Make Your Own Rooting Hormone
Oftentimes you read or hear about propogating plants through cuttings. Leaf cuttings and stem cuttings are both ways of propogating many plants, but when starting a new plant from a leaf or stem cutting it is not always possible to assured of success. Cutting will be far more likely to form roots and grow a new plant if you use rooting hormone to encourage this. Rooting hormone is available at many garden centers, but there is an easy and effective recipe to make your own as well:
1) Gather a handful of willow twigs. Fresh branches work best so avoid fallen and dead twigs. All varieties of willow contain indolebutyric acid which is the active ingredient needed in a rooting hormone. This acid acts to reduce the plant cuttings ability to stop growth at the place of the wound (where you cut the leaf or stem).
2) Cut the willow stems into pieces about two to four inches long. You will want about 1 cups of clippings to make one half gallon of rooting hormone.
3) In a large container pour boiling water over the clippings and allow the mixture to steep overnight.
4) Store the rooting hormone in the refrigerator in a sealed container. The mixture will be viable for up to two months.
For Leaf Cuttings
Use a sharp knife and cut off a healthy leaf at the point where it joins the stem of the plant. Insert the cut part of the leaf, called a petiole, into the homemade rooting hormone. Place this end into a small container of light potting soil in which you have made a small hole to receive the leaf. Preparing the hole prior to planting helps to ensure that the hormone will not be accidentally removed. The newly planted leaf should lean slightly so that the new plants which will grow will have plenty of light and not be shaded by the rooted leaf.
For Stem Cuttings
Treat stem cuttings just as you do for leaf cuttings. The one exception is that you cut off a stem with three to five leaves instead of cutting just one leaf. Remove the bottom leaves closest to the cut and leave the remaining ones at the top intact. Otherwise handling is the same as for leaf cuttings.
In both types of rooting cover the pot with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect and keep the cutting from wilting. Keep the newly planted cutting in a warm location but out of direct sunlight. Plenty of diffused sunlight is best.
After about three to five weeks you should begin to see evidence of growth. As new plants emerge you can safely transplant these to new soil. Continue to provide a humid environment for the new plants until active and vigorous growth begins.
