If you look through books or social media guides on growing succulents, you'll often find recommendations to use a "rooting agent" after cutting or repotting. The two most common are Menedael and Rooton—both with names that make them sound like they're guaranteed to boost your plant’s roots!

But do these two products actually work?

Are you using them just because someone told you to, without questioning it? As editor-in-chief of PUKUBOOK—and a self-confessed science enthusiast—I never shy away from challenging gardening "common sense." I love putting things to the test myself!

This time (with results limited to Aeonium, since that's what was available in season), I’ll not only share the results of my experiments and tests, but also reveal the "ultimate rooting method" that emerged from those experiments.

Remember, these results are based solely on experiments conducted at home, and outcomes can vary greatly depending on conditions. Use all chemicals according to their instructions and dosage—they do work in certain cases! This is not meant to dismiss the hard work of companies researching and producing these products. Thank you for your understanding.

First Round: Rooting at the End of Summer

I started near the end of July. At this time, Aeonium—and almost every succulent—is dormant, so rooting is pretty much impossible. But I wanted to see if roots could grow in this "hopeless" time of year.

Here’s the conclusion: Absolutely no effect whatsoever!

Despite carefully preparing lots of different conditions, not a single plant showed even a millimeter of growth. Is inducing rooting in summer impossible, even with the help of science?

# But wait, this is just the setup. There’s actually a great trick—read the column below for details!

# Also, I used only a small amount of Rooton in this round. It’s possible that using the right amount might yield better results.

Second Round: Try, Try Again! Reviving Damaged Plants After Summer

By early October, temperatures were cooling down, but my Aeoniums—especially those hit hard in summer—still weren’t moving. After taking living branches from an ailing Pink Witch, I decided to run a rooting and growth comparison. This time, it was straightforward: three groups—no treatment, Menedael, or Rooton. I made sure the sizes matched as closely as possible, and watered carefully to avoid dripping chemical residues into other pots.

So what happened?

Wait... isn’t the "no-treatment" group looking the healthiest?

Third Round: Rooting Cuttings of Healthy Plants in Early Fall

Late October, and I’d imported some Medusa cuttings from abroad. These were recently cut—so understandably sulking a little, but basically healthy seedlings. I wanted to see how to root and rehydrate them most quickly. This time, I compared six patterns: all variations of nothing, Menedael, or Rooton, with either "let cuttings dry for 2 days before planting" or "plant immediately after cutting."

Here’s what happened:

Comparing the chemical groups, the winner—three of four plants with tons of roots—was the "no-treatment" group! What?! Again?

Here’s something interesting: for the Menedael cuttings, those that were dried before planting rooted well, but those planted immediately after cutting did poorly. That means the cuttings that absorbed Menedael directly from their fresh wounds didn’t grow as well. Did this act as a negative factor?

But the Rooton cuttings were even weirder. On close inspection, tons of roots were popping out all along the stems, it was almost unsettling. Every possible growth point on the stem seemed to have turned into a root. So, Rooton absolutely does induce rooting—no question. But having so many roots seemed to backfire: the roots were short, poorly anchored, and the plants seemed wobbly with less water uptake than the untreated group. Too effective—and actually a negative. Maybe adjusting the dosage would help.

This time, I also checked if drying after cutting matters—comparing plants dried first to those immediately planted. Drying seems safer (less risk of infection), but immediate planting might absorb chemicals better. Which is best?

For Aeonium, drying the cuttings seemed to give slightly better results, but the difference was minor—so if it’s more convenient for you, "plant immediately" is probably fine.

Sample size was small though, so I’m holding off on final conclusions for now.

Conclusion: The Ultimate Rooting Method

From these results, here’s the ultimate way to root Aeoniums:

"Cut, immediately plant the stem into soil, and use bottom-watering (no chemicals needed)"

It’s a boring answer, but also the easiest—and it worked the best.

Of course, Menedael and Rooton both have their uses, and in the right situation, they’ll be effective. But at least in this study, there was no difference with or without them—in fact, sometimes it even seemed to get in the way! If adding extra cost and labor doesn’t guarantee a plus, why bother?

With chemicals, you might see a big positive effect—but that’s only meaningful if you test whether your dosage and method actually work, in your context. For that, you really need to try "comparison experiments" like the ones I ran. I hope you’ll give those a try, too.

^Note: Doing things "as stated in the manual" is what I did for every experiment this time, just in case you’re wondering what’s appropriate.

What Exactly Is Menedael?

With a name that sounds like "buds and roots will come out," Menedael is classified as a "vitalizer." Its main ingredient is divalent iron ion—a kind of iron essential for plant growth, though soils don’t always contain enough. If your soil is low in iron, you’ll need to supplement. But here’s what I realized:
- If your soil already has enough iron, Menedael won’t make a difference
- The iron in Menedael helps overall plant growth, but doesn’t specifically stimulate roots or shoots
To put it simply: the common claim "use after cutting for a rooting boost" is a misconception. Sometimes there’s no effect at all! It’s really more like a fertilizer supplement—so regular, scheduled use (like fertilizer) makes more sense.

^Vitalizer: To break it down, think "dilute fertilizer." Fertilizers, as defined by Japanese law, have regulated minimum concentrations. Anything below that is called a "vitalizer." If water is a plant’s "meal," and fertilizer its "main dish," a vitalizer is the "supplement."

What Exactly Is Rooton?

Also with a "rooty" name, Rooton’s classification is totally different: it’s a "plant hormone." The main ingredient is naphthylacetamide, a synthetic auxin—the same hormone plants themselves produce to signal root growth. By applying this, you’re essentially giving the plant a magical scientific push to produce roots.

Other plant hormone products, like Oxyberon, also use auxins (you might see these on social media too). Oxyberon seems to use a naturally occurring auxin as its active ingredient. (Makes sense, given the name.)

In Summary

My original plan wasn’t to be critical—if anything, I wanted to prove how amazing these products are!

But as with soil, fertilizer, watering, sunlight—every method out there, from guidebooks or social media, won’t always work the same way in your own environment. It’s possible that it might even backfire. That's why it’s so important not to just take things at face value, but to try "comparison experiments" and see for yourself. It’s slow and unglamorous, but the surest shortcut to becoming a true plant master!

And of course, please don’t just take my word for it—try your own comparison experiments!