Growth Technology - Clonex® Rooting Gel

A firm, clear rooting gel with 3,000 ppm IBA, plus vitamins, minerals and an antifungal component. Bottle of 50 ml.

3,000 ppm is not a maximum, it is a calibration

You will often read that Clonex is the strongest concentration available. That is not right. Rooting compounds exist at 5,000 to 8,000 ppm, and those are meant for woody cuttings from trees and shrubs. Put that strength on soft, herbaceous material and you burn the tissue, giving you less rooting rather than more.

0,3 percent IBA, which is 3,000 ppm, is matched to soft and semi-hardwood material. That is what most people have in their hands. So the right concentration is not the highest you can find but the one that suits your cutting, and that is precisely why this gel is supplied at this strength.

Being a gel does the rest of the work

Powder falls off and liquid runs away. This gel stays where you put it and therefore keeps contact with the tissue throughout the period in which roots have to initiate. At the same time it seals the cut, which counters two things: infection from outside, and an air bubble blocking the vascular tissue so the cutting can no longer draw water.

One practical rule makes more difference than any other: never dip straight into the bottle. Pour a little into a small container, use that, and throw the remainder away. Dipping into the bottle carries tissue debris and spores into your stock with every cutting, and that stock works less well next time.

Technical Specifications:

• Type: water-based rooting gel
• Manufacturer: Growth Technology
• Active ingredient: IBA at 0,3 percent, which is 3,000 ppm
• Also present: vitamins, mineral nutrients, trace elements and an antifungal component
• Suitable for: soft and semi-hardwood cutting material
• Contents: 50 ml bottle
• Use: cut at an angle, dip the lowest 10 to 20 mm and put the cutting straight into the medium
• Storage: cool, dark and tightly closed, out of reach of children

Frequently asked questions

Can I dip into the bottle?
Do not. Pour a little into a container and discard what is left. That keeps your stock clean.

Is this strong enough for woody cuttings?
For semi-hardwood, yes. Genuinely woody shrub cuttings generally call for a higher concentration than this gel provides.

Should I feed afterwards?
Not straight away. A rootless cutting takes up very little. Start light as soon as you see the first roots.

Gel or powder?
Gel if you are sticking cuttings immediately and want sustained contact. Powder releases more slowly and suits cuttings you still have to transport or keep cool for a while.