Extraction of DIY Auxines

Extraction of DIY Auxines

Auxins are a complex of compounds similar to indol-3-acetic acid (IAA), which is the first molecule in the auxin family to be discovered. Auxins are plant hormones that play a biochemical and genetic role by interacting with their specific cell receptors. The auxins exert effects on growth and on plant morphogenesis; among these we underline: the stimulation of cell distension in the stems and in the coleoptili; increasing the extensibility of the cell wall in coleoptils and in young developing stems; the regulation of growth in both roots and leaves and the regulation of fruit development. Given their role in the growth and productivity of plants, in this contribution we will see an extraction of DIY auxins, that is obtained in your farm or simply, more amateurly at home.

The extraction of this hormone can be done simply by exploiting the ability, during the germination of the lentils to produce this acid. The procedure is simple and is as follows. Here we will use quantities for small uses, but in the case of greater need it will suffice to make the appropriate proportions. It starts with a bowl of dried lentils to be soaked in 4 bowls of deionized water. At this point, the container where you placed this mixture should be covered or placed in any case in the dark and in place with a temperature of around 20-25 ° C. the germination of lentils is quite rapid, on average 4-5 days; at the end of the 5th day the lentils will have already produced a considerable concentration of auxins, essential so that, which would serve the future plants for the growth phase. We must then implement a procedure to extract the auxins produced to be able to then use them for our purposes. The procedure is simple: just blend the lentil mixture with the water and then filter the mixture. You will get a kind of latex very rich in auxins. For the use of this “latex” you must make a dilution that can vary from 1 to 3 (with water always deionized) to 1 to 5. This hormone can be used, like other natural hormones, to make root better than cuttings but it can be used in a very useful way also for other purposes. As the auxins also play the role of growth of the plant and its fruits, we will try to apply this principle to our plants with the help of the auxins produced. In this case the percentages must be changed; it can be diluted 1 to 5 to use it in fertigation or 1 to 10 for foliar spraying. If the foliar treatment is adopted, it is advisable, where possible, to spray from the bottom upwards so as to wet the lower part of the leaf, thus increasing the absorption rate. However, whether it is used in fertigation or for leaf spraying (to be done in the sunset hours to avoid damaging leaves and flowers), the treatment can be used in the phase in which the plant passes from the vegetative phase to the productive one (just before the emission of the first flowers). This treatment can be repeated throughout the flowering period every 2-3 weeks. The plant will respond to these treatments by increasing the flowering and setting, increasing productivity without the use of synthetic products and in any case with a completely natural and harmless system for human consumption.