Just extract the fresh gel from a mature plant’s leaves and mix it with a bit of water in a blender. The same key component is the reason the natural rooting hormones #5 and #6 work. One of aloe vera’s active ingredients is an anti-inflammatory component and rooting stimulant, salicylic acid. If you have aloe plants growing in your yard, you can use the freshly squeezed aloe vera gel to make your own homemade natural rooting hormone.
#Best root enhancer full#
If you’re making willow tea in the spring, use only the stems from new growth.Ĭheck out our DIY Willow Water, a Natural Rooting Hormone for the full directions on the process. Willows are the most potent in the spring when the trees begin to leaf out, but you can make this mixture any time.
Willow trees are rich in auxin hormone, which helps spur new roots faster. All you need to do is mix 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar into 1 gallon of water and dip your cuttings in it then transfer them to the rooting medium. Go lightly though because vinegar is also a good weed killer. #2 Use Apple Cider Vinegar – ACV has over 30 trace elements that are beneficial to plant growth. He’ll love a reason to do it and you will get your cuttings rooted. I say – get your son to spit in a cup and use that. Some die-hards suggested that you just give the cuttings a lick, however, that’s not practical if you have hundreds of cuttings to make or if that plant is poisonous. There isn’t any advance preparation needed. I’m not sure how it works exactly because mouths are notoriously dirty, but go ahead and give it a try. #1 Spit on them! Use your own saliva, which is said to be a natural root enhancer. It will keep your original rooting hormone fresh and ready to use for next time. Pour a small amount of the medium into a jar or paper cup and use that for dipping. The moisture on the cutting will degrade the remaining hormone in the container. It’s not sanitary to stick cuttings directly into the original container of rooting hormone. Regardless of the method you choose, there is one important thing to remember. The key is to choose something that will retain water and not be too dense for the newly sprouting roots. You can purchase pre-made rooting medium at any garden center (they’ll call it seed starting mix) or you can use a combination of pre-moistened potting soil, perlite, vermiculite, sand, coconut coir, or sphagnum moss. In fact, it is most likely not soil at all. Rooting medium is the mixture that you will use to grow your new plants. Rooting hormone acts as a catalyst for the new roots and protects the cuttings from fungus and diseases that may have been introduced during the cutting process. I do know that when I take the time to use rooting hormone, I have a better success rate with the new starts. Some plants always die – it’s just a fact of life I guess. I have never been able to achieve a 100% cutting survival rate. I’m concerned about the chemicals found in powdered rooting hormone and how it might affect my family’s health, so I’ve done some research and found 7 ways to make your own natural rooting hormone. Since I think you can never have too much rosemary, I’m going to dehydrate some of it and use the rest to increase my bounty – I’m making rosemary cuttings.
#Best root enhancer free#
Longing for a simpler life? The Back to Basics Living Summit has FREE presentations from over 25 experts on all aspects of gardening, food storage, and self-reliance. It smells wonderful and I use it for cooking. I have several kinds of rosemary, but this particular plant grows upright and gets about 3 feet tall. My favorite fragrant rosemary plant needs a good trim.