ASK The Experts
I recently picked up some kinetin bio-regulator
concentrate after reading the Hormonal Horticulture
series by Andrew Schell. I have the dilution ratios for
application, but I’m not so sure about the timing and
delivery. I’m growing indoors in 5-gal. fabric pots and plan on
applying a root drench after transplanting, followed by a foliar
application in weeks two and five. I would greatly appreciate
any suggestions or advice regarding this.
Q
– Scott Taylor
With so many variables
in garden environments
and different varieties of
any particular plant, there
is no “one and done”
method of using kinetin. The direction
you decide to go mainly depends on
what you are trying to achieve with its
application in your garden.
Kinetin, or N6-furfuryladenine, is
a specific cytokinin, a class of plant
hormones involved in cell division
and many other plant processes. It
has a molecular formula of C10H9N5O.
When applied to specific plant parts,
kinetin can activate or deactivate
specific genes and/or enzymes.
Other cytokinins include zeatin and
6-benzylaminopurine (BAP).
A
Specific roles of kinetin include:
> Aids cell division
> Assists with seed germination
> Encourages apical dominance
> Helps with free radical
scavenging
> Delays leaf senescence
> Acts as an anti-stress agent
> Improves nutrient transport
> Boosts resistance against
pathogens
> Stimulates formation of
adventitious buds
Due to its central role in cell division,
kinetin can be a big help to seeds,
seedlings and cuttings. Supplying kinetin
to seedlings will improve seed viability
and general health while increasing
germination rates. Since kinetin induces
vegetative growth, use it up until the
final stages of leaf development. For
most indoor purposes, it should be
administered throughout the seedling,
cutting and vegetative stages and
also during the first 2-3 weeks of the
flowering cycle to get the maximum
benefit of the hormone.
Kinetin will minimize a plant’s dying
tissues, or necrosis, by acting as an
antioxidant that scavenges free radicals.
The aging of a plant, or senescence,
can be delayed by minimizing the
negative effects of these free radicals.
As tissue damage is prevented, leaves
and other parts of a plant’s anatomy
stay green and healthy. It is because of
this behavior that the medical industry
>
has been examining kinetin for
its anti-aging effects on humans.
In the middle to late stages of
the flowering cycle, kinetin
supplementation should be
halted to encourage senescence
so the plants go through their
natural process of bloom
development and fruit ripening.
Studies show that by this time the
activity rates of kinetin dwindles down
to almost zero.
As an anti-stress agent, kinetin helps
in cases of drought and temperature
extremes. New evidence suggests
kinetin alleviat es osmotic stress,
allowing a plant to thrive in higher
salt environments. It also protects the
plant pigments in the leaves, so it helps
with light absorption by preventing
chlorophyll degradation.
Kinetin and the other cytokinins
are mutually dependent on the other
plant hormones (auxins, gibberellins,
abscisic acid and ethylene), so you
should ensure they are available in
significant concentrations as well. Using
kinetin alone will benefit the plant,
but it’s also good to use products that
contain a variety of all cytokinins and
plant hormones to get the maximum
benefit from their application. A coldpressed algen extract of Ascophyllum
nodosum will contain all of these
hormones in their natural state. It
can be applied as a root drench or
foliar spray. The presence of Glomus
endomycorrhizae, or arbuscular
mycorrhizae (AM) increases hormone
levels in roots (including kinetin) at
appropriate times in the plant’s life
cycle. A gardener should stick to one
noteworthy complete nutrient line and
stick with it, while supplementing the
natural hormones, kelp extracts and
mycorrhizae spores as well.
Good luck,
Andrew Schell
Andrew Schell has 15 years of technical gardening experience, from warehouse
operations in Los Angeles to the full-sun fields of Humboldt County. With a
biochemistry degree from Humboldt State University and a plethora of lab
experience, Andrew lends his perception of plant processes and nutrients from
the molecular level. He is the in-house gardening expert for Humboldt Wholesale.
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Maximum Yield USA | March 2015