"I have been using HB-101 for about a year and a half and I am afraid to stop because I am getting more blooms, better growth, and less insect and disease problems because the plants just appear overall healthier. Growth rate was so accelerated..." 
Senior member of the Mid Lakes Orchid Society, Florida

What HB-101 is not

HB-101 is not a fertiliser. It's a best-selling supplement from Japan with a cult-following, that boosts growth and plant health. A 100% natural growth booster that supplements but does not replace fertiliser. Keep using your usual fertiliser along with HB-101.

100% natural. 

HB-101 is listed for use in certified organic production. HB-101 is all natural with no chemicals. It was developed in Japan 30 years ago from a combined 400 years of knowledge and experience, created as a natural method to heal and improve sick and weak trees. From there, word got out. It caught on in crops, then vegetable gardens, Bonsai then Orchids. Eventually indoor plant hobbyists caught on.  

Made from trees & bananas.

Okay, it's not quite that basic, but in essence that's what's in HB-101. Cypress, Pine, Cedar and Plantain to be exact (plantain are like bananas on steroids). Being all natural, the colour and scent of each batch varies. In the bottle it smells like fresh pine mixed with a woody scent. Like a pine forest after it's rained. Once diluted there's no scent.

Why Cypress, Pine and Cedar?

Some trees are thought to have the potential to be immortal. Cypress, Pine and Cedar all make the list. Some even have names! Methuselah is a Great Basin Pine in California, measured to be 4,852 yrs old. The Cypress of Abarkuh in Iran is estimated to be up to 5,000 yrs old. One thing the longest living tree species have in common is very long-life stem cells. Stem cells can repair injury and regenerate, crucial for new cell growth. HB-101 is a blend of natural extracts from these plants and trees, refined and blended to a super concentrated level. 

Why bananas?

Plantains are part of the banana family, but among other benefits, are much richer in Potassium than bananas. There's up to 500mg per 100gms of Potassium in plantain, versus around 350mg in bananas. Plant hobbyists also use HB-101 for a boost in Calcium and Magnesium, as a lot of fertilisers lack those 2 essential micro-nutrients (and in the case of calcium, that can result in irreversible deficiencies, such as small or deformed new growth).

HB-101 directions 

Check the full HB-101 directions for general maintenance, hydroponics, foliar feeding, transplanting, repotting and seedlings.

Dose varies from 1 to 3 drops per litre. Take care not to overdose or guess. It's very concentrated. A little goes a long way. I find the label a bit confusing so best to use the HB-101 directions which makes it simple.

Keep in mind the 6ml is TINY (about 5.5cms tall x 1.5cms), but the dose means it will last a long time.

At 1 drop per litre, you can use it every time you water, so because you water more when it's warmer, that means your plants will get naturally more in summer and less in winter. Remember not to stop using your normal fertiliser. HB-101 is a growth booster, not a fertiliser.

How long does it last?

6ml makes approx. 40 to 120 litres 

50ml makes approx. 330 to 1,000 litres 

100ml makes approx. 650 to 2,000 litres

Keep in mind the 6ml is TINY (about 5.5cms tall x 1.5cms), but the dose means it will last a long time.

From 5 cents per litre

Price varies based on size and dose, but based on the 50ml, HB-101 is 5 to 16 cents / litre. Based on the supplements I stock, it goes from 30 to 40+ cents (Yates Thrive and Groconut around this level), to under 20 cents (Plant Runner's just below that), down to under 10 cents (such as Dyna-Gro), so HB-101 sits at the middle to lower end at 5 to 16 cents. That compares 'general maintenance' levels at May '21 prices for best selling sizes to make it (somewhat) simpler to do the math. 

More reviews 

"The plants are responding to HB-101... richer in colour... new growth. Very easy to use, odourless, and no fertiliser burn." @oregonian 

"I tested three plant growth products starting the week of June 6. At the end of July I was surprised to see one plant was significantly ahead of the others. The HB-101 resulted in a taller, fuller plant sooner than the plants fed with the other products." Jodi Torpey, writer for Find Gardening

"My plants are very happy with this product and you need so little of it that it's worth the expense." @mairc

"Very amazing product. Just a little bit will save your plants that's in urgent care. I love it." Tsai-En White 

"I have been using it for 2 months for my oncidium which had lost almost all the roots. It is growing healthy roots now." Esi Shakiba