Anti-Stress 2000

[joe_OC]

Anti-Stress 2000 is a foliar spray that consists of carbon chain polymers with an acrylic base. It creates a clear semipermeable membrane (elastic protective coating) which provides the plant with an effective shield for reducing the ravaging effects of weather related stress conditions(heat/cold burns).

I have been using it since last Nov and was very happy with the results. The leaves on my treated palms did not get as much cold damage as my untreated palms (used C. Macrocarpa as control). The problem that I have noticed this past month though is that the Anti-Stress 2000 has made it harder for the new fronds to open. The new fronds are sticking together longer than they should. I have to spray water on the fronds to get the coating off so it can open up.

I really like the stuff because it gives the palms a few more degrees of protection from the extreme heat/cold. I think in the future, I will not coat the emerging frond.

Has anyone else tried this stuff on their palms? Experts, is this a "NO, NO"?

Joe

[BS Man about Palms]

Never heard of it, where did you get it?

[gsn]

BS,

It is like WILT-PRUFF.

They are both anti-transpirants.

I don't know if I would use it 360 days of the year.But there is some antedotal evidence that it does help with cold hardiness.Plus it seems to help with transplants as it keeps the palm from loosing water through the leafs.

Edited August 5, 2008 by gsn

[joe_OC]

BS,

It is like WILT-PRUFF.

They are both anti-transpirants.

I don't know if I would use it 360 days of the year.But there is some antedotal evidence that it does help with cold hardiness.Plus it seems to help with transplants as it keeps the palm from loosing water through the leafs.

Scott,

I don't use it 365...I use it right before temps go to either extremesand when I transplant as you were saying. It has been a months since I used it, which is why I am surprised that it was still on the fronds since it was supposed to be a latex based product, I figured the water/moisture would have worn it off. Other than the sticky fronds opening up, I really like it. Just wanted to know if anyone else tried it.

[xerophyte_nyc]

I use anti-stress to get rid of spider mites, it's absolutely the best method I know of to quickly and safely eradicate mites. No need for exotic pesticides that are dangerous to the environment.

I'm not sure if the polymer damages the mites themselves, or if it makes the leaves less palatable to the mites, but 2 or 3 applications in a 2 week span will kill any mites you have. It's incredible.

Last summer I had a mite infestation of some Brugmansia and Adenium growing outdoors. I also had a few Alocasia that started to get mites under the leaves when I tried to keep a few potted up indoors. The mites were gone in about 10 days, and did not return despite the plants being grown indoors with low humidity (mite heaven).

Interestingly, it doesn't seem to faze mealies. But mealies are treatable easily enough with soapy concoctions.

I use it now as a preventive spray before I bring my tender plants indoors for the winter. The only negative is the smell, kind of like stale rubber - or something like that

[BS Man about Palms]

, where did you get it?

OK- got the first part of my question answered, how about the second part?

[Tala]

we used several anti-transparents yrs ago as a test, mainly on some field grown Archontophoenix, a few other sps as well. It did absolutely nothing w/ regards to cold protection. But what was left of the fronds was nice & shiny; didn't stick together so I guess thats something ...

thats interesting that it controls mites - most likely it is by the same mode of action as hort. oil (smothers them with no residual effects).

Edited August 6, 2008 by Tala

[Jim in Los Altos]

I've used it in the past and the only comparison I can make would be with my several Phoenix roebelenii, both large and small. I sprayed them all before the Jan. '07 freeze and they came through unharmed. My neighbors to my right and across the street had severe damage to all of theirs including some that completely defoliated. They are all beautiful today happily but I was pleasantly surprised at how green mine remained after the freeze.

I had the sticky spear problem on an old Howea and I had to climb a ladder to get to the four closed spears to free them. Luckily they were fine and all turned into healthy fronds. I guess if it rained more here that would be less of a problem.

[joe_OC]

Hi Bill,

Sorry for not answering your question. I found them online. If you google anti-stress 2000, you can order it online and they will ship it to you. There are a lot of distributors for the product and the pricing seems to be the same. Here is the manufacturer's link:

http://www.polymerag.com

Joe

[joe_OC]

Hi Bill,

Sorry for not answering your question. I found them online. If you google anti-stress 2000, you can order it online and they will ship it to you. There are a lot of distributors for the product and the pricing seems to be the same. Here is the manufacturer's link:

http://www.polymerag.com

Joe

[deezpalms]

There are several different brands that sell this type of product depending where you live. I've used two different brands over the years and both work great. Not only to they help protect plants from frost but it is also very useful when transplanting touchy species. At our 25 acre nursery in Bonsal, Ca we had a problem with overgrown P. reclinata's dieing. They were in 24" boxes with a lot of roots under the box. A few of the ones I sold died while many of the others got set back and did not look too good for quite some time. After thinking things through I suggested that we use an anti-transpirant since the leaves do transpire a lot of moisture when under the stress of transplanting. After application we have not lost one single tree and now we use it regularly when selling our king palms since they have quite a bit of roots under the box as well.

