Grower questions about Advocate

Photo courtesy of Fine Americas

Commercial producers of annuals, herbaceous perennials and woody perennials have been asking about rates, application spray volumes and application timings as use has grown for Advocate®, the company’s rooting hormone. Here are some of the most common questions Fine Americas’ Technical Services Group answers regarding Advocate.

Greenhouse Management: Can growers wait to spray the cuttings once they are stuck, or do they have to spray them immediately?

Jim Scruggs: You can spray them either way. They can be sprayed as soon as they are stuck in the growing media, but most growers seem to be sticking the cuttings, moving them into a greenhouse for up to 24 hours and then spraying or sprenching the Advocate solution over the cuttings.

GM: How long can I wait to spray the cuttings after I stick them?

JS: You should spray them within 48 hours of sticking. However,as previously noted, most growers seem to be spraying the cuttings within 24 hours after sticking.

GM: Does Advocate work well with varieties that are hard to root?

JS: Growers of woody perennial plant species are finding success with the product and are contacting us about how to get better results with their very hard to root varieties. We are currently working with a few greenhouses that propagate woody perennials, looking at rates, timings and number of applications to help with the difficult to root species and cultivars. Success rates for rooting some of these very difficult species and varieties are very low, and growers are looking for help in this area. We are working with growers that propagate these difficult to root species to improve success rates. More work and research with Advocate and other potential products, rates, timings and application methods are being investigated.

To help growers with these and other questions, Fine Americas has been working on a technical guide. In May 2023, Fine Americas, in cooperation with multiple university researchers, will release a guide for the use of Advocate on annuals and herbaceous perennials. Fine Americas is sponsoring this guide to help growers better utilize this tool to help plants establish a root system quicker, which makes for a healthier plant. The guide will cover the use of Advocate via multiple application techniques but will focus on the preferred method of spraying the product over the cuttings following sticking. Advocate application rates, solution spray volumes and potential tank mixes for certain species will also be included in the Advocate guide.