Which brand rooting hormone?

I am brand brand new to this, so just wanted to get some opinions on what brand rooting hormone do you use? I have never used this stuff in my life, but I am excited to try. I have a few things I would try to use it on......a fuchsia and a bat faced cuphea. If any of you propagation knowledgeable people have a second.......What the heck do I do after I get this rooting hormone stuff? LOL! HELP!

Which one works best depends on the species. NAA and IBA are most common. They are measured in parts per million. These are huge quantities. GIBBERELLIC ACID is used for staritng seed.
http://www.plantmedia.com/phormone.asp?CCode=PHORMONE

Paclobutrazol / Alar / B-nine I haven't used this yet, but it is probably the best for leaf cuttings.
http://www.plantmedia.com/searchresult.asp

You could also try Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin); 10% Trolamine salicylate (Aspercreme); Oil of Wintergreen (a.k.a. methyl salicylate a.k.a. salicylic acid); or a willow or wintergreen branch.

Useful lynx:
http://www.home.turbonet.com/kitchenculture/tcinfo.htm

This message was edited Jul 12, 2006 5:43 PM

UUallace, how do you use aspirin as a rooting hormone?

I think they pretty much all work well- have used several and found success w/ most.

Crush the aspirin with talc and apply dry. If rooting in water just add one-half to the water. The water must be moving or changed such as with an aquarium bubbler.

thank you for the info UUallace.

Hmm....I am starting to think I may need to take a class somewhere.

You can also go to HD or Lowe's and get a product called RootTone. That's what I use.

Rootone is 0.1% IBA, 0.2% NAA with the fungicide Thiram.
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Product.jsp?REG_NR=00026400029&DIST_NR=000904

sixx788, I started experimenting last year by ordering plant hormones and mixing my own formulas. I make my own rooting solutions of IBA, NAA. that I dip my cuttings in before sticking in media. now I know how fresh it is because I mix it myself. the store bought never works well for me because it sits on a shelf for I don't know how long. and it costs pennies instead of dollars. when the cuttings have rooted they have root balls on them when I pot them up intead of just a few root hairs when I've used the store bought. I also use the rooting solutions on all my transplants and bare root plantings in the spring. lol, hostajim1

hostajim, do you have to be a chemist do do your own mixing? How would I start out mixing my own? Thanks.

Hostajim: Is it possible to buy IBA and NAA in tiny quantities? And if so, from where?

How did you decide what proportions to use? This is really fascinating to me.

flowerlasy, and DevonMiller, no you don't have to be a chemist, I'm not, I just started looking things up on google and I came across this one. it should be on hyperlink vendors. but here it is super-grow.biz they have a complete list of hormones and you can buy very small quantities which is all you need. when I mix the rooting hormones it takes very little per liter. they send you a spoon which is 1/32 of a teaspoon, and I used 2 spoons of each. so you can see what you have been paying for. very little active ingredients. but that's all you need to do the job. they explain on the product list how to mix and there is a ppm calculator on the site to know how much. if you have any problems just e-mail and they will gladly help you with questions. also there is a forum that is user friendly. good luck to you , hostajim1

I just stick with ol' Rootone.

woodspirit1, the only problem with that is the shelf life, once you open the bottle or package of rootone, it degrades so you have a narrow window of about 2 weeks to use it, freezing will help though. lol hostajim1

I tried Dip n Grow, it's IBA in alcohol, which preserves the IBA. You dilute it according to the kind of plant you have (it has a neat measuring cup). I used it on hydrangea cuttings and could see root hairs a week later.
BTW, the ingredient in aspirin is salicylic acid, which comes from willow bark. I read on another forum that some people make a willow bark tea to use as a rooting hormone. Put those terms into Google, and instructions/ amounts maybe will come up on other forums.

Here is a source:
http://www.super-grow.biz/Discount.jsp#germination

Seed Germination Pack $10
5 Grams of Gibberellic Acid 20
1 Ounce of Fulvic Acid
5 Grams of Chitosan

Also Egghead on Ebay has chemicals. I think some are used as plant hormones. Haven't invesigated yet.

This message was edited Jul 17, 2006 12:16 PM

HostaJim: Do the unmixed IBA and NAA not degrade? (Thanks for the warning about shelf life -- I just bought a jar of Roottone I figured would last me for years!)

