when transplanting (usually along with liquid kelp) and it too seems to work, but I don't rely on any of them over good old compost, manure, leaf mould and mulch.

I cannot say I've done any side by side comparisons, as such work would tend to eliminate what I enjoy most about gardening, the stress-less-ness of it all.

~Chills

The company has their own social network ( http://my.spray-n-grow.net/ ) where gardeners share tips and stories. You can probably get lots of feedback there from people who have used their products.

If you're not doing a comparison with a fertilizeer with a full range of micros (much cheaper) than you aren't telling anybody anything.