Terr-O-Vite
Question from Trinidad:
Where can I purchase this product? Nobody seems to know about it. I live and work in Encinitas, CA. Places I have checked are Grangettos, Home Depot, Hydroscape… Please help.
Answer from Pat:
Terr-O-Vite is no longer available. It has not been made for at least fifteen years. I mentioned this product in my first book published twenty years ago. Ten years later when I revised my book a second time, Terr-O-Vite was no longer made. It was a good product, it made plants grow like mad, but it did cause run-off into the ground water. Now we know we shouldn’t use products that get into the groundwater. But years ago we weren’t as aware of that problem as we are now. These days we are much more aware of environmental hazards and how we should avoid them. Terr-O-Vite contained a penetrant and that’s one reason why it worked well because Western soils are dry and alkaline and often shed water, but that is also one reason why it went through the upper layers of soil quickly and contaminated the water in aquifers deep down in the earth.
But times have changed. Now as a liquid fertilizer I often recommend fish emulsion, which is organic and does not cause massive problems of run-off. This is another possibility for using on your brunfelsias (Brunfelsia ‘Royal Purple’.) As I have stated in all my books, one can stimulate heavy June bloom on brunfelsia ‘Royal Purple’ by fertilizing twice in winter, in December and again in January, by fertilizing with a nitrogen fertilizer mixed double strength. Used this way it will not burn roots, largely because nitrogen is not as active in cold temperatures. So fish emulsion is another possibility to use for this technique. Mix it double strength for feeding Brunfelsia ‘Royal Purple’ in winter as described in my book. Fish emulsion does not burn.
How can you possibly prove that this one product was responsible? BTW how could this product both penetrate deeply AND cause run-off? This would seem to be contradictory.
The product “Terr-OI-Vite” is no longer made. I am sorry I cannot find the comment to which you are referring. Please send me the exact quote that is confusing you so I can explain fully.