Rooting hormone is the secret ingredient to successful propagation.
Here’s how to use it in your garden.
Trying to grow new plants from thecuttings of your existing plants?
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
Break out the rooting hormone.
Rooting hormone is usually a substance that you apply to plant cuttings.
This hormone speeds the growth of roots that turns your cutting into a new plant.
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Think of it as a secret weapon in plant propagation.
Dean Schoeppner
Types of Rooting Hormone
Not all rooting hormones are made the same.
Learn about the pros and cons of different rooting hormones to decide which is best for your plant cuttings.
Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) is another synthetic rooting hormone thatslows rottingwhile stimulating root growth.
Pros:Your cuttings will develop roots faster and more reliably.
Youll look like a propagation pro when you use this stuff.
Its a caustic chemical, recognized as a pesticide by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Wear gloveswhen applying synthetic rooting hormone to cuttings, and be careful not to inhale or ingest the material.
Most natural rooting hormone contains actual auxin, also known as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA.)
Natural rooting powder contains no synthetic growth hormones or fungicides.
Pros:Natural rooting hormones are non-toxic.
Plants have a chemical called auxin that tells them when to grow roots.
In a way, rooting hormone is like replacement hormone therapy for plant cuttings.
Youll improve your success rate with a little chemical help.
In general, slow-growing or woody plants can be more difficult to root than soft-stemmed plants.
They also contain enzymes, sugars, and vitamins that may play a role in promoting root growth.
No, you should not reuse root hormone between multiple cuttings because it couldspread disease.
