How does rooting hormone work

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The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Leaf cuttings are commonly used for plants such as succulents, African violets, snake plants, and peperomia. In this case, an entire leaf is removed from the plant; it can be used whole or cut into sections or strips to root and propagate a new plant.

If you choose to use a rooting hormone you can either purchase pre-made products or use natural options. Commercially available products contain the same, or similar components, but vary in their form. Each type has its pros and cons that should be weighed to decide which form is right for your needs.

Liquid rooting hormones are commonly used by homeowners and come in either concentrated solutions or a standard strength. Concentrated solutions must be diluted before use; standard strength solutions are ready to use right out of the bottle. However, gel rooting hormone remains in contact with the stem after application, it seals the cut tissue, but rooting hormone powder is much cheaper. Due to its name, many growers assume that you can add some rooting powder in the soil to speed up the existing root growth.

Although you can put rooting hormone on roots in the soil, it is unlikely to improve root growth. That is because Auxins identify the injured part of the stem, for example, when you take a cutting, and program the cells around the injury to produce root growth.

These undifferentiated cells are not produced without an injury and roots on their own are producing rooting hormones. When mixed with water it will go down the stem and wash off from the cut where it actually helps in root development. It comes with two active ingredients — IBA 1. You would need to dilute the solution depending on the plants you are going to propagate. Dip each cutting into the solution for seconds. Many growers have great results when using it for cuttings and growing them in soil.

Rooting hormone is safe to use to propagate cuttings as long as you apply it following the instructions. If we talk about the safety of the plant, some Auxins, for example, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, are herbicides also known as weedkillers, so they target weed specifically without damaging other plants. As discussed above, synthetic Auxin in commercial rooting powders and gels is IBA which is a natural rooting hormone promoting root development.