Re: Shelf liife of rooting hormone

 On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 10:30:34 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"


Thanks Franz. I had wondered about the placebo effect of expired
rooting hormones on plants.
--
Martin

 
You don't need rooting hormones to propagate plants.

For the nth time :

HORMONE ROOTING POWDER

If you take cuttings at the right time in the right place there is
absolutely no need to use root hormone. In fact using the stuff can have
adverse effects.

According to the RHS book on techniques
---------------------------------------

". . . a substance that sets fruits at one concentration and produces
roots on stem cuttings at another may be used as a weedkiller at yet
another. Thus it is exceedingly important to follow dosage instructions
exactly in order ot obtain the desired results.
        It is also important to realize that these chemicals do not
constitute a panacea for success: they will not induce rooting responses
if the inherent abiltiy of the stem to produce roots is not present.
Their action is merely to enhance the innate capacity of the stem to
produce its roots both in greater quantities and quicker than might
otherwise have been the case. If the stem cutting is propagated from a
healthy plant and at the correct season, then the use of such hormones
is usually of no advantage whatsoever. They should be used with
knowledge, and only as and when they are likely to achieve an effect. .
. . .
        . . . it is important to understand one or two basic premises.
Firstly, that the concentration of hormone applied to induce root
formation is not the best concentration to cause root development.
Secondly, although the hormone may be absorbed through the bark, most of
the hormone will be taken up through the cut base of the stem cutting.
        In actually applying the hormone therefore take care to touch
only the basal cut surface on to the powder so that no powder adheres to
the outside of the stem . . .
        By applying the hormone the roots are induced to form, but if
they emerge and come into contact with the hormone still on the bark
this may cause the roots to die off. "

-------------

Years ago, when I first read this, I experimented by using rooting
powder for half my cuttings and none for the other half. There was
absolutely no difference in the success rate between the two methods.
For the layman, hormone rooting powder is a complete and utter con; just
another way of making money out of the poor gullible general public for
the big chemical companies :((

And, quoting Rod Craddock, another urgler,  -
Another thing which is not as widely known as it should be, obviously
you
don't shout it too loud if you're selling the stuff is that it has
practically no shelf life, it's probably already past it's best when you
buy
it and pretty well useless soon after you first open it.
I dabbled a bit with rooting hormones when propagating shrubs
commercially
and found it very difficult to get consistent repeatable results even
though
we mixed fresh solutions each time.
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

              

 

First report:
The email address quoted in their website turns out to be an invalid adress.

Franz

 

No.  I have made a specific statement about "Baby Bio Roota" only.  I am not
making any assumptions about any of the others.  I am busy making enquiries.


I have no idea at all about the correctness or otherwise of what you are
saying.


Neither you nor I am in a position to do a carefully controlled set of
scientifically valid experiments with sufficiently robust statistics to be
able to come to any real conclusion about it.
Cuttings root with or without wxternally applied hormones.  They hormones
speed up the rooting process and results in a more luxuriant root growrg.


I don't know what that means.

[snip]

Franz

 

I never said we were.


Yes because some of them contain the same substance naturally!-)
The ones that don't or do not have enough at the time we wish to
propagate them may need a little help.,  You've *never* had a cutting
fail?  Tell me how;-))

OK, so I'm nit picking

Do you know "WHY" Rooting powder is meant to increase rooting? Do you
know WHY plants root at all, and why some do not.. That is my point was
my point with the prev comment.  Some plants contain naturally occurring
quantities of the same auxins as Rooting powder (often in the correct
amount) This is why rooting powder is sometimes not required and plants
are able to root by themselves with no problems;-)

Either way, whether you use rooting 'aids' is up to you..  Some people I
know make their own rooting compounds from plants that have a naturally
high occurance of the auxins.
//
Jim