[Gtlevine]

Interesting. I would think you should avoid spraying it on the spear so leaf opening is not a problem.

I do alot of air layering of my Ficus Trees, I might try this on the air layers of my Dammaropsis when I cut them off the tree.

Gary

[_Keith]

If this stuff is all that, why have you been hiding it. The 5 to 7 degrees of additional cold protection advertised, needed only 4 or 5 nights a year here, means and entire 1 Zone difference in my climate, not to mention the help with transplant loss.

I will certainly give it a try.

[LJG]

Great Joe, now you opened the door for a third question from Bill. "What's google?"

--

I will buy this and give it a shot this year.

Hi Bill,

Sorry for not answering your question. If you google anti-stress 2000, you can order it online and they will ship it to you.

Joe

[joe_OC]

It's a well known product for the citrus industry...Been around for about 20 years now. I had asked about this product in the past, but not as a subject in itself. I don't think they are well known in the ornamental agriculture side of things though. Like Jim has concurred, one side affect is the new fronds being sticky, but I think I will not spray it so much in the future. Thought that there would be more palm ppl using since it extends our growing zone as Keith had mentioned...

[BS Man about Palms]

Great Joe, now you opened the door for a third question from Bill. "What's google?"

--

I will buy this and give it a shot this year.

Hi Bill,

Sorry for not answering your question. If you google anti-stress 2000, you can order it online and they will ship it to you.

Joe

Whew! I thought he meant "Goggle it" I was just going to get my Safety glasses.

[Phil]

There are a few conditions where one might consider an anti-tranpirant (anti-dessicant).

1. Cold protection: From anectodes it appears to offer some protection

2. Shipping of bare rooted plants: probably beneficial

3. Planting protected or greenhouse grown plants directly into the sun: interestingly enough, I've seen several usages this way and was surprised to see that less sun burn occured than I expected.

4. Dug plants: See Dave's comments. I think it's definitely part of the procedure of moving palms if it is feasible to do.

5. Indoor plants: perhaps it might help from underwatered interior plants.

6. Moisture loving plants grown in dry, hot environments: I have no real data on this.

A commonly marketed product is known as "Cloud Cover" and sold in many nurseries.

Phil

[PricklyPearSATX]

I have it and I may not be applying it properly. How often does it need to be applied? It didn't provide significant cold protection for me, but I sprayed it was the air was cooling before the first cold front. I tried it a few times after that and didn't get any more protection. (The one plant the get cold damage was my tropical bird of paradise. It had been in the shade summer/fall, then got full sun in winter)

Since this thread was open, I decided to give it another try. This time, to test heat, drought protection.

I've got annual periwinkle in full, hot sun next to the side walk. Planted in April. Afternoon temps both days 100. Reflective heat surrounding-(thermometer doesn't read above 130) I'm having to water these plants every day.

I use a trigger spray and must remove the trigger and wash it each time after use. This can be hassle if not using the entire mixture.

All plants must be watered thoroughly prior to usage.

Friday night: Watered all of my plants thoroughly. Applied Anti-Stress to both sides of leaves. The results the next day:

Edited August 11, 2008 by PricklyPearSATX

[PricklyPearSATX]

Oops, next post down for next day results.

Edited August 11, 2008 by PricklyPearSATX

[PricklyPearSATX]

Saturday afternoon: Watered all of plants thoroughly after taking the picture. Had to wait until night to apply the Anti-Stress again to both sides of leaves. (I don't apply any chemicals in full sun in this type of heat. )

The results, the next day, Sunday:

Both pictures were taken around 3:30 in the afternoon.

I must be doing something "wrong". Since many in this thread seem to have professional experience, they might be able to apply it in a way that is "practical", that fits into a routine?

What type of application equipment do you use? I use a simple one quart household trigger sprayer. (Filter removed) This doesn't provide as much product as a hose end or a pump sprayer.

Maybe it was just "too hot" in my test. If it changes temps by 5 degrees, if the temps next to the sidewalk were 135, lowering the temp to 130 isn't going to work very well.

As a matter of fact, I usually just get a bunch of ice and dump it on my plants. (It prevents overwatering, and it is easier than applying the anti-stress)

Does anyone have any pointers?

