The Latest in Plant Growth Regulator Options for Ornamentals
September 1, 2020 
Plant growth regulators are critical resources in a grower’s crop management arsenal. Now, two leading industry suppliers are offering new options to consider.
Fine Americas has launched two new PGRs for the ornamentals industry that promote rooting and plant development early in the production cycle. Advocate helps propagate plants from cuttings; while Crest can improve the germination of seed, plant emergence, root growth, and seedling development.
“In addition to their individual benefits, these two products work well in tandem,” says Greg Johnson, President, Fine Americas, Inc. “Crest provides an excellent follow-up treatment to Advocate in both herbaceous and woody cuttings.”
Advocate initiates rooting when cuttings are stuck in planting media. Once rooting initiates, applications of Crest help continue to promote growth of both shoots and roots in young plants.
Using the plant hormone IBA (indole butyric acid), Advocate stimulates root growth in the following plant cuttings: herbaceous annuals, herbaceous and hard-to-root perennial plant cuttings, softwood cuttings, woody ornamental cuttings, hardwood cuttings, pot rose cuttings, tropicals, and others. Growers also can use Advocate to treat rooted plugs and seedlings at transplant, helping to reduce transplant shock and stimulate root growth. Growers can apply via total immersion, basal dip, basal end soak, or foliar spray, allowing flexibility in their production systems. Growers also can tank mix Advocate with other products typically used in plant production, such as fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides, biostimulants, and plant growth regulators to improve plant health and early growth.
Crest contains three PGRs (IBA, Kinetin, and GA) in proper ratios to aid in early plant growth and development. In addition to its use for improving germination and development, Crest also is effective in establishing young plants for continued growth and development throughout the growing season. Apply it through watering programs or as foliar sprays/sprenches to reduce apical dominance and to promote bud differentiation, cell division, root induction and growth.
Crest integrates well into growers’ overall production programs as it aids seed germination and early seedling growth, stimulates growth in nursery and greenhouse cuttings, and helps transplants get a better start. In addition, Crest promotes plant growth and vigor in newly planted and established shrubs, non-bearing ornamental trees, flowering plants, and ornamentals. Growers also can tank mix Crest and apply with fertilizers to improve early-season growth.
Mycorrhizal Applications Offers Improved Gibberellin PGR:
Mycorrhizal Applications has a newly reformulated ProGibb gibberellic acid PGR for the ornamental horticulture industry. ProGibb LV Plus T&O has replaced the former ProGibb T&O product, and this new formulation has several advantages over the previous product. The new ProGibb formulation utilizes the latest innovative PGR technology from Valent BioSciences LLC and offers both efficiency advantages and environmental benefits.
ProGibb LV Plus T&O contains double the active ingredient concentration of the previous formulation, which maximizes shipping and storage efficiency. The updated state-of-the-art carrier solution now has no special airfreight shipping requirements or storage concerns as it is completely non-flammable. With low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and half the post-consumer waste, ProGibb LV Plus T&O is more environmentally sustainable as well.
Gibberellin PGRs provide a wide range of benefits to ornamental producers. It promotes plant growth through cell enlargement, elongates plant and flower stems, reduces crop time, induces flowering, breaks dormancy, delays senescence, and increases seed germination. ProGibb LV Plus T&O has an OMRI Listed proprietary formulation and delivers a patented premium formulation, which was developed for use in specialty agriculture crops, to the ornamental horticulture industry.
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