Best Rooting Gels and Cloning Products: 2026 Buying Guide

The gel most propagators start with: IBA rooting hormone that clings to the stem and seals the cut.

• IBA rooting hormone
• Vitamins and trace elements
• Roots typically in 1–2 weeks
• 50ml

• Works on soft cuttings through to woodier stems
• Thick and tacky, so it stays on when you push the cutting into a cube
• Made to pair with Clonex Mist

Know before you buyKeep it in the fridge, and decant a little for each session rather than dipping into the bottle.

The cheapest gel we sell, made in the UK to go with propagation plugs.

• Made for propagation plugs
• Rockwool, coco and soil too
• Made in the UK

• Coats the cut surface and holds moisture against it
• Dip, then insert without wiping the gel off
• From a well-known propagation plug brand

Know before you buyIf you specifically want a gel with a named rooting hormone, choose Clonex.

For growers who would rather not use a synthetic hormone: a biostimulant gel that prompts the plant’s own rooting.

• Hormone-free
• Non-microbial
• About 0.3ml per cutting
• Most plugs and media

• Small, precise doses, so little goes to waste
• No live cultures, so nothing to keep alive or clash with your feed

Know before you buyPush the cutting into a pre-made hole in the plug so the gel is not wiped off on the way in.

A ready-to-use spray that keeps rootless cuttings firm until they can drink for themselves.

• Ready to use
• 100ml, 300ml or 750ml
• Re-mist every 2–3 days
• Pairs with Clonex gel

• Mist at cutting time, then whenever the cuttings look dry
• No mixing or measuring
• The 750ml is the cheapest per ml

Know before you buyIt helps a humid lid; it does not replace one. Mist lightly, never to dripping.

An algae-based root stimulator for cuttings and for the weeks after potting on.

• Algae-based
• 60+ active substances
• 4ml per litre
• From 250ml

• Spray it on cuttings at 4ml per litre
• Add it to the tank at 4ml per litre after every repot, then 2ml per litre through growth

Know before you buyIt raises pH, so check and re-adjust after mixing it in. Use it alongside a rooting gel, not instead of one.

Everything except the light, matched, in one box.

• 38cm vented propagator
• 24 Root Riot cubes
• Clonex gel and mist
• Disposable scalpel

• Root Riot cubes need no soaking or pH buffering
• The vented lid holds humidity while you harden cuttings off

Know before you buyNo heat mat is included. In a cool room, add one under the tray.