Propagation and Cloning Additives

What each type of cloning additive does

Rooting gels, liquids and powders

These treat the cut itself — the product most growers will not leave out. Rootex put the mechanism in plain terms: naturally occurring auxins plus the plant hormone IBA, which encourages and accelerates roots on cuttings. They sell all three formats — gel, liquid and an 18g powder sachet — and quote different rates for softwood and semi-hardwood, so read the label that matches your material.

Most people pick gel because it coats the cut and seals it in the same pass. Clonex has been in production 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 ships with a nozzle so you can apply it without pouring it out; FloraMax Cloner is sold as a protective stem dip for cuttings before they go in; Cyclone is the 75mL bottle.

Cloning and starter solutions

A cutting that has only just rooted still cannot handle full-strength feed, so these mixes stay weak and vitamin-led on purpose. 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 for soaking cubes and Jiffy pellets before you plant into them — that is a different job from feeding the plant.

Mists and foliar sprays

A cutting still transpires through its leaves with no roots to replace the water, and that is the usual way one dies. ROOT!T Cutting Mist is made for soft and semi-hardwood material and is aimed at stopping 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 wait until later — 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 in 340g and 1kg. Dr Greenthumbs Root Roids combines mycorrhizae with nutrient-solubilising bacteria, and Kraken Roots is the organic option. For inoculants beyond this stage, see microbes and beneficial bacteria.

How to use them together

1. Condition the medium first. A starter soak conditions the cube or pellet before the cutting goes in. That is not the same step as feeding.
2. Treat the cut once. Dip into gel, liquid or powder as soon as you take the cutting. Use the rate on the label — Rootex quote different rates for softwood and semi-hardwood.
3. Wet the leaf, not the stem. A cutting mist belongs on the foliage. Standing water around the stem is how rot starts.
4. Feed weakly, if at all. Starter solutions are written for plants with no root system. Full-strength nutrient at this stage does harm rather than good.
5. Inoculate 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 puts the sequence in one box — Foliage Focus 1L, Rootzone 250mL, Clonex Cloning Solution 250mL and Clonex Rooting Hormone Gel 50mL — covering the dip, the soak and the first feed. On the hardware side, propagation kits pair 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.