Willow Species - Growth Hormones

[Chillb]

Ran across Willow teas in my search for something organic to use to help root clones. The bark of young shoot/branches contains growth hormones. Making a tea releases those hormones making it available to the plants.

It seems like a good, natural, effective, and most importantly free clone aid. Does anyone have some fresh input on Willows? I understand you can use any species of willow... trees/bushes. I also saw that Microbeman dries out willow tips/branches and makes a dry amendment to mix into his soils with good improvements.

Curious to find out anything I can on the matters, what you got folks?

Peace,
chillb

 

[FirstTracks]

Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone – Willow Water
weeping-willow-tree

Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)

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Willows are an amazing tree that have captivated humanity since time immemorial. They appear in the ancient legends, tales, folklore and customs of the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Brits, Celts and American Indians. They even feature in three of William Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet, Othello and Twelfth Night.

Some folklore associated with willows is fascinating – my two favourites are are that it is bad luck to tell a secret while standing under a willow, as the wind that blows through the leaves will reveal the secret to everyone, and that striking an animal or a child with a willow twig will stunt their growth! They did have some strange ideas way back in Medieval Europe!

Surely, there is something “magical” about these trees, for them to capture our attention so strongly.They have some interesting and unique properties, as we’ll explore in this article!





Willows – A Brief Introduction
Willows are fast growing, deciduous trees that are mainly found found in the the Northern Hemisphere, in cold arctic and north temperate zones, in regions with moist soils. The Weeping Willow appears to be a native of extra-tropical Asia, from Japan and China to Armenia and the banks of the Euphrates, and of Egypt and North Africa.

One of the most popular and familiar willows is the Weeping willow (Salix babylonica), it has exceptional form and beauty. When mature it exhibits graceful, wide-spreading, pendulous weeping branches, with a short trunk, and a broad rounded crown. Its leaves are thin and narrow, sometimes with whitened or silky undersides. It is fast growing, and adaptable to almost any soil conditions.



Willows are an incredibly useful tree, they have many useful functions:

Source of Medicine – The use of willow bark dates back thousands of years, to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC) when patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation. Willow bark has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used today for the treatment of pain (particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis), headache, and inflammatory conditions such as bursitis and tendinitis. The bark of white willow contains salicin, which is a chemical similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It is thought to be responsible for the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of the herb. In fact, in the 1800s, salicin was used to develop aspirin. White willow appears to be slower than aspirin to bring pain relief, but its effects may last longer. (Ref: University of Maryland Medical Centre, Medical Reference – Complementary Medicine – Willow Bark)
Source of Material for Construction and Manufacturing – Willow wood is used to make furniture, tool handles, wood veneers, and toys. It is used in wood turning as it is easily worked, and is also used to make cricket bats. Willows are a source of wicker for basketry (weaving of wicker baskets) and for making fish traps. The wood can also be used as a source of fibre for making rope, string and paper. Charcoal used by artists is exclusively made from willow.
Source of Energy – Willow is grown for biomass, a renewable energy source which reduces the need for fossil fuels and petroleum products. Willow can be converted into a variety of sustainable environmentally-friendly resources, including: 1. heat and electricity by direct combustion, co-firing with coal, and gasification; 2. biodegradable plastics and other polymers; 3. biofuels.
Willows are an ideal source of biomass because 1. Willows are easily propagated from unrooted cuttings; 2. High yields can be obtained in a few years, 3. Willow’s genetic diversity and short breeding cycle can be utilized to produce improved varieties; 4. Willows vigorously re-sprout after each harvest; 5. The amount of heat in a dry ton of willow is similar to other hardwoods.
Large scale projects to support willow as an energy crop are already at commercial scale in Sweden, and in other countries there are being developed through initiatives such as the Willow Biomass Project in the US and the Energy Coppice Project in the UK. (Ref: College of Environmental Science and Forestry – The Willow Biomass Project)
Ecological/Environmental Uses – Willows have many beneficial environmental uses. They can be used in the following areas:
Riparian buffers – Natural barriers that prevent chemicals from entering streams, ponds, and lakes.
Phytoremediation – Willows clean up toxins from contaminated sites.
Wastewater management (biofiltration) – Willows filter contaminants from wastewater, and can be used in ecological wastewater treatment systems.
Environmental protection and preservation – Willows are often used for land reclamation, streambank stabilisation (bioengineering), slope stabilisation, soil erosion control, shelterbelt and windbreak construction, soil building, and soil reclamation.
Environmental reconstruction – Willows are used for constructing wetlands and wildlife habitat.
Gardening – Willows are used for in the construction of hedges, “living fences” and other living garden structures and general landscaping
Living snowfences – Strategically planted willows trap drifting snow.
Farming – Willows can used by farmers as an animal forage to feed their stock.
Horticultural Uses – Willow bark contains natural plant growth hormones which can be used for rooting new cuttings. This is the area that we’ll be looking at in this article!
One of the most amazing properties of willows is their growth! Coppicing a willow (that is cutting it back to ground level) will result in numerous rods growing from the base that will grow at an amazing rate of 1.2-3.0m in a single season. A broken willow branch left in water will grow roots. Willows successfully root from very thick pieces of stem, this method is known as taking “trunk cuttings”, and a stem as thick as a human thigh will take root of put into damp ground. Willow cuttings can even grow if put in upside-down (but please do the right thing and put them in the right way up)! This property of willows is due to the naturally occurring plant rooting hormones that they contain. We can take advantage of this naturally occurring hormone, and make extracts that we can use to induce rooting on cuttings of other plants.





