If you’re propagating your plants this year, there’s one kitchen ingredient you need on your radar: cinnamon powder.
Out of all the benefits of using cinnamon powder for plants, this one has really caught my attention – and according to the experts, it’s a brilliant companion to rooting hormone (but can’t replace a rooting powder, contrary to popular belief).
If you're keen to help your cuttings grow into successful plants, this is why you should get cinnamon powder on board.
When I first stumbled across cinnamon powder as a powerful propagation aid, I wasn’t so sure. How could a spice containing no hormones help a cutting form roots?
As it turns out, I had it all upside down – cinnamon powder won’t replace rooting powder, but it can be a really handy supplement.
‘I have never been disappointed using it,’ says Lucie Jones, florist at Rowton Castle. ‘What cinnamon powder lacks in rooting hormones, it makes up for in antibacterial and antifungal qualities.’
Its ability to keep bacteria and fungus at bay is game-changing for young cuttings, which are vulnerable to all kinds of propagation mistakes.
‘Its antibacterial and antifungal properties can help to prevent any form of rot or fungal infection at the cut end of the stem, allowing it more time to propagate and produce its own root system,’ explains Polhawn Fort’s head gardener, Nicky.
So, not only can you use cinnamon powder to deter household pests, but it can bolster your cuttings’ chances of success, too.
It’s crucial that you don’t forget the key propagation player, though: rooting hormone.
'Cinnamon powder doesn't contain the specific hormones, called auxins, that actively tell the plant to produce new roots,' explains Mark Dwelly, Head Gardener at Audley Stanbridge Earls. 'For that, you really need a commercial rooting hormone powder or gel.
'A good quality hormone will give your cuttings a much higher success rate and a stronger, healthier start to life.'
You can buy rooting hormones as powder or as a gel, and both work wonders at encouraging cuttings to root. Some people find the powder version, like RootMax Mycorrhizal Fungi Rooting Powder from Amazon, easier to apply, whereas others prefer gel, like Westland Rooting Gel (also from Amazon).
Mark is a fan of using cinnamon powder for cuttings as well. 'Many of the owners at Audley who are into gardening, like myself, keep a little pot of cinnamon in our garden sheds (right next to our trusty tools),' he says.
'A light dusting on the cut end of a cutting can be a good way to protect it, essentially helping the plant to stay healthy while it's doing the hard work of trying to root.'
Coupled with a good rooting hormone, cinnamon powder could offer the protection your cuttings need – and with so many plants you can propagate in August, there’s never been a better time to try it!
