Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
After some shipping issues, I finally received my Liquid ProBio Maru and Danu in the mail at the end of spring. Most plants were pushing, but not a whole lot at that point. So I think that I've missed the ideal window, but only by a couple weeks.
The stuff smells like school and work, so yeah, those are live cultures for sure.
I did a couple comparison tests because I want to know whether or not some of the claims hold any ground in a practical sense. Harry Harrington in particular, has made wild claims about the stuff; it would be able to cure juniper rust completely, it would be able to stop mildew and shorten internodes on hawthorns.
I wanted to do a full seedling experiment and a side-by-side comparison of treated versus untreated, but that was impossible due to circumstances. So I just treated all my seedlings and compared the results with last years seedlings outcome.
Here's my findings after finishing the bottles, spraying in intervals of 2-4 weeks at the recommended dilutions:
Mildew
Unknown type of "root rot" in indoor plants
Unknown type of root rot / Damp(en)ing off of outdoor plants
Shortening of internodes
Growth looks better and plants look more vivid, with fewer overall issues
Plants tested but no sign of any growth difference, and/or no stop of issue progression
My conclusion: Still waiting on the new spring for a juniper rust comparison between treated and untreated groups. In indoor potted plants, this stuff is magic. Simple as that. It solved an issue I've been dealing with for about 8 years; random root death due to over and underwatering. The strawberries look healthier than ever and seem to be waaay more resistant to drought. Also there is less death in the strawberries overall.
That being said, I've lost a hawthorn and various other plants due to bacterial root issues this year. Untreated junipers actually performed better at bouncing back. The mixture seems to be effective to some pathogens, but not a wide array. My arakawa maple has spots all over, and my european oaks still get the millie dewy. My portuguese laurels haven't improved, so it's back to antibiotics for them.
All in all, stick to the claims on the probio website - and take those with a grain of salt - and don't get carried away by claims that bonsai professionals make because simply put.. Very few of them know about microbiology.
My opinion: Maru and Danu can be a great tool to have for some moderate issues and in indoor potted plants they both have real promising results. The smell though is comparable to coleslaw and morning urine mixed in a bowl. That's something not everyone can stand, it lasts for about a day though.
Is Maru a one-cure-for-everything? Absolutely not. Does it prevent mildew or other fungal issues? No. Does it stop bacterial problems in outdoor plants? Also no.
Especially the growth pattern effects of Danu are lacking; I see no more backbudding, no tinier internodes, no smaller foliage. Also no increase in growth compared to last year. Which makes me think Danu isn't doing what it should in my backyard.
Would I buy it again?
The Maru, yes. Because my indoor plants keep me sane in winter and I want them to be happy. Also, the strawberries seem to like it. But then again, my indoor plants are ornamental and antibiotics are cheap. A single flask of Maru costs me about four times as much and expires relatively fast. I'm also not comfortable with keeping live microbial cultures in my food fridge.
The Danu? No. I'm not convinced. A side-to-side comparison showed no differences in a whole range of plants. I also find it remarkable that it's called a growth promotor and the description is about disease resistance.
The stuff smells like school and work, so yeah, those are live cultures for sure.
I did a couple comparison tests because I want to know whether or not some of the claims hold any ground in a practical sense. Harry Harrington in particular, has made wild claims about the stuff; it would be able to cure juniper rust completely, it would be able to stop mildew and shorten internodes on hawthorns.
I wanted to do a full seedling experiment and a side-by-side comparison of treated versus untreated, but that was impossible due to circumstances. So I just treated all my seedlings and compared the results with last years seedlings outcome.
Here's my findings after finishing the bottles, spraying in intervals of 2-4 weeks at the recommended dilutions:
Mildew
| Quercus robur | Mildew still present after 5 treatments, NOT present in untreated group |
| Portuguese Laurel | Mildew still present after 5 treatments |
| Various other garden plants | Mildew still present after random treatments |
Unknown type of "root rot" in indoor plants
| Completely cured |
Unknown type of root rot / Damp(en)ing off of outdoor plants
| Maple seedlings (trident) | All dead / No difference |
| Pine seedlings (rigida, sylvestris) | No difference |
| Hawthorn (2021 yamadori, small spots on foliage in spring) | Dead / No difference |
| Rooted juniper cuttings with some moisture issues (kishu, itoigawa) | Dead / No difference |
Shortening of internodes
| Pines (scots, mugo, JRP, JBP, Banksiana) | No difference |
| Junipers (chinensis, shimpaku, rigida, Media/Pfitzer, and others) | No difference |
| Prunus sp. | No difference |
| Hawthorn | No difference |
| Cotinus coggygria | Internodes six times as long as last year, likely shaded condition confound. Worth mentioning because internal effects of the plant seem to be uninhibited. As in: no obvious auxin dampening. |
Growth looks better and plants look more vivid, with fewer overall issues
| Strawberries - although fruits still rot as fast as normal, plants look healthier and are more resilient |
| Tomatoes |
| Citrus (mandarin, citron) |
| Allium sp. |
Plants tested but no sign of any growth difference, and/or no stop of issue progression
| Olive (Olea europeana) |
| Thyme |
| Citrus (Citrus australasica) |
| Maple (cork bark japanese maple) |
| Spruce (Picea abies) |
| Cannabis - Still waiting on botrytis results though, bud rot usually occurs in fall here |
| Juniperus Osteospermum |
| Prunus sp. (various types of cherries and plums) |
| Juniperus communis |
| Various other annual garden plants |
| Grapes |
| Various outdoor succulents |
| Juniperus sabina var. rastrera |
| Alnus nigra |
| Everything else in the yard that got sprayed |
My conclusion: Still waiting on the new spring for a juniper rust comparison between treated and untreated groups. In indoor potted plants, this stuff is magic. Simple as that. It solved an issue I've been dealing with for about 8 years; random root death due to over and underwatering. The strawberries look healthier than ever and seem to be waaay more resistant to drought. Also there is less death in the strawberries overall.
That being said, I've lost a hawthorn and various other plants due to bacterial root issues this year. Untreated junipers actually performed better at bouncing back. The mixture seems to be effective to some pathogens, but not a wide array. My arakawa maple has spots all over, and my european oaks still get the millie dewy. My portuguese laurels haven't improved, so it's back to antibiotics for them.
All in all, stick to the claims on the probio website - and take those with a grain of salt - and don't get carried away by claims that bonsai professionals make because simply put.. Very few of them know about microbiology.
My opinion: Maru and Danu can be a great tool to have for some moderate issues and in indoor potted plants they both have real promising results. The smell though is comparable to coleslaw and morning urine mixed in a bowl. That's something not everyone can stand, it lasts for about a day though.
Is Maru a one-cure-for-everything? Absolutely not. Does it prevent mildew or other fungal issues? No. Does it stop bacterial problems in outdoor plants? Also no.
Especially the growth pattern effects of Danu are lacking; I see no more backbudding, no tinier internodes, no smaller foliage. Also no increase in growth compared to last year. Which makes me think Danu isn't doing what it should in my backyard.
Would I buy it again?
The Maru, yes. Because my indoor plants keep me sane in winter and I want them to be happy. Also, the strawberries seem to like it. But then again, my indoor plants are ornamental and antibiotics are cheap. A single flask of Maru costs me about four times as much and expires relatively fast. I'm also not comfortable with keeping live microbial cultures in my food fridge.
The Danu? No. I'm not convinced. A side-to-side comparison showed no differences in a whole range of plants. I also find it remarkable that it's called a growth promotor and the description is about disease resistance.
