What Does Liquid Rooting Hormone Mean?
Liquid rooting hormone is a commercially available form of plant rooting hormones sold at specialty garden shops and most hydroponics supply shops.
Rooting hormones, both synthetic and naturally occurring, help promote the fast, healthy onset of new roots, and usually contain a class of plant hormones known as auxins. They are most commonly used during the cloning process on plant cuttings taken from a mother plant.
In addition to liquid rooting hormones, there are also powder and gel forms available.
Maximum Yield Explains Liquid Rooting Hormone
Liquid rooting hormone products come in two forms: ready to use and concentrated. Ready-to-use liquid rooting hormones are most convenient, typically containing the appropriate percentage of synthetic hormone for speedy root development. However, there are times when a grower would like to customize the strength of their hormones, in which case they would opt for a concentrated form and diluting it as necessary.
Although concentrated liquid rooting hormones require an additional step, they provide a more customizable rooting hormone. In other words, you can determine the concentration of a synthetic rooting hormone in the final solution. This can be advantageous if you are growing a wide variety of strains.
When using liquid rooting hormones, it is best to pour just a small amount of the liquid into a separate container as opposed to dipping the cuttings directly into the bottle of liquid rooting hormone. This practice reduces the chance of spreading plant pathogens and contaminating the entire contents of the bottle.
When it comes to rooting cuttings, some plant species require higher concentrations of liquid rooting hormone than others. For example, a woodier tissue plant may need a concentration twice as strong as that needed by softwood cutting varieties.
Liquid rooting hormones mainly contain a synthetic form of auxins, specifically indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), to initiate adventitious root production. This auxin is used as a rooting hormone for seeds and cuttings, and is present in most rooting products on the market.
Liquid rooting hormones typically have a shorter shelf life than powders and some may even require refrigeration.
