http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/rosesorg/msg0720433521555.html
Posted by EireannE Dublin (My Page) on Wed, Mar 23, 05 at 21:08
Sorry about the long post, but perhaps I can shed some light on
the topic. All plants contain the necessary hormones (IAA, NAA, and IBS) to
root, otherwise how would they root in the first place? The only reason some
cuttings are hard to root, or won't root at all on their own is because of the
plants natural process of damage control, i.e. wound response. Abscisic Acid
is a stress hormone that plants use to automatically dieback injured areas in
response to wounding or disease such as occurs at the severed end of a cutting.
Adding additional hormone to a cut stem to induce rooting is one method of
counteracting this response, but essentially all you are doing is disinfecting
the area while providing enough additional hormone to maybe (maybe not) develop
more mass than the abscisic acid released during the wound response can cope
with. Eventually, if you're successful, it's because you reach a point where
the wounded area is either partially closed, and/or
the root material has eclipsed it, and abscisic acid stops being produced.
Why explain all this? Because there is another method (already mentioned) that
works just as well without stressing the plant by forcing it to grow both more
mass as well as fight the effects of abscisic acid, willow water. Someone
already mentioned aspirin being the same thing, well it is and it isn't.
Aspirin, which as we all know comes from the bark of the willow tree, does
contain one of what appears to be two necessary/active ingredients in willow
water for successful root incubation. This is Salicylic Acid. Salicylic acid is
an abscisic acid inhibitor. That's to say, not only will it stop the affect of
already present abscisic acid on wounds, but it stops the wound response and
production of abscisic acid all together. On top of this it acts as an
anti-coagulant keeping the fresh cut open and allowing the cutting to wick much
needed water and nutrients during this vital stage. The second
vital ingredient, a substance that you won't get from aspirin, is rhizocaline.
A mysterious yet naturally occurring compound of what is thought to be vitamins
B, H, boron, sugar and/or other nitrogenous minerals that act in conjunction
with IAA, and IBS. Research has found that this is the key catalyst to
promoting root formation. All plants contain and use it, but willow has such an
abundance as to make it king of rhizocaline. If extracted and used properly,
willow water can be the most effective way to produce rooted cuttings. There
are many recipes for making it; leaving willow branches in water for 4 weeks to
root; steeping 6 inch willow cuttings in cool water for 72 hours; or 1 inch
cuttings for 24 hours; boiling the cuttings; mashing and splitting the cuttings
and brewing them in bot recently boiled water. There are loads, and some of
these may be more (or less) effective than others. But to get the real expert's
advice, go to Dr. Makota Kawase who in the mid
1960's discovered rhizocaline by experimenting with willow and has been
developing the process ever since. Dr. Kawase's advice: "cut current year's
growth from any Salix species. Then, remove the leaves and cut into one inch
pieces. Place these right side up (Eireann: direction is important since
rhizocaline and IAA move polarly down the stem of any cutting) in a glass, add
1/2" of hot water, cover with a plastic bag and let sit 24 hours. Steep your
cuttings in this for and additional 24 hours, and then place in the rooting
medium with or without rooting hormone, as needed (Eireann: My suggestion is
without). The willow water may be stored in the refrigerator and covered to
prevent contamination, but is best used up within three days." Additionally
Dr. Kawase encourages the use of etoilation in promoting rooting. Total
darkness, he found, increased rooting "sharply" up to four days, which is three
days faster than anything I ever did with store bought rooting hormone.
The basal tips MUST be in darkness for rooting to occur.
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