How often would I need to apply it without any rainfall?

I did try it on some plants in the shade too, but couldn't tell if it worked.

Is it necessary to water both the plants and the leaves prior to usage?

Anyway, if anyone has any pointers, I would appreciated it. My hunch is it easier to apply and use in nursery/professional type settings.

[joe_OC]

Hi Linda,

I am by far from being an expert, but I just use a two gallon compression sprayer from the box stores. I use the recommended dosage for outdoors which I think is 20:1 ratio. It's hard to tell from your pictures as they are small. What are your expectations from spraying the flowers? I don't know if there is a benefit for spraying annuals. All my experience has been with perennials. Remember, Anti-Stress gives your plants about an additional five degrees buffer. If your weather is more extreme than what the product protects against, you will still get damage.

I notice that after I treat my palms, the leaves have a sheen to them. After a few months, the sheen wears off as that product is water based and breaks down over time.

HTH's,

Joe

[PricklyPearSATX]

Joe:

I was just testing the product.... I thought I would try it on my most wilted water thirsty plants...Those little annuals are a pain to water..especially every day.

I guess if using for cold protection, it's best to apply it a few weeks before it gets cold and apply every few weeks.

[joe_OC]

Hi Linda,

Actually, the directions clearly state that you should treat the plants right before the heatwave or frost as the layer of protection will be it's thickest. If you spray weeks in advance, there is a good chance that your protective layer will have thinned out. I do not keep a layer on the plants 365...I only spray them when I see from the forecast that there are extreme weather conditions coming. I have used it for Santa Ana wind conditions here in Southern California, extreme cold fronts (Jan 07') and heatwaves. In all cases, the plants pulled through without any damage...so far.

[sur4z]

Anti-Stress 2000 is a foliar spray that consists of carbon chain polymers with an acrylic base. It creates a clear semipermeable membrane (elastic protective coating) which provides the plant with an effective shield for reducing the ravaging effects of weather related stress conditions(heat/cold burns).

I have been using it since last Nov and was very happy with the results. The leaves on my treated palms did not get as much cold damage as my untreated palms (used C. Macrocarpa as control). The problem that I have noticed this past month though is that the Anti-Stress 2000 has made it harder for the new fronds to open. The new fronds are sticking together longer than they should. I have to spray water on the fronds to get the coating off so it can open up.

I really like the stuff because it gives the palms a few more degrees of protection from the extreme heat/cold. I think in the future, I will not coat the emerging frond.

Has anyone else tried this stuff on their palms? Experts, is this a "NO, NO"?

Joe

Does this work on people?...i would love to try it!

[PricklyPearSATX]

[Big Tex]

I just bought a gallon of this Anti-Stress 2000 and spayed all of my palms and tropicals. One thing I noticed right away after spraying them was they they looked much brighter. I will give them all another layer right before we get our first really cold weather and see how it works.

[kahili]

Anything that helps my palms get through the winter is interesting to me. We have been experincing an really early prolonged cold front-at least a week of nights in a range of the 20's , but I assume that it is still ok to try this? Would I wait until it warms up some at night, or just apply in the heat of the day ( which means in the 40-50's right now, not very warm)? Do you just apply it to the leaves to runoff? Coat both sides of the leaves? If you try to keep it off the new spears-will that leave them vulnerable to the cold? Assuming it will-which is better-to coat the new spear lightly and protect it (esp assuming that new spears may take a month or more to open up here in the cold-or longer) or not have the new spear protected, but able to more easily open up? I confess-I have not ever paid any attention to how long it takes a new spear to open in the winter. How long does this coating usually last?

[Big Tex]

Anything that helps my palms get through the winter is interesting to me. We have been experincing an really early prolonged cold front-at least a week of nights in a range of the 20's , but I assume that it is still ok to try this? Would I wait until it warms up some at night, or just apply in the heat of the day ( which means in the 40-50's right now, not very warm)? Do you just apply it to the leaves to runoff? Coat both sides of the leaves? If you try to keep it off the new spears-will that leave them vulnerable to the cold? Assuming it will-which is better-to coat the new spear lightly and protect it (esp assuming that new spears may take a month or more to open up here in the cold-or longer) or not have the new spear protected, but able to more easily open up? I confess-I have not ever paid any attention to how long it takes a new spear to open in the winter. How long does this coating usually last?

After the ground temperature reaches about 60 degrees most palms slow to a grind or don't grow at all. So an emerging spear may not open until after the ground temperatures reach above 60 in the spring. I am using an anti-fungal spray on the unopened spears during the winter. This will help fight and problems.

