recently bought some hormone powder for some cuttings i had taken and was wondering if it can be used for re-potting, planting out or anything else?? is it useful, does it work???
I've only tried this powder once(I was given it by a friend) but when I did found it to be helpful in promoting the root growth on cuttings. Maybe others have had more experience with it and can help you out more.
As a treatment to evoke callus(the beginnings of roots), is what rooting hormone is for. Use without at least some safety gear (like rubber gloves), and to other parts of a plant is off label use.
I use rooting hormone on fresh cuttings to help promote root development. Note I said "development" not growth. I believe that the hormone stimulates a cutting to put out roots, but a rooted cutting gains no benefit from having the hormone applied.
While most of the cuttings i do are rooted in water, if I get desperate i use root hormone. Setup is pretty generic : remove bottom leaves, moisten tip, dip in powder, tap off excess, insert into a hole created in the media, push the media against stem, sometimes I use a bag partially over the plant to control moisture if it needs humidity. A warm bright place not in the sun while it roots works well. I have in the past placed part of a plastic cup near the stem to monitor the establishment of roots. I remove it after i see roots forming. Jerry
so its primarily for getting cuttings going?? would it not be worth placing a little in the compost/soil when im potting on young seedlings or any other plants?? is this not beneficial in any way?? :-D
I can't think of any. It would seem counterproductive. The use of rooting hormone is to fool the cutting into thinking it is dying. The response is the cutting sends out roots as a survival mechanism. Jerry
If you are repotting/transplanting, rooting hormone helps the roots that are already established really take off. Using it wont hurt the roots that you already have. I do this whenever i accidentally break off a huge chunk of the roots. Just moisten the existing ones and dust them.
I have never used the powder before but have plenty of experience with the liquid. The liquid I have used you mix with a gallon of water and initially give each plant almost the entire gallon of water. I am having either water problems or maybe a drainage issue but the soil becomes very dry on top so I water and I think everything gets too wet. I am thinking of trying one of those devices that measures moisture. Anyone have any information on those? Anything you could pass on would be greatly appreciated. moderator's note: removed website link, see point 1.1 of usage rules
I only used the liquid rooting hormone while working in a for a commercial greenhouse. I have no other experience with it, but that is not how we used it. The application in the greenhouse was a "dip and stick" method, no other water was used except for the mist in the mistbed. So I am not sure what/how you are using. If you are needing that amount of water, I would tend to think you are drowning the plant. The only moisture meter I use is my index finger. Stick it in to the first knuckle, if it seems dry, water your plant. If you feel moisture let it go, and check again in a few more days. You'll soon get the "feel" of knowing when to water. If you compact the soil with so much water you will develop a drainage issue and then your roots will begin to rot. I hope this is helpful to you.
