How to Use Liquid Plant Food as a Rooting Hormone

Shrubs, trees and plants bring bright, natural beauty to home landscapes with foliage, blooms and even fruit. While some shrubs and plants multiply at their roots, and so propagate through crown division, others propagate through cuttings, or pieces of stem. These cuttings require specific preparation for successful root growth and grow into large shrubs on their own with the right care. Rooting hormones soften the wood of the cuttings and offer vitamins and minerals for root stimulation, to encourage better growth. Plant foods with the right mix of ingredients can do the same thing.

Pruning shears
Liquid or water-soluble plant food
Cups/bowls
Pots
Starter soil
Sand

Instructions

- 1
  Take cuttings from semi-hard wood in the cool, moist weather of fall. Find branches or stems with the current's season's growth and several leaflets. Cut 6 to 8 inches of growth, at a 45 degree angle, for rooting.
- 2
  Mix phosphorous-rich liquid or water-soluble plant food such as 6-24-24 or 8-32-16 with water, per manufacturer directions, to produce a fertilizer mix. Phosphorous encourages rooting in plants and acts as a rooting hormone. Pour the fertilizer mixture into glasses or bowls for the cuttings.
- 3
  Trim the leaves off the bottom 4 inches of each cutting. Place the cuttings in their glasses or bowls and in warm, safe places in the kitchen. Allow the cuttings to soak for three to four hours.
- 4
  Fill 6-inch pots with a mixture of sand and starter soil and stick the bottom 4 inches of each cutting into the soil. Moisten the soil with 2 inches of water and put the cuttings in sites with good air movement and bright indirect sun.

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