Devon, I don't think they degrade until you mix them, when I make up some rooting tonic. in one liter I freeze part of it. I also keep unused powder in spare refridgerator freezer. right now I'm making up the rooting hormones IBA, NAA. for cuttings and transplanting. also I'm using the grow-tonic, GA3, NAA, IBA, I use this on my tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers. and a few other things. I have to be careful with the GA3, too much spray and the plants get overstimulated and die. I use fulvic acid or humic acid for seedlings, I get perfect growth, with this, when I used other fertilizers on seedlings, I couldn't get it right either too much or too little. I'm still experimenting with other products like Validamycin for preventing damping off, mold. fungus when doing fern spores, and long germinating seeds. Jim

hostajim, what do you mean by damping off? i have heard of this with cuttings before but don't understand what it means. tia - jon

HostaJim: I don't germinate enough seeds to make it possible to experiment, unfortunately -- just enough to keep my own garden happy. But I'm really fascinated by what you are playing with. I just ordered a bunch of seeds -- I'm going to be kicking myself if they don't sprout up nicely!

gardening101a, I believe damping off is a fungus or bacteria that attacks young seedlings at the base of the plant and they just fall over. the fungicides prevent that. or good ventilation also. I use it a lot when germinating fern spores, cause they take a long time and it's easy for the fungus to get a foothold. also sterilizing the soil before sowing, helps a lot. I have been pouring boiling water on the containers that I use also. now where is my lab 101 book, Jim

I use small IBA tablets, mixing about 1-2 tabs in 100-200ml of solution at a time depending on the concentration desired. I'm glad to hear that the tablets don't degrade, because I don't go through them that fast.

If IBA doesn't degrade until you use it, why would the retail rooting hormones degrade within weeks if you don't get them wet? I'm not doubting you, but I just don't understand the difference.

Devon, It's more of an assumption on my part, I am taking into account, how long the product has been on the shelf, and then once it's opened and exposed to the air. I know I heard Ed Hume say that he only uses the rootone once and then he throws it away. maybe I need to do more research. I'm not a chemist, either way it's so inexpensive to make my own, that I'll keep making it up fresh. Jim

Usually anything with over 15% moisture will degrade. The liquids are 99%. The powders usually are talc which will draw moisture from the air. If you store the powder package in a jar with a packet of silica gel in the fridge is should keep for a while.
I am waiting for my seed gemination pack. With shipping it came to $13, they take Paypal. Already had NAA and IBA.

UUallace -- where are you getting the seed germination pack from?

And do the rooting hormones help root azaleas? I have had a terrible time rooting them.

The seed germination pack is from here.
[HYPERLINK@www.super-grow.biz]

At the top of the same page for $20 they have all three rooting hormones:
Auxin Plant Pack
5 grams Indole Acetic Acid 98.5%
5 grams 98.5% Indole Butyric Acid
5 grams Naphthalene Acetic Acid 98%

My rooting hormones came from a tissue culture kit. Deciduous azaleas are difficult for most people. I have been struggling with Evergreen Azaleas, which are supposed to be easy. I am trying straight healthy Sphagnum. Peat is being rotted by a large number of pathogens. Some can be dangerous for humans. Peat has too many unknowns.

UUallace: I have had friends with a lot of azaleas just stick azalea twigs in soil (don't know what the soil mix was) in a cold frame, and had them all root. Me, they all rot. But then again, rahter than replicate what they did I tried bottom heat and/or coverage by plastic bag and/or just sticking the twigs in a pot in the shade -- I don't have a cold frame. Then my stepson, who is not a gardener at all, took some twigs left over from a pruning last fall and stuck them in the dirt, and low and behold some rooted. It's a mystery!

Dr. C. Chase*: I think you soil has pathogens that cause the rot like the peat that I bought. The plastic helps hold in moisture, but you need some air exchange. Many use zip lock bags partly open. I am refrigerating mine to shift them into low gear. I am also going to try a dormant spray [Cumin (terpine), oil (solvent), Turmeric (emulsifier) ,and water).
Larry

*Poetic license BR-549
14 ounces of ground Cumin or Turmeric costs about $4 at your local Indian grocer.

UUallace, Larry, some interesting stuff. please post how the dormant spray works. I have been putting my slow growing Hostas in the refridgerator in the winter. I dig them and wash all the dirt off and then divide, I have been spraying them with Validamycin (antibiotic) BAP (benzilaminopurine) for multiple bud induction. hostajim1

I have to admit I am a little confused about the chemistry of terpene, terpine, and turpentine.
Cumin Oil reduces respiration. Oil in itself interferes with evaporation. Turmeric has anti-biotic and anti-inflamatory properties but is primarily an emulsifier to allow the oils and water to mix.

I know that there is a belief that aspirin or willow sprigs, which contain a "cousin" of aspirin, will promote rooting. Can anyone cite a scientific study that bears that out? I guess I sound skeptical, but there are a lot of ideas out there that are repeated endlessly and don't have any basis in fact. I hope it IS true, but I'd like to know a reliable source that backs it up if there is one.

jamesstorrs, I tried the willow sticks and it worked somewhat, i didn't do a test though. then I started making my own from the IBA, and NAA. which is always the same PPM. and is so inexpensive to make. no guessing games. Jim

Anyone here tried the gel - medium rooting hormones? I just ordered some to try on my rose cuttings, because it will be less messy than the powder and hopefully the antifungal ingredient will boost my results.

Hostajim1: What are the exact proportions you are currently using when you make your own rooting hormone? I'd like to price it and see if I can afford it in tiny quantities. Many thanks.