Does Anyone Use Root Hormone

[LBchilehead]

Does this stuff make a difference?

[ChrisK]

Yes, depending on species. Some root so easily it's not worth it e.g. tomatoes.

[Worth1]

My doctor told me to stop taking it.

Worth

[GnomeGrown]

I see your reputation proceeds you, Worth.

[frdlturner]

ya Worth1 it grows extra legs LOL
I use both powder and a liquid it depends on the plant and type of cutting soft semi hardwood or hardwood and the time of year.. I have a misting bed that I root cuttings of shrubs and trees in

[Keiththibodeaux]

Originally Posted by frdlturner

ya Worth1 it grows extra legs LOL
I use both powder and a liquid it depends on the plant and type of cutting soft semi hardwood or hardwood and the time of year.. I have a misting bed that I root cuttings of shrubs and trees in

I'd love to hear more about your misting bed, particularly if it is home made

[RayR]

Rooting hormones do work. They are auxin's, plant regulators that stimulate stimulate root growth when present in low concentration. The most active auxin produced in plants is Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) which is produced in shoot tips where the high concentration of the auxin's forces shoot tip growth (Apical Dominance). It generally has the opposite effect if it is in high concentration in other parts of the plant where it actually represses growth.

The most common rooting hormone products contain a low concentration of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), which is synthetically made but is the same auxin that is found in Willow bark.

There are some rooting hormone products that use 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), whcih is a completely synthetic molecule that is not found in nature. From what I have read, it is not as effective as IBA.

[Hotwired]

I love rooting with Willow Tea. Here’s my method and details on making, storing, and using Willow Tea Rooting Compound. I’m starting an orchard on about 1.5 acres, and use cuttings to get true varieties. Starting from seed is fun, but the fruit from the plant you grow will most likely be different from the parent plant. I use my egg carton boats for Bing and Black Cherry cuttings, Elberta, Red Haven, and Sun-Hi peaches, Cortland and Granny Smith Apples, eight varieties of Blueberry cuttings, and Rosemary cuttings. I use live willow branches about 1" diameter. It’s especially important to use young growth. It takes 66 square inches of bark for a cup of tea. That sounds like a lot but it’s ….. 1/2" diameter x 36", 1" diameter x 18", 1.5" diameter x 12", or 2" diameter x 9".

I strip off the bark with a sharp knife, and put it into a large pot. Based on the previous branch sizes, add the appropriate water and bring to a boil, then reduce temperature and simmer for 20 minutes. Cover the pot and let it stand overnight, 12-15 hours. I remove the bark and pour a gallon of the solution into my 2-gallon aquarium. I usually make about a gallon at a time. If you make too much, put it in quart canning jars with lids, and you can store it for two months in the refrigerator or on an unheated porch without losing it’s effectiveness. Willow bark contains Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) which is a natural rooting hormone. The heaviest concentrations are in the cortex layer, on the inside surface of the stripped bark. Younger new growth branches contain higher concentration than larger limbs. Dead limbs contain no compounds.

I create a cutting that has two nodes, pushing it into the egg carton indentation so it is held between two nodes on the internode area . Extend a minimum of one inch of internode below the boat. I like to leave a little foliage on the cutting, but the system works for stem, root, scion, or eye cuttings. It takes between 10 days and three weeks to develop roots, depending on what you’re rooting. Once I see roots developed, I plant the rooted cuttings in potting soil. Remember that the tea can be used to water your scions that are potted. I also use it to help develop root structure on new seedlings that I start from seedstock.

I'm sure I'll hear a lot about boiling the tea. I simmer for 20 minutes, while some people just soak it. My grandfather used to say it could grow roots on a chair leg.

Again, sorry I’m so long winded on my procedures.

[maf]

All good info, but if we are talking about tomatoes there is no need for hormones or even willow tea. As ChrisK said in the first reply to this thread:

Some root so easily it's not worth it e.g. tomatoes.

[Doug9345]

Thanks for posting this. I was just about to look it up. What do you tkink about using the end twigs from a weeping willow without pealing them. If they are 3/16" diameter them for 66squre inches I'd need 112". Call it 10 12" pieces which nothing when it comes to a weeping willow.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by LBchilehead

Does this stuff make a difference?

It does promote(speeds it up) root cuttings in clone propagations.Some people also use it as a root enhancer that works to help prevent diseases and also a jump start for more healthier roots.

[Sun City Linda]

I think I am the ONLY personin the world who cannot seem to root tomato cuttings.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

I think I am the ONLY personin the world who cannot seem to root tomato cuttings.

You gotta be kidding me.LOL

Worth

[Keiththibodeaux]

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

I think I am the ONLY personin the world who cannot seem to root tomato cuttings.

Cut them off and stick them in a cup of water. Keep in the shade. They will root just fine.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Sun City Linda

I think I am the ONLY person in the world who cannot seem to root tomato cuttings.

I am going to help you Linda! A sure fire way that can not fail, no matter how brown your thumb may be in handling cuttings.


Take some cotton (or shredded fluffed up burlap), soak it in willow juice, lightly wrap it around the stem of the cutting BEFORE you cut it, while it is still on the mother plant. It should be moist not dripping. Take paper masking tape and wrap it around the cotton below and above several wraps until you have something that looks like a cast. The tape will not stick too well at first due to it being wet, but after a couple wraps you'll finally get dry tape on dry tape and it will stick. Be careful not to press out all the moisture and air. So have your strips of tape pre cut to manageable length. Wait 1 week. Cut off the one or two main leaves just above "cast". Wait one more day. Cut below your "cast" and immediately put it in a glass of willow juice. It shouldn't even wilt. The water will make the paper tape start to fall apart. After just a few days take the cutting out of the willow juice and pot it in a moist potting mix well deeper than the new roots that should be forming. Don't mess with the cotton or tape. Any that remains on entangled with the new young roots will decompose later anyway. The newly potted cutting should be kept out of direct harsh sunlight for a couple days. Treat like any other seeding after that.

Personally I don't go all through that for tomatoes. Tomatoes cuttings are fairly easy to root. But that is a method I use for other harder to root cuttings. It lets small roots start to form BEFORE you cut it off the mother plant. That should work with Tomatoes, which like to root easily, 100% of the time, even for you.

Note: To make willow juice, just cut a few tender "switches" from the tips of willow. (willow grows almost everywhere in the country around streams) Strip and throw away the leaves. Cut the switches into 3 to 6 inch pieces. Smash them with a hammer. Put the whole mess in a bucket of water for 3 days to one week. Take out the willow and use the water.