How To Care For Plants
Tips for a Successful Garden – Orchids
In our opinion orchids rank among some of nature’s most beautiful flowers. Once you understand their basic needs it’s easy to grow them yourself. Most
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Q: Can I use Watch Us Grow on my orchids?
Watch Us Grow has been used for years by orchid growers and enthusiasts to produce beautiful plants with multiple spikes and blooms. It is equally effective on other bromiliads as well as African Violets.
Look at the section titled “Are You Looking for Follet’s Orchid Best?” for more information. Be sure to follow the link on that page for my personal advice for orchid growers. I’ve been an amateur orchid enthusiast for years.
Check out our blog post for Tips For Growing Orchids.
Phil Faustini
Q: FOL-ADE™ – What is it?
A. It is the registered name for the proprietary mixture that Stephen Follett developed in 1952 in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. It is produced by the Stephen Follett Company. A small amount of FOL-ADE™ is added to each batch of Watch Us Grow that is made. It is similar to Coke Syrup that is controlled by the Coca-Cola Company and sold to the bottlers who mix it with water and other ingredients to make Coca-Cola. Because it is a valuable trade secret, the Stephen Follett Company will not divulge the specific ingredients in FOL-ADE™. FOL-ADE™ is a unique mixture of eight desirable organic and inorganic materials that are blended with primary plant nutrients which promote growth. FOL-ADE™ is truly unique in the plant food industry. It is what makes Watch Us Grow different from all the others.
Q: How is Watch Us Grow different from other water soluble plant foods such as Miracle-Gro, Peters, etc.? Why do gardeners prefer it over other plant foods?
A: In addition to the unique ingredient FOL-ADE™, there are a number of other differences which make Watch Us Grow attractive to gardeners and plant enthusiasts:
Watch Us Grow is a liquid, not a granular solid. It is therefore easier to mix, does not separate or settle out in the watering can, and will not harden over time. For commercial users, it will not clog your irrigation system.
Watch us Grow maintains its effectiveness for a long time.
There is no deterioration from year to year. It will be just as good to use three or four years from now as it is today.
The Watch Us Grow pour-out cap eliminates dripping, green fingers, and stains on the kitchen counter. It is easy, fast, and convenient to measure when mixing.
Most importantly – Watch Us Grow provides better results. Growing tests conducted by an independent consulting service have proven that when applied at the recommended application rates, Watch Us Grow provides superior plant growth and blooms for most species.
Watch Us Grow is non-burning. This is a very important fact for today’s busy gardeners who want maximum results and sometimes over-feed to achieve them. Growing tests prove that Watch us Grow is far and away more safe than water soluble (granular) plant foods which can seriously burn the leaves.
Watch Us Grow is practically foolproof. Because Watch Us Grow is so safe and easy to use, it is hard to make a mistake even on sensitive indoor plants such as Orchids and African Violets. Watch Us Grow is all you need.
Q: Is 8-8-8 as good as 20-20-20, or 15-30-15, or is it somehow weaker?
A: Plants can absorb only so much N, P, K, (Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash) over time without injury to their roots and leaves (burning). Azaleas are particularly prone to burning with granular fertilizers, and many gardeners are familiar with this problem. The amount of fertilizer that can effectively be used by a plant is less influenced by the N,P,K formula and more by the amount of nutrients in the solution that are safely absorbed by the plant’s system. The gentle 8-8-8 formulation of Follett’s Watch Us Grow, fortified with the unique ingredient FOL-ADE™, delivers safe and effective plant nourishment that outperforms the competition.
Q: Why doesn’t Watch Us Grow have other formulas, such as bloom booster, special formula for indoor plants, or a tomato formula?
A: Watch Us Grow is truly an all purpose plant food. Since 1952, people have been using it to grow prize winning fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, trees and indoor plants. For example:
In Wisconsin, Watch Us Grow helps ginseng growers reduce harvest time for their plants from five years to three years.
In Kentucky, it was used to fertilize large trees that were transplanted to take the place of others that had been toppled by a tornado. All of the transplants flourished, in spite of their hot summer weather.
It is used by plant stores to perk up droopy plants and flowers during the hot summer months.
In Florida, it is used by many orchid growers.
Another Florida user raises prize winning ferns using only Watch Us Grow for feeding.Actual usage under different conditions, in different climates, and on many different species has proven Watch Us Grow to be an effective and safe, all-purpose plant food, even more effective than the bloom booster brands. There is really no need to have many different types and formulas cluttering up your garage. All you really need is a bottle of Follett’s Watch Us Grow.
Q: Can Watch Us Grow be used in a hose-end sprayer?
A: Yes. Garden centers sell hose-end sprayers for liquids with a dial control that mixes the correct amount of liquid fertilizer with the water as you spray. In fact, you can order a Watch Us Grow Hose-end sprayer that has 3 nozzle settings and 12 mixture settings. Direct the spray to the ground around the flowers and plants or gently spray the foliage, making sure the base of the plant receives plenty of solution. Fill the hose end sprayer with Watch Us Grow and the sprayer will dilute it properly with water. When using Watch Us Grow, there is no chance of clogging the spray nozzle. You will enjoy the convenience of using the hose-end sprayer. One quart of Watch Us Grow will make 32 gallons of plant food for outdoor applications.
Q: How often should plants be fed with Watch Us Grow?
A: In general, about every two weeks. See the Watch Us Grow gardening booklet for details and directions for specific plants. Using a half or quarter strength application rate, it is safe to feed plants with each watering. Many orchid growers do this, as well as people who want to avoid having to remember or to keep track of when they last fertilized.
Q: Why Watch Us Grow for fresh cut Christmas trees?
A: Watch Us Grow has been used for many years to keep Christmas trees greener and fresher longer.
We have even recieved reports of Christmas Trees putting on new growth while they were in the house.
Just add 1 tablespoon of Watch Us Grow to 1 gallon of water use that solution to feed your tree.
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About Stephen Follett Company… Our company has its roots on a farm outside the Village of Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, where in 1952 our founder, botanist and horticulturist Stephen Follett, began production of his newly developed liquid plant food concentrate Follett’s Watch Us Grow®.
He spent the previous decade experimenting with various compounds of fertilizers, trace elements and other organic and inorganic materials to find a formula that would foster healthier and better plant growth. He based his studies on the ancient idea of foliar feeding; the theory that plants can absorb nutrients through leaves, branches, stems, buds, fruits and even flowers as well as its root system. After years of trial and error, Mr. Follett perfected his gentle 8-8-8 liquid formula . . . a 256 to 1 concentrate of three major elements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potash) and five micronutrients (boron, copper, iron, manganese and zinc) plus his proprietary compound Fol-Ade® which contains eight ingredients that react on the elemental plant foods in the formula.
Since his death in 1992 at the age of 81, Mr. Follett’s grandson Phil Faustini has run the 50 year old family business. Few things have changed over the years. We’re still located on a farm a few miles from where the company started and the Watch Us Grow formula remains the same. We just don’t see any reason to tamper with something that works so darn well on everything — flowers, shrubs, trees, grasses, vegetables, fruits and house plants. Mr. Follett, known for his sense of humor, jokingly said in his later years, “why it works so well is my little secret, but I think plants grow up to get away from the stuff.” He did share his secret but only with his family. We’re glad he did. You will be, too.
Check out our FAQ or contact us with any questions you may have about our products.
Email: sales@watchusgrow.com
Phone: (920) 746-9062
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