# Using willow cuttings to assist rooting



## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

Anyone ever tried this? Essentially you take cuttings of willow, strip the bark, and soak the stems in water. The stems leach hormones that help cuttings produce roots. I've never tried it with viv plants, but its worked great with cuttings for the garden.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Yeah it's been brought up a few times. It does work well from what I understand. Shouldn't need it for viv plants though. Most root with ease.


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

old school trick. You should be able to find lots of info online under "willow tea. Another good one is coconut milk


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

Frogtofall said:


> It does work well from what I understand. Shouldn't need it for viv plants though. Most root with ease.


I thought it may be helpful to boost the rooting...maybe for people who put cuttings into clay bgs or for more delicate plants.


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

fieldnstream said:


> I thought it may be helpful to boost the rooting...maybe for people who put cuttings into clay bgs or for more delicate plants.


you can also can and store it, I believe, for future use. Not sure how refrigeration effects it, but I have an old gardening almanac that devotes a few paragraphs to it. When i get a chance, I'll look over it for you


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> old school trick. You should be able to find lots of info online under "willow tea. Another good one is coconut milk


Ah, I remember learning in my developmental biology class that coconut milk could be used to cause a single cell of a plant to regenerate a whole plant!


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

hypostatic said:


> Ah, I remember learning in my developmental biology class that coconut milk could be used to cause a single cell of a plant to regenerate a whole plant!


I never heard of people using it for tissue culturing, but it makes sense. Being that CN is basically a slurry of various development hormones and nutrients. 


How I've heard of it being used is as a watering aid, via a weak dilution


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

hypostatic said:


> Ah, I remember learning in my developmental biology class that coconut milk could be used to cause a single cell of a plant to regenerate a whole plant!


ya this was talked about briefly in a botany class i took a bit ago. ill have to breakout my notes when i get the chance and read refresh my memory.


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## arielelf (May 23, 2007)

Where do you get coconut milk? I see cn cream and cn water in stores but never the milk? Also do you just soak the stems in the milk? And for how long?


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

arielelf said:


> Where do you get coconut milk? I see cn cream and cn water in stores but never the milk? Also do you just soak the stems in the milk? And for how long?


usually comes canned in most asian grocers. Just make sure you don't get the fat free


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Yepp single cell cloning with coconut milk. Unfortunately the class (and book we used) was mainly about animal development, so I can't look up what the hormones were in the book we used (and my notes are long gone).

Here's an article on pubmed that talks about it (you can read the abstract at the very least)
Growth and Tissue Formation from Single, Isolated ... [Science. 1965] - PubMed result


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

I wonder if a mix of willow tea and coconut milk would be even better? I really want to find a safe alternative to superthrive...which is like magic in a bottle.


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

hypostatic said:


> Yepp single cell cloning with coconut milk. Unfortunately the class (and book we used) was mainly about animal development, so I can't look up what the hormones were in the book we used (and my notes are long gone).
> 
> Here's an article on pubmed that talks about it (you can read the abstract at the very least)
> Growth and Tissue Formation from Single, Isolated ... [Science. 1965] - PubMed result



organic cloning? that's a combination I never thought to see


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

haha yeah. If you think about it tho, using plant cuttings is also a form of cloning. It definitely uses more than one cell tho


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

hypostatic said:


> haha yeah. If you think about it tho, using plant cuttings is also a form of cloning. It definitely uses more than one cell tho


very true. i guess I should have said organic "tissue culturing"

I'll blame it on too much wine, last night


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

Coleus cuttings work as well. Also good ol' asprin (synthetic willow).


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

why not get a whole coconut and just get the milk yourself or do they do something to the stuff that's in the can?

can I just water the roots or do I have to soak the plant?


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## WeeNe858 (Sep 13, 2010)

fieldnstream said:


> I wonder if a mix of willow tea and coconut milk would be even better? I really want to find a safe alternative to superthrive...which is like magic in a bottle.



Isint superthrive organic though? whats the harm in using it?


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> why not get a whole coconut and just get the milk yourself or do they do something to the stuff that's in the can?
> 
> can I just water the roots or do I have to soak the plant?


There is a difference between coconut water and milk, at least when speaking culinarily (is that even a word?). And have always had it stressed to use actual milk

How to Make Coconut Milk | Nourished Kitchen


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

WeeNe858 said:


> Isint superthrive organic though? whats the harm in using it?


personally i only use rooting solutions, and gels, on difficult plants, or when I need to transplant them in a hurry. In most instances, especially in a viv, it really shouldn't be necessary


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

WeeNe858 said:


> Isint superthrive organic though? whats the harm in using it?


It is not technically organic. It is a hormone, but not one that occurs naturally. Yes, it is probably safe, but I feel that there are safer alternatives. I just don't feel that the possibility of a risk is worth it, when there are clearly alternatives.


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> There is a difference between coconut water and milk, at least when speaking culinarily (is that even a word?). And have always had it stressed to use actual milk
> 
> How to Make Coconut Milk | Nourished Kitchen


so do i just apply it to the plants roots or do i have to soak them in it?


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> so do i just apply it to the plants roots or do i have to soak them in it?


I just always mixed it with water and used like any fertilizer solution. But if you mean soaking the entire plant, then no, just use it at the roots


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## Evan Keller (Dec 4, 2008)

I'm probably kicking a dead horse here, but the ability to grow an entire plant from just a single cell is referring to the concept of totipotency. Many plants have this ablility, some do not but generally speaking this is why tissue cultures work. Essentially it is just a clone of the donor plant generated from one cell.


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## WeeNe858 (Sep 13, 2010)

Thats understandable but Brothery Monkey brought up a good point. Is there really a need to induce growth once a tank is planted and inhabited? 

Also, if you were looking to root a plant or cutting, won't the hormone be absorbed or dissipated once it is rooted and ready to plant?



fieldnstream said:


> It is not technically organic. It is a hormone, but not one that occurs naturally. Yes, it is probably safe, but I feel that there are safer alternatives. I just don't feel that the possibility of a risk is worth it, when there are clearly alternatives.


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

WeeNe858 said:


> Thats understandable but Brothery Monkey brought up a good point. Is there really a need to induce growth once a tank is planted and inhabited?
> 
> Also, if you were looking to root a plant or cutting, won't the hormone be absorbed or dissipated once it is rooted and ready to plant?


I tend not to use anything to actually root plants, especially if they are going into a high humidity environment like a viv


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> I tend not to use anything to actually root plants, especially if they are going into a high humidity environment like a viv


why not?

gfhjknml;lkjnhbgfv(added cause it said message too short lulz)


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## WeeNe858 (Sep 13, 2010)

High humidity and warm temperatures foster rooting so there's no need for an enhancer.



DragonSpirit1185 said:


> why not?
> gfhjknml;lkjnhbgfv(added cause it said message too short lulz)


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

DragonSpirit1185 said:


> why not?
> 
> gfhjknml;lkjnhbgfv(added cause it said message too short lulz)


 Conditions are already great for rooting almost anything. So why make things more complicated than they need to be?


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## DragonSpirit1185 (Dec 6, 2010)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> Conditions are already great for rooting almost anything. So why make things more complicated than they need to be?


understood. Well what should i now do with this coconut I bought.
Maybe I will split it in half and clean it out and I'll get someone to walk around behind me banging them together and I'll act like I'm riding a horse.


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