After etiolated shoots emerged from the top of the bottomless pot, the upper pots and pine shavings were removed and treatments were applied on September 24. This experiment had a 2 × 2 × 3 treatment structure, with the main effects being age (4-week-old seedlings vs. one-year-old seedlings), auxin delivery system (quick dip applied with paintbrush vs. auxin solution supplied longer-term via a wicking system), and IBA [potassium salt (Phytotronics, Inc. Earth City Mo.)] at a concentration of either 0 (Control-ddH 2O only), 10,000, or 20,000 ppm delivered by painting on to the wounded area of the plant, or alternatively, IBA at concentrations of either 0, 1,000, or 5,000 ppm delivered by wicking to plants. All treatments were wounded circumferentially using sandpaper. IBA concentrations were higher for the paintbrush application than for the wicking system because traditionally, IBA concentrations are higher in quick-dips, which is comparable to painting, than in longer-term auxin applications, such as soaking cuttings in an IBA solution, which the wicking system is comparable to. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 15 plants of each treatment combination. IBA solutions were applied by either painting or swabbing the IBA solution onto the wounded area with a paintbrush (“quick-dip” method) or by placing the IBA solution into a 1.5 ml microfuge tube, inserting a wick made from cheesecloth, and wrapping and tying the wick around the wounded area of the stem. The microfuge tube was covered with parafilm to reduce solution loss into the substrate, and to secure the tube to the stem of the plant. After treatments were applied, the bottomless pots were placed back on top of the seedlings and re-filled with pine shavings. Plants were fertilized with 500 ppm Peters 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer once a week. The amount of auxin solution lost from the microfuge tube and the amount of solution applied with the paintbrush strokes were measured to calculate the amount of auxin applied to the stems using each method. Approximately 3 ml of IBA solution was taken up in the wicking system: 2 ml were instantly absorbed by the wick, and 1 ml was left remaining in the 1.5 ml microfuge tube. The remaining 1 ml was absorbed within 2 days. Therefore, 3 mg of actual IBA was removed from the tube in the 1,000 ppm wicking treatment. Fifteen mg of IBA was taken up in the 5,000 ppm wicking treatment. An estimated 0.33 ml of IBA solution was applied with the paintbrush strokes, which is approximately 3.3 mg of actual IBA applied in the 10,000 ppm IBA treatment, and 6.6