PRODUCT: Roots Excelurator (House and Garden)
TESTED: Fall 2009
OVERALL SCORE: 89%
ELIAB’S SCORE: 90%
GROWER BASIC DATA
What base nutrients did you use while testing this product?
GH Maxi Series
Do you grow indoors, outdoors, or in a greenhouse?
Indoors and outdoors
What type of growth media (if any) do you use to root your cuttings / start your seedlings?
Grodan mini rockwool cubes & sure to grow starter cubes
What were the typical min and max temperatures in propagation, veg and flower?
68-degrees F (20-degrees C) min.
79-degrees F (26-degrees C) max.
What is your water source? (E.g. tap, rainwater, RO-machine)
Tap, filtered
What is the pH of your water? (With no nutrients or additives added)
6.5
What is the EC of your water (with no nutrients or additives added)
215 µs
What cloning product do you normally use (if any)? Gel or powder?
Rootech cloning gel
Do you use a cloning machine? Can you briefly describe your cloning method?
No machine. I clone by making a 45-degree incision along the 4th node of a shoot, trim and place in rockwool; they are raised on grid stools and placed over a heating mat.
FEEDBACK
How long did it take for your cuttings to root? Was this normal?
5 days, as usual
Was the rooting more or less vigorous / the same?
More vigorous
Did you observe an increase in vigor in your plants in early veg stage?
Yes
Did you notice an increase in root mass compared to untreated cuttings / seedlings?
Yes
SUMMARY
Was the product easy to use? Are the manufacturer’s instructions clear and accurate?
Yes
As root mass is proportional to yield, do you think that this product made a difference to the final yield?
During the 3rd week of rooting, the Roots Excelurator group took the lead. The cuttings showed a significant advantage in root growth and development over their control group counterparts.
Based on your experiences, do you have any hints and tips on getting the most out of this product?
Follow instructions to the letter! Check your cuttings daily. No aeration when using (lowers pH); best used if hand-fed.
Would you use this product again? Your 250ml sample would cost around US $77 in a store. Is it good value for money?
It sounds expensive, but if you use it judiciously and as directed, it lasts!
ELIAB RATES ROOTS EXCELURATOR: 90%
For additional grow reports on this product, click here.
There is a recommendation posted at http://www.ukhouseandgarden.co.uk/hg_rootsexcelurator.html regarding the use of this product “in the first five weeks of growth.” This makes a lot of sense. I used Roots XL all the way until the onset of my bloom cycle & found it redundant to continue using it past then. Well, by harvest time, the root mass inside the pots was so dense that it took forever to top-feed my plants. So I would have to agree with this recommendation & reiterate: use only up to the 5th week of growth; anything past that & you’re gonna have to deal with root-bound plants.
A friend mentioned something very important recently in casual conversation & I feel it necessary to share it with you. Roots XL is not a rooting hormone. It is a root STIMULATOR, so in order to stimulate the roots, there have to be roots there in the first place. You see where I’m going with this & rooting cuttings? Root your cuttings first, then use roots XL once you get roots.