What is in "rooting powder" that helps cuttings to `take off`?

.. and how long does it take the first shoots to appear?

I`m taking cuttings of hydrangeas.

What is in "rooting powder" that helps cuttings to `take off`?
I take 50 to 100 cuttings of each colour.

Holed the leaves in a bundle, make a straight cut to reduce the leaf area by half.

Put the cuttings in a pot of peat, stand the pot in a shallow tray of water to keep the peat moist and wait until the roots appear out the bottom, re-pot into individual pots.

No need for rooting powder.
Reply:Rooting powder contains a plant hormone (Indole-3-butyric acid) that helps "program" a non-differentiated cell to become a root cell. It also generally contains a fungicide to help keep soil-borne fungus from damaging very young roots.



As to the length of time, it depends on the plant. A very woody plant stem may require a couple of months to show very many roots at all; a more herbaceous stem may take only a couple of weeks.



Good luck with the hydrangeas :-)
Reply:Not sure but is probably a derivative of kerosene!
Reply:Rooting powder contains an plant hormone (an auxin), which promotes callus/root formation on the bottom of a cutting. IBA (Indole butyric acid) is the most common, and most effective on most plants. NAA (Naphthalene acetic acid), which can be used by itself or in combination with IBA generally works well on fewer plants, but may work better that IBA on some plants. Some formulations may include a fungicide to help prevent fungus problems on the "wounded" base of the cutting.
Reply:I think it is bio-chemical compost,i'm not sure how lng.
Reply:growth hormones and fungicide are in some brands .
Reply:It's a hormone which stimulates growth. Cuttings under glass should take a few months. Hardwood cuttings in open ground should take a year.