Propagation Chemicals on Trial – Not Afiliated and Unbiased
A lot of people were asking for advise on the best rooting chemicals you can buy for the propagation of hardwood and softwood cuttings. We decided to just buy whatever was available on Amazon and Ebay, and from our local garden centre, and also some of our own professional stock.
I would highlight that we are in no way affiliated or sponsored with any supplier, and all results are raw and unbiased, and my own personal views. The products used were purchased at random, based upon being available at the time, and in small sizes.
We acquired the following
Westland Organic Rooting Gel is made from natural oils, free from synthetic growth hormones and fungicides, to help with rooting and establishment of cuttings.
- Helps root establishments for cuttings
- Made from natural ingredients
- No synthetic growth hormones or fungicides
This mixture does not contain any ingredients classified as hazardous substances
Doff® Natural Rooting Powder contains a natural source of seaweed to dramatically increase the propagation of both edible and ornamental plants. It is easy to use and helps from new roots on cuttings and graftings from soft, semi-hard, and hardwood plants.
- Easy-to-use rooting powder
- For all edible and ornamental cuttings
- For use on soft, semi-hard, and hardwood plants
- Helps form new roots on cuttings and graftings
NAA 98%
- Accelerate the division and enlargement of cells
- Induce the formation of adventitious roots
- Keep flowers, keep fruit setting, prevent fruit dropping
- Adjust the sex ratio of flowers (male flowers: female flowers)
alpha-Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)
ROOT!T Rooting Gel is a revolutionary product that has replaced the need for traditional hormone rooting powder. This gel contains no hormones and relies on a physical mode of action to work.
An approved professional plant growth regulator or rooting powder to stimulate root initiation. Suitable for a range of semi-ripe cuttings
Active Ingredient – 0.25% w/w 4-indol-3-ylbutyric acid (IBA).
Organic Rooting Powder is a growth supplement containing an organic source of seaweed and minerals. That helps create conditions which encourage deep and healthy root development in cuttings and young plants.
- Suitable for edible and ornamental plants
- Organic
- Use with soft, medium, and hardwood cuttings.
The ideal start for rooted cuttings, Organic Rooting Powder contains no synthetic hormones or fungicides.
Aspirin is Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)
Aspirin rooting hormone is recommended as one of the best rooting hormones for plant cuttings. Dissolve an aspirin tablet in water and soak the cuttings in it for an hour. It increases the chance of rooting – or so it is claimed on many DIY sites – but does it work?
Rhizopon produces and supplies products based on the plant hormone indolybutyric acid, which are used to enhance the rooting of ornamentals in several countries within and outside the EU for over 80 years.
The main reasons to use Rhizopon rooting powder or tablets are:
- A uniformly shaped root system around the base of the cuttings ensures a better anchoring of the plant in the pot or soil and enables a balanced build-up of the plant.
- Increased predictability in the propagation of the crop. This ensures the producer of the starting material’s reliability.
- Keeps the crop healthy and less susceptible to pests and diseases due to the optimal rooting.
- Features: Powder, Easy to Use, Helps Plant Growing, Transplant Fertilizer
- Promote cutting roots, rapid rooting, germination, and improve survival
- With a polysaccharide nutrient base, the proportion is more accurate.
- Suitable for cutting, soaking seedlings, and transplanting trees
- After the tree is transplanted, the damaged fiber roots revive vigorously
- Classification: Compound Fertilizer
The donor for the rooting trial was selected as being Apple (Malus) M26 rootstock. This was selected on the basis that M26 is notoriously bad at trying to get them to root. No good having easy rooting varieties.
The rooting was carried out in a hot box, ie, soil warming cables embedded into a 50/50 mix of composted bark chippings and perlite 6-8mm dia. The depth of the compost is 150mm, and only very slightly damp. Temperature was maintained at 20 deg C.
The M26 cuttings were approximately 6mm dia off the previous season’s growth, taken during late December. The length is 25cms, with a flat cut at both ends (not sloping).
All were processed in accordance with the supplied instructions.
They were kept in the hot box for 3 weeks and then inspected.
Instead of producing a table showing statistics, it was far easier to they all failed, with the exception of the Aspirin-treated hardwood cuttings.
Even then, you can see that this part of a bundle produced 3 well-callused cuttings, with the remaining ones having compost adhering to the cut face. This was deemed to be due to the cutting starting to rot and produce a liquid.
As the others were a 100% failure, the Aspirin ones were only about 50% successful. Which was still good, but they only produced callusing and no roots.
FUTURE.
- Try other types of rooting chemicals
- Taking cuttings at different times of the winter
- Maybe try some pre-treatment of cuttings
- Maintain a control of compost moisture