If parent material is lacking in uniformity, cuttings will root unevenly. When cultivating cuttings that root rapidly, this is not so important, but with plants that are more difficult to root, this lack of uniformity can sometimes cause problems. If the rooting process lasts a long time, the cutting's reserves will have been practically used up, thus exhausting the cutting and making it increasingly more difficult for the cutting to put out roots.
Success suffers fate of failures
It can take months before a single rootlet is formed. The final result is that the plastic film or the mist propagation will obstruct the development of the cuttings, which have already formed roots. This means that the successful (rooted) cuttings will suffer the fate of the failed (not rooted) cuttings.
Check list
The factors affecting the rooting process:
! Having physiologically and biologically young cuttings
! Providing a rooting medium with a suitable air fill porosity (AFP) for cuttings.
! Having sufficient moisture in the medium
! Providing an unchanging climate
! Providing a sufficiently moist relative humidity to protect the cuttings from desiccation
! Providing the proper rooting hormone
Inducing additional rooting
To prevent this kind of situation, Rhizopon has developed a new method.
After about 3-4 weeks, the effects of the powdered rooting hormone have tapered off. Rooting activity can then be seen in healthy, young uniform cuttings. The base of the cuttings will have thickened and the first rootlets may already be forming. However, if no rooting activity is visible, or a hard callus plug has formed, it is advisable and important to induce rooting.
Absorbed through the stomata
To encourage these cuttings to root, it is a good idea to spray them with a solution of 1-2 tablets of Rhizopon AA/litre of water after 3-4 weeks. The root-inducing agents are then absorbed with the water through the stomata and transported to the base of the cutting. If desired, this treatment can be repeated in another 3 weeks.
Cost and yield
Just one litre of solution will spray approximately 5 to
Shoot formation
An advantageous side effect is that shoot formation on the cuttings, which have not yet rooted, is temporarily retarded. With the high relative humidity involved with the use of plastic film or mist propagation, the buds develop shoots of poor quality. By spraying with Rhizopon solution, shoot formation is temporarily checked. Once the cuttings are rooted, the growth regulator produced in the root tips will neutralise this retarding effect.
Customised advice
If these methods are of interest, please contact Rhizopon at:
Telephone: 0031 71 3415146
Fax: 0031 71 3415829
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tip
Once the tablets have been dissolved in water, their active ingredient breaks down fairly rapidly under the influences of light, temperature and bacteria. For this reason, it is advisable to use a fresh solution each time and to try to avoid making up more than will be used straightaway. Moreover, when making up the solution, a small amount of insoluble sediment always forms but has no affect on the activity of the solution.
For purposes of compiling this and other Rhizopon information, use has been made of data from several research stations and research institutes in the