“Willow Water” – How it Works
“Willow Water” is a homebrew plant rooting hormone that is easily made and can be used to increase the strike rate (growth of roots) of cuttings that you’re trying to propagate.

The way that it works can be attributed to two substances that can be found within the Salix (Willow) species, namely, indolebutyric acid (IBA) and Salicylic acid (SA).

Indolebutyric acid (IBA) is a plant hormone that stimulates root growth. It is present in high concentrations in the growing tips of willow branches. By using the actively growing parts of a willow branch, cutting them, and soaking them in water, you can get significant quantities of IBA to leach out into the water.

Salicylic acid (SA) (which is a chemical similar to the headache medicine Aspirin) is a plant hormone which is involved in signalling a plant’s defences, it is involved in the process of “systemic acquired resistance” (SAR) – where an attack on one part of the plant induces a resistance response to pathogens (triggers the plant’s internal defences) in other parts of the plant. It can also trigger a defence response in nearby plants by converting the salicylic acid into a volatile chemical form.

When you make willow water, both salicylic acid and IBA leach into the water, and both have a beneficial effect when used for the propagation of cuttings. One of the biggest threats to newly propagated cuttings is infection by bacteria and fungi. Salicylic acid helps plants to fight off infection, and can thus give cuttings a better chance of survival. Plants, when attacked by infectious agents, often do not produce salicylic acid quickly enough to defend themselves, so providing the acid in water can be particularly beneficial.


Willow water can be made from cuttings of any tree or shrub of the willow family, a group of plants with the scientific name of Salix. The more cuttings that are used and the longer they are soaked in water, the stronger will be the resulting willow water. Recommendations for the exact method of soaking vary. Cold water can be used, and soaking times of four or more weeks are often quoted. Other gardeners use boiling water to steep the willow twigs and soak the mixture for around 24 hours.





How to Make “Willow Water”
Here is the procedure for making willow water:

Collect young first-year twigs and stems of any of willow (Salix spp.) species, these have green or yellow bark. Don’t use the older growth that has brown or gray bark.
Remove all the leaves, these are not used. Don’t waste good green material though, compost the leaves or throw them in the garden as mulch.
Take the twigs and cut them up into short pieces around 1" (2.5cm) long.
The next step is to add the water. there are several techniques to extract the natural plant rooting hormones:
a) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with boiling water, just like making tea, and allow the “tea” to stand overnight.

b) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with tap water (unheated), and let it soak for several days.

When finished, separate the liquid from the twigs by carefully pouring out the liquid, or pouring it through a strainer or sieve. The liquid is now ready to use for rooting cuttings. You can keep the liquid for up to two months if you put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep the liquid in the refrigerator. Remember to label the jar so you remember what it is, and write down the date you brewed it up, and to aid the memory, write down the date that it should be used by, which is two months from the date it was made!
To use, just pour some willow water into a small jar, and place the cuttings in there like flowers in a vase, and leave them there to soak overnight for several hours so that they take up the plant rooting hormone. Then prepare them as you would when propagating any other cuttings.
The second way to use willow water is to use it to water the propagating medium in which you have placed cuttings. Watering your cuttings twice with willow water should be enough to help them root.





In Summary
As you can see, this is a garden potion that is really easy to brew up, and it keeps in line with the Permaculture principles of avoiding waste and caring for the Earth – no purchased synthetic chemicals, containers, it’s all natural, and best of all, free! So, next time you’re out on a hot summer’s day enjoying the shade and natural cooling provided by a majestic willow, grab a few twigs and take them home to help you in propagating plants for your garden!

The primary hormone is salicylic acid, a natural compound found in willows (botanical name = Salix) that is also a chemcial component of asprin. Willows also contain IBA (indolebutyric acid), the common ingredient of most commercial rooting hormones and rhizocaline. All of these growth enhancing hormones are present in ALL willow species.
The IBU is not soluble in water and shuld be distilled with a 70% solution of alcohol. The other two are easily extracted in water. The popular method is to concoct a tea by chopping up willow twigs into small sections and cover with hot water and allow to steep for several days.

