How to use Urban Botanist Cloning Paste

It's pretty simple really...

1. Find the dormant bud

For the majority of house plants, the dormant bud is going to be located at each node. You may need to prune off a leaf and/or peel off the bract on the stem to reveal the bud underneath, but if it's already visible, apply directly. 

2. Apply the cloning paste

A little bit of paste goes a long way! The hormones are powerful and only very small doses are needed. Less than a pea sized dab (watch the video below to see how little to use). Wear gloves to avoid skin contact. Use a toothpick or cotton bud and apply the paste onto the dormant bud. Wash your hands after applying.

Note that Urban Botanist now has new packaging. Now available in a tin instead of a bottle (and you get more product for the same price). Available here >

What can cloning paste be used for?

Urban Botanist Cloning Paste has a natural lanolin base that's been infused with plant hormones to cleverly trick your house plants into producing new shoots when applied to dormant buds; supporting fast, new growth. Commonly used in tissue culture, the active ingredient is cytokinin. Promoting cell division and shoot proliferation. 

Used for propagation: Speeds up new growth on new cuttings. Apply cloning paste to the dormant bud after it has rooted. Especially handy for cuttings with the growth tip removed. You can use it to get the mother plant to produce new shoots faster too.

Use for new branches and bushier growth: Support apical dominance (where one main stem is dominant over side stems) to create bushier plants without having to cut off that precious new growth tip. Apply further down the main stem at a node / bud point to produce lateral branching. Really old stems won't always do much though, so if you're coming in late in the scene, and it's an older more woody stem, either find somewhere a bit further up, or try applying only to one node / bud to focus the growth effort.

How fast does cloning paste work?

Some plants see new growth after one week. 1 to 4 weeks is average. Results will vary depending on plant species, how prolific the plant naturally grows, environmental factors and seasons (use in spring and summer for the fastest results). Apply in warmer months (when daytime gets to over 20 degrees), and keep plants in higher humidity (60% plus), for even better results.

Words of warning

Don't go overboard. Only apply Urban Botanist Cloning Paste to no more than three dormant buds maximum on one plant at a time. It's powerful stuff! More than that and you'll zap your plant of energy and slow down growth instead of speed it up.

Avoid contact with skin, wash skin thoroughly if contact occurs. Keep it safely away from pets and kids. If ingested, call a poison centre. Store in a cool place away from sunlight for the longest shelf life (1 to 2 years). 

Want to know more?

The maker of Urban Botanist Cloning Paste lives in New Zealand so if you want advice we can put you in touch. A word from the head botanist himself:

"I can't guarantee this Cloning Paste will work on EVERY plant, in saying this please let me know if it does work on some of your favourites! For optimum results make sure your plant is actively growing, feeding them with your favourite fertiliser (I use a nitrogen rich booster) increased daylight hours (spring to summer or a grow light) humidity over 60% and temperatures over 20 degrees celsius."

Note that Urban Botanist now has new packaging. Now available in a tin instead of a bottle (and you get more product for the same price). Available here >