Depends on the specific product but by and large, no :-) Most contain some sort of growth hormone, some have B1 and other nondisclosed and rather mysterious additives (that may or may not do anything) and some are just a root booster fertilizer with a higher concentration of phosphorus, often sold as a 'starter' fertilizer.Of any of these I would opt for the starter fert first Here is a link that might be useful: root stimulators - fact or fiction

Rooting hormones are a relatively inexpensive way to increase your chances. I can't see why you would want to avoid using them. I went the whole route. Bottom heat, a mist system on a timer, all under lath and shade cloth. Oh yes, and a rooting hormone. I successfully propagated hundreds of shrubs and trees. You should check out the GardenWeb Plant Propagation Forum. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/propa/ Mike Here is a link that might be useful: Plant propagation.

GardenGal - I've shared this here at GW several times & on a couple of other forum sites as well. The title has been the same since I wrote it back in '98 or so. ;o) Superthrive or Superjivesize> The question of the value of Superthrive as a miracle tonic for plants is often bandied about in horticultural circles. Several years ago, after reading claims that range from "I put it on and my plant, which had never bloomed, was in full bloom the next day" to "It was dead - I put Superthrive on it and the next day it was alive and beautiful, growing better than it ever had before", I decided to find out for myself. If you look for information on the net, youll find the manufacturerÂs claims and anecdotal observations, totally lacking in anything that resembles anything like a control. Though my experiments were far from scientific, I tried to keep some loose controls in place so that I could make a fair judgment of its value, based my own observations. Here is what I did, what I found, and the conclusions I made about my use of the product "Superthrive". On four separate occasions, I took multiple cuttings from the same plant. The plant materials I used were: Ficus benjamina, (a tropical weeping fig) Luna apiculata (Peruvian myrtle), Chaenorrhinum minus (a dwarf snapdragon), and an unknown variety of Coleus. In each instance, I prepared cuttings from the same plant and inserted them in a very fast, sterile soil. Half of the cuttings were soaked in a Superthrive solution of approximately 1/2 tsp per gallon of water. The other half of the cuttings were watered in with water. In subsequent waterings, I would water the "Superthrive batch" of cuttings with a solution of 10 drops per gallon and the others with water. The same fertilizer regimen was followed on both groups of cuttings. In all four instances, the cuttings that I used Superthrive on rooted first. For this reason, it follows that they would naturally exhibit better development, though I could see no difference in vitality, once rooted. I can also say that a slightly higher percentage f cuttings rooted that were treated to the Superthrive treatment. I suspect that is directly related to the effects of the auxin in Superthrive hastening root initiation before potential vascular connections were destroyed by rot causing organisms. In particular, something I looked for because of my affinity for compact branching in plants was branch (stem) extension. Though the cuttings treated with Superthrive rooted sooner, they exhibited the same amount of branch extension. In other words, internode length was approximately equal. As a second part to each of my "experiments", I divided the group of cuttings that had not been treated with Superthrive into two groups. One of the groups remained on the water only program, while the other group was treated to a 10 drop per gallon solution of Superthrive. Again, the fertilizer regimen was the same for both groups. By summerÂs end, I could detect no difference in bio-mass or vitality between the two groups of plants. Since I replicated the above in four different trials, using four different plant materials, IÂm confident in drawing some conclusions as they apply to me and my growing habits or abilities. First, based on my observations, I have concluded that Superthrive holds value for me as a rooting aid, or stimulant if you prefer. I regularly soak the soil, usually overnight, of my newly root-pruned and usually bare-rooted repots in a solution of 1/2 tsp Superthrive per gallon of water. Second, and also based on my observations, I donÂt bother with its use at any time other than at repotting. No evidence was accumulated through the 4 trials to convince me that Superthrive was of any value as a "tonic" for plants with roots that were beyond the initiation or recovery stage. The first ingredient listed as beneficial on the Superthrive label is vitamin B-1 (or thiamine). Growing plants are able to synthesize their own vitamin B-1 as do many of the fungi and bacteria having relationships with plant roots, so it's extremely doubtful that vitamin B-1 could be deficient in soils or that a growing plant could exhibit a vitamin B-1 deficiency. Some will note that I used more of the product than suggested on the container. I wanted to see if any unwanted effects surfaced as well as trying to be sure there was ample opportunity for clear delineation between the groups. I suspect that if a more dilute solution was used, the difference between groups would have been less clear. It might be worth noting that since the product contains the growth regulator (hormone) auxin, its overuse can cause defoliation, at least in dicots. The broad-leaf weed killer Weed-B-Gone and the infamous Agent Orange, a defoliant that saw widespread use in Viet Nam, are little more than synthetic auxin. Al Fassezke

In all my many years of growing tomato transplants I can honestly say that I have never needed or used any kind of growth hormone and/or root stimulator. On some flowers and soft wood cuttings, yes. But never on tomato plants. And if any other regulars here are using them, they aren't saying anything about it in public discussions here. ;) Your plants look fine now but I fear they are going to be awfully large come plant out day in your zone which is what - at least 6 weeks away? So slowing down growth would be a better goal than stimulating more growth, right? Good luck. Dave