According to the literature that came with the Anti-Stress 2000 you can use it any time. It just needs to be on a day where it is not going to rain so the product can adequately dry. No need to wait until it warms up. I would just make sure there isn't much of a wind as that makes it very hard to spray. Yes, coat both sides of the leaves until they are completely wet. I sprayed the spears too. This stuff is biodegradable with sun and time. They say after about 30 days it breaks down completely. Naturally the closer to cold weather you can spray it on, the more effective it will be.

I just sprayed all of my plants and will do it again as close to freezing weather as I can. We only get about 4-6 days of below freezing temperatures here so I will try to do it each time. I think this product in combination with Christmas lights and a double layer of frost cloth and I will be fine for the winter. We'll see.

[gsn]

Anyone have an update on Freeze-Pruf?

Is it available anywhere yet?

http://uanews.ua.edu/anews2008/jul08/spray070808.htm

[Mark_NoVA]

Here's the GroTech website--nothing mentioned yet.

http://www.grotech-sm.com/

Anyone have an update on Freeze-Pruf?

Is it available anywhere yet?

http://uanews.ua.edu/anews2008/jul08/spray070808.htm

[joe_OC]

I've been in contact with Dr. Francko... Palmtalk is on their radar and any news will sure be updated here...

[gsn]

Mark,

That isn't a web site!

That is a single page marketing site to promote the marketing company!

They have no click on links to any products either being marketed or in development?

Looks like Freeze -Pruff is a non starter ,at least for this winter,it is almost December!

[joe_OC]

Scott,

You are correct...Unfortunately, David does not think they will be able to get anything out until January at the earliest.

[gsn]

I guess the next question is, do they have,or do they need/want any test customers?

I test certain products on occasion before they come to market, in my line of work.

[Big Tex]

Mark,

Looks like Freeze -Pruff is a non starter ,at least for this winter,it is almost December!

I was hoping like the rest of us this product would be out before winter started. I still want to give it a try as soon as it is available, but I have to have something now. So I got the Anti-Stress 2000.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Big Tex

[kahili]

Thanks Big Tex. I think that you are right and any unopened spears can be sprayed (at least until late Feb for me) . Going to go order some right now.

[Big Tex]

Thanks Big Tex. I think that you are right and any unopened spears can be sprayed (at least until late Feb for me) . Going to go order some right now.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[Big Tex]

Saturday before this Arctic cold came yesterday, I drenched everything I have using 2 gallons of mix. Both sides of the leaves were sprayed and allowed to dry. Some of the more sensitive ones got a double coating.

This morning it got much colder that was predicted. It has been 32 degrees 5 hours so far. Plus we got a slight rain shower that turned to ice. Go figure, I certainly wasn't ready for all of this so my fingers are crossed. Most everything had a thin layer of ice on it.

My Papayas look fine, of course I started my tiki torches when I saw the temperatures reach 33. The temperature around the torched area is 8 degrees higher that the rest of my yard. We also have a 4-5 mph wind blowing.

So far, everything looks good. I see no wilted leaves other that what was damaged by the 20 mph winds we had all day yesterday. So time will tell. I honestly didn't want to put this product to the test but as it happened, I got caught off guard.

Today will warm up some...hopefully and tonight may not be as cold, probably a high of 40 (if we ever make it) and a low of 35. Things will warm back quickly tomorrow as 65 is being forecasted a the high. So I should start seeing any damage on the more tender tropicals first. The palms will take a little more time. The trees I am concerned about are 3 young mangos, a good size Triangle palm and a large Revenia. Immediate damage will probably first be seen in my hibiscus and Angel's Trumpets. So I will keep everyone posted on whether this product is worth its weight in gold or not worth the time it took to order it.

Edited December 22, 2008 by Big Tex

[joe_OC]

We've had three weeks straight of unusually cold and wet weather here in Huntington Beach as has most of Southern California. I did not think it was cold enough to warrant spraying the palms with Anti-Stess. I should have...I was checking out my Dypsis Leptocheilos and noticed cold burns on the new frond (just opened up two weeks prior to cold weather). The older fronds that were treated with Anti-Stress several months before showed no damage. Here are the pics:

Cold damaged new frond

[joe_OC]

Undamaged older frond treated with Anti-Stress 2000

Both fronds are on the same tree...

I went to treat the palms over the weekend but did not realize that I ran out of it. Placed and order for a gallon of it and hopes it comes in soon before anymore cold weather. I see other types of anti-transparents out there, are they all the same formula? Is one better than the rest?