Willow Tea as a Rooting Hormone
- by Debra Anchors



Weeping Willow
Willow Tea is an easy to make rooting hormone used to propagate plant cuttings. And, best of all, it’s free. Willow bark contains natural plant growth hormones; namely, indolebutyric acid and salicylic acid.






How to make Willow Tea:

Collect young twigs/stems of any of willow species with green or yellow bark (Salix spp.).
Remove all leaves.
Cut the twigs into short pieces, about 1" (2.5cm) long, and place them in a heatproof container.
Cover the cut stems with boiling water, just as you would when brewing tea. Allow the willow and water to steep overnight.
Separate the liquid from the twigs by pouring the tea through a strainer or sieve. Your willow tea is now ready to use for rooting cuttings.
Willow tea can be kept for up to two months if you keep it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. It’s a good idea to label the jar so you remember what it is. Also, write down the date it was brewed and the expiration date (two months from the date it was prepared).

To use willow tea as a rooting compound, pour some into a small jar and place the cuttings you would like to root into the tea as you would flowers in a vase. Leave the cuttings to soak overnight – or for several hours – long enough to absorb the rooting hormone. Once absorbed, prepare the stems as you would when propagating any other cutting.


Once planted in your chosen medium, water your cuttings with willow tea to give them an even better start and further enhance their rooting.



Aspirin as a rooting hormone?

Recently, I have been reading articles and forums on the topic of using aspirin as a rooting hormone. I will test these reports with my own cuttings, but for the cost of two extra strength aspirin, what would I have to lose but a little bit of time?

The comments on the forums I have been perusing instruct us to:


“Crush two extra strength aspirin in a half-liter of distilled water and let sit with occasional agitation overnight. Now dip your stems in the aspirin water instead of rooting hormone before putting them in the medium and you will have excellent results.”


What do you think? Will you try using aspirin as a rooting hormone?

video on it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=luL3DdjSC2M

 

[Chillb]

Excellent articles, seen both

 

[Cayenne]

interesting read. I will try this in a hydroponic medium.

 

[Oregonism]

There is more than 1 thread of past write-ups, DIY.....[I will try to find and post, using NEW SEARCH!]
I have evolved to use, raw honey and nettle juice. No more powders,gels, etc.

Acetylsalicylic acid is the active metabolite in Aspirin, it is the prodrug [precursor] of salicylic acid, ASacid once absorbed by the body, metabolizes to salicylic acid. Lack of empirical evidence always sways most of the crowd, but a legit DIY way to harness it repetitively, without always wondering, would be good.

Wikipedia Salicylic acid (SA) is a phenolic phytohormone and is found in plants with roles in plant growth and development, photosynthesis, transpiration, ion uptake and transport. SA also induces specific changes in leaf anatomy and chloroplast structure. SA is involved in endogenous signaling, mediating in plant defense against pathogens.[4] It plays a role in the resistance to pathogens by inducing the production of pathogenesis-related proteins.[5] It is involved in the systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in which a pathogenic attack on one part of the plant induces resistance in other parts. The signal can also move to nearby plants by salicylic acid being converted to the volatile ester, methyl salicylate.[6]

 

[Cayenne]

leads me to believe there has to be a way to utilize the acetylsalicylic acid aspirin contains to later use as a growth hormone. this would be beneficial for people who dont have access to willow trees. is there a way to metabolize the acetylsalicylic acid into salicylic acid without ingesting it?

 

[DARC MIND]

they say strawberry guava tips have the same properties

 

[ICMaggotMe]

they say strawberry guava tips have the same properties

As does Aloe Vera:

 

[h.h.]

As does anything that grows. I.E. Plants have growth hormones at the tips where they grow. Willow grows fast and are a good source. Used for rooting hormone.
Acetylsalicylic acid helps keep the trees disease free. It may have benefits.
I understand, tea made from peach leaves will cure a headache. Haven't tried it and can't say from personal experience that it's 100% without risk.
Really a good reason to use a variety of plant material in your extracts and compost. I don't have willows therefore I don't use it. If I did, I'd probably use a lot. Instead I use local vegetation with similar qualities. At that, I can't say if it makes much of a difference, but it costs me nothing.
Good post. Good to see people looking at the non commercial alternatives.

 

[foomar]

In spring the fresh shoots also contain a lot of sugar , can lead to mould in a bubbler if overused , but fine dipped overnight.

