Scientific Research

Strickland Regis Greenhouse, Apopka, FL

DESCRIPTION:  In 1994, greenhouse owners Ralph and Sylvia Strickland conducted a series of experiments and Scientific Research in their greenhouse using Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® and filmed the entire process.  This is the video produced by the Stricklands, in conjunction with another gentleman named Saul Rubinoff, and in it, they outline how they used the product, how it affected growth and the tremendous results of pairing it with their nutrient routine.  Not only did they experience significant increases in plant yield and root growth, they achieved these results by using one half of their usual nutrient routine in conjunction with Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst®!  NOTE:  Dr. Willard originally referred to this product as Lignite Activated Water and that term is used throughout the video as well as the term Catalyst Activated Water which is the term Dr. Willard often used to describe all of his altered water inventions.

University of Wisconsin Department of Soil Science, Madison, WI

DESCRIPTION:    One of the earlier, and more comprehensive, studies on the effects and Scientific Research of Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® on plant yield, Dr. Keith Kelling at the UofW sought to determine, among other things, whether Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® had an effect on plants in the absence of nutrient and whether one could reduce nutrient levels when PlantCatalyst® is added to the mix. This study and Scientific Research clearly showed that PlantCatalyst® is serving as a nutrient absorption enhancer in that it had little or no effect on plants when applied in the absence of other nutrients but it did increase yield and root growth when paired with nutrient.  It should be noted, however, that the concentrations of Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® used by Dr. Kelling were significantly higher than recommended and subsequent studies have shown greater increases in yield and root growth when proper dilution amounts are used.
NOTE:  As in the video featured in #1, Dr. Kelling often uses the terms Lignite Activated Water and Catalyst Activated Water (CAW) to describe the product we today sell as Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst®.

Dr. Al Knauf, former Adjunct Professor, Texas Woman’s University

DESCRIPTION:  In the spring of 2011 Dr. Kanuf conducted a series of experiments and Scientific Research in which he paired Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® with a liquid fertilizer called Clean Start.  Dr. Knauf explored several different dilution levels of both the Clean Start fertilizer and PlantCatalyst® along with a couple of other formulations of Dr. Willard’s Catalyst Activated Water (CAW).  Regardless of dilution levels or “strength” of each Dr. Willard product, Dr. Knauf found that adding PlantCatalyst® to a Clean Start fertilizer consistently and significantly increased plant yield and root growth.

NOTE:  Dr. Knauf named the combination of Clean Start and Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® “Vector” as a way to differentiate the combination from the control.  Like other studies featured on this page, he also refers to Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® by the acronym CAW which means Catalyst Activated Water.
4) VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
DESCRIPTION:  This test sought to determine the effect of adding Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® to a nutrient routine for African Daisies.  Two groups of African Daisies (25 in each group) were used in this test.  The control group was given a nutrient routine that consisted of 1 tablespoon of 20-20-20 fertilizer combined with 5 gallons of tap water.  The test group was given the same solution with the addition of on ounce of Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst®.  In addition, the amount of fertilizer/PlantCatalyst® mixture applied to the test plants was approximately 80% less than the fertilizer solution applied to the control group.  Despite the lower fertilizer amounts used, those plants treated with Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® had more flowers, were more uniform, and bloomed approximately one week before the control group.

Pacific Northwest Garden Supply, Maple Ridge, British Columbia

DESCRIPTION:  This test sought to examine in an impact of Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® on the growth of sweet cayenne peppers.  Scientific Research and this test involved 22 sweet cayenne pepper seedlings divided into a test (treated) and control (untreated) group fed from separate 20-gallon reservoirs. Both sets of plants were placed in Rockwool for the duration of the test. There were 12 treated plants & 10 untreated plants. All plants were approximately 4 inches high when placed in the Rockwool.  ½ ounce of Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® was added once per week to the reservoir for the treated (test) plants.  The results indicated that each pepper plant treated with Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® produced an average of approximately 8 ounces of peppers. Each untreated pepper plant produced an average of approximately 1.75 ounces of peppers. The average height of the plants in the group that received PlantCatalyst® was 38 inches while the average height in the untreated group was only 29 inches.

 The Impact of PlantCatalyst® on Cannabis

DESCRIPTION:  This test involved 64 plants called “Northern Lights” which were divided into 32 treated and 32 untreated plants.  The growing medium was Hydroton, a product made from lava rocks placed in 6-inch pots which were sitting in a 4 x 8 hydroponic flood table and the test involved 3 weeks of vegetative growth and 6 weeks of flowering.  Both the treated and untreated plants were ‘top fed’ Atomic Feed Liquid Nutrients at 1500 ppm over one 24 hour period every 6 days during both the vegetative and flowering stages. The plants were given water and food continuously for 15 minutes every hour when the lights were on. They were also given water and food continuously for five minutes every four hours when the lights were off. The system was flushed with tap water on the seventh day.  60 ml of Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® was added to the 40-litre reservoir twice per week for the treated plants – on the first day of the food cycle and at the midpoint of the cycle.  Each of the treated plants was also given a weekly foliar spray during vegetative growth. The foliar spray was comprised of 1 liter of tap water mixed with 15ml of Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® and applied once per week as a fine misting to the flowers to facilitate bud formation. None of the plants in the control group were given any foliar spray during this test. The largest buds on the plants treated with Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® were approximately 9 inches high and approximately 3 inches wide while the largest buds on the untreated plants were only approximately 6 inches high and approximately 1.25 inches wide.