What are the best rooting gels/powders

[Mazzariman]

Hello,
I know that MANY of you have success with cloning cuttings . I have an old (10 years and still half full!) bottle of rooting hormone powder that I used to have intermittent success with. Lately not so much! Could be old or? What would be a good gel to use and a powder as I've read here that you can use both. I have a few "strains with no names" that I'd like to try and clone. I clone cuttings from other plants (yams, succulents etc.) in straight water and get good results, but not with my gals wether in soil with powder or just water. Thanks

[Toker1]

What is your medium? How many clones are you taking?
As you said, just plain tap water works well. Aero cloner for many clones in plain tap water works. You don’t need any gel or powder... I think gel is just Made from aloe verra really. I’ll use it when using rockwool as my medium.
I get the best results With just plain tap water though.

[Mazzariman]

Thanks Toker1. Keep it simple eh! I use my own mix of soil that I can't begin to list the ingredients. I'll cut around 8-10. My neighbor brought me 10 purple yam cuttings from the day before and they were wilted and barley alive. I recut them under water, put them in a clear OJ bottle of 2 day old tap water and they had roots on the third day. Transplanted em into good soil and they're thriving. Only lost one. I have plenty of Aloe Vera growing. You think I should just cut, coat with AV and put in water? I'll probably use a dark container so light doesn't get to the new roots.

[Toker1]

I would just stick to plain tap water. And when they get roots, once you put them in soil... first day, raise the humidity (I use a dome and tray for this part). After 24 hours you can remove the dome or go back to normal humidity. If one wilts, stick it back under high humidity again (repeat process). This helps with the transplant process.

[AccidentalGardener]

Hiya! I have a little experience now with different products, and using it on different kinds of plants. I used regular rooting powder with 10% active whatever it is - the food-grade ones are all the same stuff - the first time. The second batch was done using the Clonex gel, which is the same stuff, in gel form, but it's 3x stronger. I also grabbed the Clonex nutes that are just for clones in domes. Great stuff - all products in both situations. I had an opportunity to practice with the powder a little, since Mother Nature was busy destroying my outdoor garden and I was rescuing bee balm all over the damn place before I ever had to work on a pot plant, lol. I did feel like yelling into a vast thunderstorm, something about having created life. Or something else that would draw the attention of the neighbors even more than it is already.
Under the tent conditions, which in my opinion were textbook, both the powder and the gel performed and I got roots at the same rate for both. On 14 cuts, I got 11 successful starts and the second batch - the one where I lost 3 of 6? I literally made them from my garbage pile. So yay Clonex. I used the Clonex nutes for both sets of cuttings. As to the speed at which they are growing now, I can't see the roots anymore, because they are all in 4" pots. Tribbles, man. Steady as she goes, lol.

[Mazzariman]

Thanks AG, I'm going to try some different methods, yours and Toker1's to start with. I'm outdoors and have PLENTY of spare parts to work with! Mother Nature always gets her share right! Rats, birds, caterpillars, birds, did I mention BIRDS !?! They regularly just clip off branches. I find them and proceed to use them as clones. Some make it, some not so much. I have an owl that just snips and takes them away. I think he builds a new treehouse every year for his newest lady owl.

[crucialbunny]

I make my own using aspirin and cinnamon. If you like it thicker just add gelatin.

[Mazzariman]

Ok, we've got dessert covered, but what's for dinner? Seriously, you wouldn't of put it out there if it didn't work! Amazing!! What are the ratios? Reminded me of an old joke, Why did the little boy close his eyes when he opened the medicine cabinet? Because he didn't want to embarrass the Bayer aspirin! Thanks for the tip! I'll try anything once, well almost anything.

[crucialbunny]

There are recipes all over the internet for making your own. Some people use honey instead of gelatin. I like it because I can whip it up whenever the need arises and it's fresh as well as organic.

[Mazzariman]

Thanks, guess I'll look it up.