Dogwood (cornus) naturally air layers and reroots like strawberry runners , good source and widely used in ornamental and estate planting , easier to find than willow trees in some regions.

 

[Chillb]

Dogwoods, got 'em around this area too ... niiiiiice. Very helpful tips folks, specially on the sugars note if ya use bubblers ...

 

[STUNKY]

I have made a tea with willow branches .. I have plentiful amounts around here.. It didn't hurt any plants I used it on.. Can't. Say it help them either as I had no way to compare.. But it sounds like a great natural alternative to stimulate roots,

 

[DARC MIND]

I use it as a foliar, side by side it gives larger roots in less amount of time

key to cutting is proper selection, humidity and temp, ive rooted more cuts with no rooting hormone at all with swell results..
synthetic powders and or simply foliar with said botanicals just help things move a little faster
(kelp ,aloe, willow, etc)

 

[exploziv]

Great read! Thanks!

 

[Oregonism]

As does anything that grows. I.E. Plants have growth hormones at the tips where they grow. Willow grows fast and are a good source. Used for rooting hormone.

Good point, although I would say that some species may have higher percentages or are easier to extract, but there are also other phytohormones and auxins in the mix too.

Acetylsalicylic acid helps keep the trees disease free. It may have benefits.
I understand, tea made from peach leaves will cure a headache. Haven't tried it and can't say from personal experience that it's 100% without risk.

I am assuming that peaches have ASA in them? Kind of interesting as I grow and have used feverfew tea for headaches, now I have to go look at Dr. Dukes!

Really a good reason to use a variety of plant material in your extracts and compost. I don't have willows therefore I don't use it. If I did, I'd probably use a lot. Instead I use local vegetation with similar qualities. At that, I can't say if it makes much of a difference, but it costs me nothing.
Good post. Good to see people looking at the non commercial alternatives.

This is the reason I started using nettle and pretty much any weeds and turning them into FPE's. I haven't purchased store bought fertilizers going on 2.5 years.


@Cayenne, keep digging....

 

[Oregonism]

Polymorphisms of Aspirin-Metabolizing Enzymes CYP2C9, NAT2 and UGT1A6 in Aspirin-Intolerant Urticaria

Aspirin ingestion can induce a wide range of clinically recognized allergic reactions, including acetyl salicylic acid (ASA)-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), ASA-intolerant urticaria (AIU), chronic rhinitis, and anaphylaxis..............ASA is metabolized by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 (UGT1A6), cytochrome P4502C9 (CYP2C9), and N-acetyl transferase 2 (NAT2). Inter-individual differences in the activities of these enzymes may be the underlying cause of adverse ASA-related symptoms such as urticaria.

The two polymorphic enzymes CYP2C9 and UGT1A6 are involved in hydroxylation and glucuronidation of ASA, respectively

Okay, this one is a tough read, but it had just enough background info to make it relevant.....

 

[Oregonism]

Cayenne....I will just post all of this in your Advanced Thread:Using Aspirin as a Growth Hormone

Cytochrome P4502C9: an enzyme of major importance in human drug metabolism

Accumulating evidence indicates that CYP2C9 ranks amongst the most important drug metabolizing enzymes in humans. ......CYP2C9 activity in vivo is inducible by rifampicin [prescription only antibiotic produced by bacterium]. Evidence suggests that CYP2C9 substrates may also be induced variably by carbamazepine, ethanol and phenobarbitone.

My side note: Alot of this is geared towards the medical profession first, but its all chemistry....So next time, I will read a little more before posting a bunch of shit, that only 2-5 people can contemplate

 

[sprinkl]

Just came across this:

The most appropriate for increase percentage of success from chili pepper in this study was usingRootone with extract onion. Chili cutting stem withRootone and extract onion (Ron) has sprouting percent 62,5%. This is caused by auxin in Rootone(NAA) and in onion extract. Onion bulbs contain alot of natural auxin (IBA) especially capable of inducing the formation of roots and shoots.

http://www.academia.edu/3670854/EFF...LI_PEPPER_CAPSICUM_FRUTESCENS_L._CUTTING_STEM

So an onion extract can be as effective as a commercial rooting product, it doesn't contain the salicylic acid but it might be more effective to extract the IBA out of a diced onion than from willow branches.

 

[Three Berries]

I've used willow tea for a few years with sprouting trees from cuttings. And sometimes on my new seedlings in the pre soak for the soil.

I've found the corkscrew willow to be extraordinarily high in the hormones. This tree will put out roots into the air if it stays humid enough.

But here's more hormone info.

How to use plant hormones in cannabis cultivation

In this blog post, we take a look at the complex world of plant hormones, talking about the wide range of effects they have, and how they control and regulate almost every aspect of our plants' lives.

www.alchimiaweb.com