Root Stimulator – What Is It For?
A root stimulator, or root booster, provides plants with substances important for their further trouble-free development and for maintaining their vitality. The best root stimulators can then work wonders. This has a completely logical basis. A healthy and well-developed root system increases the likelihood of a plentiful and valuable harvest to the maximum. That is why experienced growers do not skimp on root support from the very beginning of the growing cycle. The root ball will tell you a great deal about its condition, and so in this article you will read not only about products that effectively support it, but also about what a healthy root system should look like.
First, we will answer the question of why a root booster should be used at all. Then we will go into more depth. What is a root stimulator good for?
- More healthy roots in less time! The growth of new roots and root hairs fundamentally affects how effectively the plant is able to absorb nutrients.
- Without a healthy and strong root system, or root ball, your plants would never grow properly.
- Conversely, only healthy and strong roots, forming a dense network, are able to perform their primary function, which is the uptake of water and nutrients. This applies to the use of basic nutrients as well as other supporting substances, which come from various other additives beyond root stimulators.
- It follows that the healthier and stronger the root system of a young plant is, the better the quality of the flowers and fruits you will harvest at the end of the growing cycle.
- A root stimulator helps plants create a larger root ball. A substantial root system makes it possible, provided other conditions are met, to grow plants at higher temperatures, as the roots supply the plant with enough water, which it can then evaporate to cool itself down.
How can you tell whether a root system is healthy?
You can find the answer to this question visually in the introductory image. The application of root stimulators from our range should definitely be reflected in the health of your plants, provided watering is done correctly.
Are you interested in which indicators can be used to check a healthy root system at a glance? Here is its characteristic:
- Fine, medium and large whitish roots.
- Fine roots should have even finer root hairs.
- Roots should grow throughout the growing container, i.e. from the top all the way to the bottom of the pot.
The first product worth mentioning is the root stimulator Shogun Katana Roots, which can ensure explosive root growth in your plants regardless of the preferred substrate. However, it is not the only one. Other renowned manufacturers also produce quality root stimulators, and so further examples are certainly in order. In view of how crucial a role the health and density of the root zone play in the overall development of the plant and the resulting yields, it is clear that a quality root stimulator can be regarded as the most important supplementary fertiliser.
Root stimulator as a supplementary fertiliser (additive)
Root support in plants is a separate discipline for most leading brands. Most manufacturers (BioNova, Plagron, Canna, Advanced Nutrients, Biobizz, VitaLink and others) share the fact that they give consumers - growers - the option to use a specially developed product designed to effectively support root and root hair growth as a supplement to basic nutrition (N-P-K fertilisers N-P-K). As another example, we present the proven root booster BioNova BN Roots.
Root stimulator as part of complete nutrition
Some manufacturers, such as the Czech brand Jungle Indabox, however, offer growers a slightly different strategy for plant nutrition, and therefore also for roots. They produce a complete fertiliser consisting of only two basic components, while in terms of the overall composition they already take into account concepts such as root support or flower stimulator.
It therefore depends on the preferences and experience of each grower. Some of our customers swear by the combination of base fertiliser + root stimulator + flower stimulator + possibly other supplementary fertilisers from their favourite manufacturer. Others prefer the simple use of fertiliser in an “all-in-one” style. The advantage of brands that offer a wide range of supplements to proven base fertilisers is the possibility of gradually testing and combining special preparations with a positive effect on plant yields. Especially if you are one of those who like to tinker, this will be your case too.
The goal is always the same for every plant: the formation of a large number of new, strong roots. This ability is also intensely stimulated by Biogreen X-Rooting as a high-quality supplement from the Netherlands, containing all the necessary organic amino acids and vitamins, which you can use regardless of the substrate in which you grow your plants.
Root stimulator according to the growth stage
The application of a root stimulator is clearly worthwhile right from the start of plant development, that is, at a time when it is still weak and vulnerable; there is no doubt about that. Some manufacturers then distinguish whether it is a root stimulator for the youngest seedlings or freshly germinated seeds, or a root booster for already “grown” seeds or sufficiently rooted cuttings.
The early development stage of plants is specialised in by the British brand Growth Technology, which produces the root stimulator Clonex® Mist, available in a 100 ml pack or as a spray bottle with a volume of 750 ml. This carefully considered mixture of amino acids and minerals is applied directly to the leaves and stems of cuttings several days after taking them. Two to three days before taking cuttings, this product can also be applied to the leaves and stems of mother plants. In New Zealand, independent testing over 10 days proved a 30% increase in root size and an increase in the number of roots by an impressive 156%!
The root stimulator Plagron Start Up is often used already during seed germination and, thanks to the fact that it is suitable for all types of soil, you can give your plants a perfect start in life with it whether you are growing in a grow tent, in a greenhouse or outdoors in the garden.
OUR TIP: Plant roots are often very susceptible to damage during transplanting. Protection of roots during transplanting has a solution in the form of a product from the same manufacturer, namely Plagron Power Roots, which increases the plant’s overall defence.
Also Grotek Kick Start maximises photosynthesis and provides the necessary first dose of nutrients to the youngest plants in the initial growth stage.
Canna Rhizotonic is one of the long-standing root stimulators that has never disappointed any grower! Why? Because it is among the products that fully meet the definition of what a root stimulator is and what it can do:
- It stimulates the formation of new roots.
- It speeds up root development.
- It shortens the time needed for cuttings to root and for seeds to germinate.
- It also helps revitalise plants weakened by stress.
RHIZOTONIC is a rich cocktail of seaweed extracts, vitamins, minerals and other valuable substances for plant roots, stimulating the formation of root meristems associated with the growth of new roots and root hairs. As we have already explained, these are extremely important for nutrient absorption.
The root stimulator Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice is specific for its high concentration of beneficial microbes. It contains up to 50 million in a single litre. In combination with other beneficial substances, it ensures an increase in root mass of up to 117%.
Organic root stimulators
As with the selection of base fertilisers, for some growers the most important aspect is a 100% natural composition, suitable for growing herbs, fruit or vegetables in organic quality.
- Canna meets these needs with the stimulator Canna BIO Rhizotonic, which combines a root stimulator and a growth stimulator in one purely organic product.
- T.A. Root Booster (G.O. BioRoot Plus) is a natural root stimulator, also suitable for seedlings and rooting cuttings.
- A lush root system without a trace of chemistry is ensured, among other things, by Advanced Hydroponics Root Stimulator, which is known mainly to more experienced growers and fans of hydroponics.
A purely natural product for ecological plant growing and the necessary stimulation of their root system is also BioBizz Root Juice, whose composition relies especially on the synergistic combination of humic acids and seaweed. If you are interested in comprehensive plant support, also read the separate article entitled Fulvic and humic acids: importance and use in plant nutrition.
Although it is the roots that are responsible for the uptake of almost everything plants need to live, many growers still forget about them and do not use root stimulators. We believe that after reading this article you will no longer be among them.
If you decide on a root stimulator, which we can warmly recommend, the best way to ensure compatibility is to use a root stimulator from the fertiliser brand you already use. We will be happy to advise you on the selection and combination of specific products. Do not hesitate to ask us anything you are interested in via the well-known e-mail address info@higarden.eu.
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