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Using Rooting Powder to Speed Root Formation in Plant Cuttings

7/29/2013

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I mentioned using rooting powder to a friend yesterday and was surprised when she asked what it was. Having grown up with my mother using it to start new plants, I assumed everyone knew about rooting powder, also referred to as rooting hormone or rooting compound.

This amazing product makes rooting cuttings a breeze and is inexpensive to use. I recently used it to start cuttings from my scented geranium. I had tried starting them in water, but the stems always rotted.
By using rooting powder and starting them in moist peat moss, I produced a dozen healthy scented geranium plants from the cuttings when I cut back the original plant.


If you haven't tried rooting powder for starting cuttings, I highly recommend buying a bottle and keeping it on hand. One container will last for years without losing its effectiveness and is ideal for those hard-to-root plants.


How to Use Rooting Powder to Root Cuttings

  • Take 2 to 4 inch cuttings from the growing tip of  the plants you wish to propagate.
  • Remove the leaves from the bottom 2 inches.
  • Pour a small amount of rooting powder into a paper cup. This makes dipping the cuttings easier and prevents contaminating the rooting powder with plant pathogens or disease.
  • Dip the bottom inch of the cutting into the rooting powder. Tap the stem on the side of the container to remove excess rooting powder.
  • Make a hole in your potting media (I use peat moss, but you can use seed starter or vermiculite.) with a pencil to a depth of 1 inch.
  • Insert the treated end of your cutting into the hole and firm the soil around the stem to secure the cutting.
  • Place the cuttings in an area that receives bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist. I start mine on my back porch, but you can start them inside, if you wish.
  • Watch for new growth on the cuttings, as this typically indicates that roots have formed. 
  • Test for root formation by gently tugging on the cutting. If it resists your efforts, the roots have formed.
  • Repot the cuttings in individual plant pots once they have established roots.


Cuttings typically form roots within a few weeks, but the amount of time depends on the type of plant you are rooting. Leaves should remain green and appear healthy. 

There are many brands of rooting powder available, but I have had good luck with the Schultz "Take Root".


                                                           Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!

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  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables