Most commercially sold, horticultural vitamin B1 products are actually a mix that also commonly includes IBA, as well as NAA or gibberellins. In plants, vitamin B1 is produced in leaves and migrates down to the root zone, where it encourages root growth.
This same chemical is also produced in human bodies and often used in vitamin therapies. The chemicals in the gibberellin complex are noted for encouraging stem growth and seed germination because the belief that stem growth itself promotes root growth, these chemicals often are included in the mixtures intended as root stimulators.Īn additional growth-control chemical produced by plants is thiamine, also known as vitamin B1. Gibberellic acids are another class of plant hormones commonly found in plant tonics and root stimulators. However, many gardeners and farmers–who lean organic, but choose not to be certified–use IBA and NAA, believing that these chemicals do not negatively affect the quality of their produce. IBA and NAA are the active ingredients most commonly included in root-stimulant formulas.ĭue to their synthetic nature, IBA and NAA are not approved for use in certified organic crop production. Research now shows that these auxins are also produced naturally in some plants. As a result, other synthetic auxins were produced for horticultural use. Almost all rooted cuttings produced in the horticultural industry are produced with the assistance of auxin compounds, usually in the form of a powder in which the cut stems are dipped.īecause IAA is not water-soluble, it’s difficult to handle from a manufacturing point of view. These mass doses of auxins cause the plants to produce excess ethylene, which kills the plant by inhibiting cell elongation and causing leaf drop.īecause grasses are much less susceptible to auxin overdose, synthetic auxin herbicides often are used to kill broad-leaved weeds in lawns.Īpplication of auxins to cut stems encourages root production. The defoliant Agent Orange (known carcinogen).
2, 4-D (2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) (contains no dioxin).Some synthetic auxins are marketed commercially as weed killers, the best known of which are: IAA is also the chemical produced by terminal buds that inhibits growth further down the branch and produces the phenomenon of apical dominance (the main, central stem of the plant is dominant over other side stems). Auxins are produced naturally in plants, the most common being indoleacetic acid (IAA), which acts as a growth regulator by promoting cell elongation and altering cell wall plasticity.