Hi Kirk and all,
I suppose weeping willow will work. It´s a Salix. Is one better than another?
Tom Irwin
From: Kirk McLoren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
To: biofuel <Biofuel@sustainablelists.org>
Subject: [Biofuel] Rooting without commercial rooting hormone
Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 08:34:24 -0700 (PDT)
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 automaticallydieback 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 thebark 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 ofrhizocaline.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 aplastic 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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