Propagation and Cloning Additives

What each type of cloning additive does

Rooting gels, liquids and powders

These go on the cut itself and are the one product most growers would not skip. Rootex describe the mechanism plainly: naturally occurring auxins plus the plant hormone IBA, which encourages and accelerates roots on cuttings. The same brand sells all three formats — gel, liquid and an 18g powder sachet — at different rates for softwood and semi-hardwood material, so check the label for the one that matches your cutting.

Gel is the most common choice because it seals the cut as well as treating it. Clonex has been made since 1989 and is the original of the type; Ezi-Root uses two auxin hormones in a non-alcohol base; ROOT!T's 150mL gel comes with a nozzle for applying without decanting; and FloraMax Cloner is sold as a protective stem dip to treat cuttings before planting. Cyclone is the 75mL option.

Cloning and starter solutions

A rooted cutting cannot take full-strength feed, so these are deliberately weak and vitamin-led. Clonex Cloning Solution is a concentrated blend of minerals, vitamins, wetting agents and root promoters. ROOT!T First Feed is described by its maker as a baby plant food, gentle but effective. Liquid Science Seed'n'Clone covers germinating seed as well as cuttings, and Professor's Starter Soak is made for soaking cubes and Jiffy pellets before you plant into them — a different job from feeding the plant.

Mists and foliar sprays

While a cutting has no roots it still loses water through its leaves, which is the usual way one dies. ROOT!T Cutting Mist is made for soft and semi-hardwood material and is aimed squarely at preventing losses in the first few critical days. FloraMax Clone Spray does the same job in 250mL and 1L, and Professor's Cloning Accelerator is a foliar spray for keeping cuttings green.

Mycorrhizae and root-zone biostimulants

These come in later than the others — at transplant, not at the cut. Xtreme Gardening Mykos is a granular mycorrhizal inoculant that forms a symbiotic association with the roots to increase water and nutrient uptake, stocked from 100g up to 9.1kg with a wettable powder version in 340g and 1kg. Dr Greenthumbs Root Roids combines mycorrhizae with nutrient-solubilising bacteria, and Kraken Roots is the organic option. For inoculants beyond propagation, see microbes and beneficial bacteria.

How to use them together

1. Soak the medium first. A starter soak conditions the cube or pellet before the cutting goes in, which is a separate step from feeding.
2. Treat the cut, once. Dip into gel, liquid or powder immediately after taking the cutting. Follow the rate on the label — Rootex quote different rates for softwood and semi-hardwood.
3. Keep the leaf wet, not the stem drowned. A cutting mist covers the foliage. Standing water around the stem is how rot starts.
4. Feed weakly, if at all. Starter solutions are formulated for plants with no root system. Full-strength nutrient at this stage does harm rather than good.
5. Add the inoculant at transplant. Mycorrhizae need roots to colonise, so they belong at potting-on rather than at the cut.

Buying as a set

The Growth Technology starter kit bundles the sequence in one box — Foliage Focus 1L, Rootzone 250mL, Clonex Cloning Solution 250mL and Clonex Rooting Hormone Gel 50mL — which covers the dip, the soak and the first feed together. For the hardware side, propagation kits pairs trays, domes and heat mats, and cloning machines root cuttings in air and water with no medium at all. Follow the dilution and timing on each product's own label — the rates differ across this range.