# Rooting Hormone - Dip ‘N Grow



## Phred (Aug 25, 2019)

I recently started a collection of Cattleya walkeriana. Upon repotting them into what I use I discovered that many of the divisions had old back bulbs with no good roots (apparently not uncommon). A couple months later I was talking to Kieth Davis about it and he told me to get the rooting hormone ‘Dip ‘N Grow’. He recommended I mix it at the 1 part hormone to 10 part water strength and apply it to the rhizomes. The attached pictures are just a few that document the results I got from using it. These photos were taken approximately 2-3 weeks after treating with ‘Dip ‘N Grow’. Pretty cool. My next experiment will be dipping some Paphiopedilum seedlings as I repot from compots.


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## Ray (Aug 25, 2019)

Fred, 

Dip n Grow is a relatively concentrated synthetic hormone solution of 1% indole-butyric acid (IBA) and 0.5% naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA), the same ingredients as Dyna-Gro K-L-N (which has 0.07% and 0.1%, respectively). As such, it is subject to the same decomposition issues with warmth and light exposure, so keep it refrigerated between uses.

As it is that concentrated, be very careful with your applications. Too concentrated, or applied too frequently can result in stunted growth or deformed flowers.


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## Phred (Aug 26, 2019)

Ray said:


> Fred,
> 
> Dip n Grow is a relatively concentrated synthetic hormone solution of 1% indole-butyric acid (IBA) and 0.5% naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA), the same ingredients as Dyna-Gro K-L-N (which has 0.07% and 0.1%, respectively). As such, it is subject to the same decomposition issues with warmth and light exposure, so keep it refrigerated between uses.
> 
> As it is that concentrated, be very careful with your applications. Too concentrated, or applied too frequently can result in stunted growth or deformed flowers.


Thanks for the info Ray. I was told to use it only once. I was also told it did not have to be refrigerated. I think it has alcohol as an ingredient... maybe that helps.


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## Ray (Aug 26, 2019)

The problem with the synthetic hormones is that, while they are pretty stable in their "virgin" form, in order to make them water soluble, they must make them into mineral salts. That particular formula utilizes ethanol and isopropanol as the solvents, but the solubility requirement is still there. DO refrigerate it - it doesn't HAVE TO BE, but the bottle will last longer if you do.


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## Phred (Aug 27, 2019)

Ray said:


> The problem with the synthetic hormones is that, while they are pretty stable in their "virgin" form, in order to make them water soluble, they must make them into mineral salts. That particular formula utilizes ethanol and isopropanol as the solvents, but the solubility requirement is still there. DO refrigerate it - it doesn't HAVE TO BE, but the bottle will last longer if you do.


Thanks Ray... I’ll refrigerate it. Do you have an opinion on its use with seedlings? It would be 2+ years after compot before flowering?


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## Ray (Aug 27, 2019)

It'll have a similar effect on them, I'm sure. What you're doing is "spiking" cyclic, natural, plant hormonal activity - roughly equivalent to "giving it steroids", if you will.

As plants grow, the apical meristem of the roots emit cytokinins that travel up the plant and stimulate shoot growth. As the shoot apical meristem grows, it emits auxins that travel down the plant and stimulates root growth. When you dose the plant with auxins (that's what the IBA and NAA are), you unnaturally stimulate the root growth rate, which, in turn, results in the boosted production of a lot of cytokinins that stimulate shoot growth. Both processes are accelerated, going back-and-forth, restimulating each other, but each cycle is a little less intense than the previous one, so most plants return to "normal" rates in somewhere between two- to three weeks, or so. (Hence the reason I recommend using such treatments no more than once per month in established plants.)


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## Phred (Aug 27, 2019)

Ray said:


> It'll have a similar effect on them, I'm sure. What you're doing is "spiking" cyclic, natural, plant hormonal activity - roughly equivalent to "giving it steroids", if you will.
> 
> As plants grow, the apical meristem of the roots emit cytokinins that travel up the plant and stimulate shoot growth. As the shoot apical meristem grows, it emits auxins that travel down the plant and stimulates root growth. When you dose the plant with auxins (that's what the IBA and NAA are), you unnaturally stimulate the root growth rate, which, in turn, results in the boosted production of a lot of cytokinins that stimulate shoot growth. Both processes are accelerated, going back-and-forth, restimulating each other, but each cycle is a little less intense than the previous one, so most plants return to "normal" rates in somewhere between two- to three weeks, or so. (Hence the reason I recommend using such treatments no more than once per month in established plants.)


Very easy to understand Ray... thank you


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## Ray (Aug 27, 2019)

I'll also add that such additives, both synthetic ones and natural ones like KelpMax, have a threshold of effectiveness. I liken it to a light switch: a small amount of pressure and the switch agoes nowhere, so the light doesn't come on. "Enough" pressure, and you get the reaction you want - light in the room. Too much pressure and you break the switch!

Interestingly, apparently due to all of the other nutrients and building blocks in it that enhance its effectiveness, that threshold is much lower in KelpMax than most others and accordingly, does not appear to have an "overdosing" issue like the synthetics.

The rate recommended to you (10% of a 1.5% auxin solution) is 1500 ppm. A really effective dose of KelpMax contains only 0.044 ppm auxins (which is about double the threshold recommended by the producer), and if we include all of the proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins and nutrient minerals in it, it's still only 170 ppm dissolved solids.


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