A lot of gardeners rely heavily on the use of clones. It’s the best way to know exactly what you’re going to get out of a plant. Many times cuttings will produce the chemicals to form roots on their own in the right conditions, but it is a timely process. Some pants require the use of rooting hormone or they won’t root.
Rooting hormone can be an important tool when cloning plants. It encases the stem to keep it sterile. Using rooting hormone increases the growth rate, health and overall success rate of root production in plant cuttings. Here are the 4 different types of rooting hormones.
Gel Rooting Hormone
The gel rooting hormone is my personal favorite. It comes pre-mixed, comes in very small to large quantities and is easy to use. Gel rooting hormone gives the stem a thick coat of hormone and protection than doesn’t just rinse off.
Powder Rooting Hormone
One of the main advantages of using a powder form of rooting hormone is shelf life. Stored in the right conditions, powder rooting hormone can be stored and used for multiple growing seasons. It doesn’t have to be mixed so there’s no guesswork that could lead to dilution or overdose. You just dip the cutting in the powder and place it in the grow medium.
Liquid Rooting Hormone
There’s a couple of types of liquid rooting hormones available. It can come in a concentrated form or pre-mixed. The concentration form needs to be mixed but allows you to adjust the strength of the rooting hormone. This can be handy when cloning a wide variety of different plants, trees, and shrubs as some need a higher dose than others.
A Natural Rooting Hormone You May Already Have
If you don’t have a commercial rooting hormone on hand you might still have one in your cupboard. Honey is not only delicious, but it’s also a natural rooting hormone. It contains natural antifungal and antiseptic properties and it’s gel-like consistency coats the stem. Using as a rooting hormone doesn’t work as fast so give it a little more time to work than commercial products.
