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Last season, a neighbor brought over a basket of herbs and vegetables including some very fresh Rosemary sprigs. Since I like to grow my own herbs, I immediately took a 4-5 inch section of a Rosemary sprig and prepared it to propagate in my garden. Now I have a healthy plant in my raised bed – that I use when cooking. And now this season, I have been looking for opportunities to create a few more Rosemary plants. I am sharing here the steps I took to propagate a cutting from my new plant. You can use these generic steps to propagate almost any plant that doesn't have a woody stem.
1. Select and cut a sprig from your plant that is about 4-6 inches in length and is in a growth spurt. Ideally, use a very sharp clean blade so as to not harm the mother plant. These young sprigs are ready to propagate and be able to form roots when placed into the ground or a pot. Don't even try to use woody stems – they mostly don't work.  |
| Photo: by author |
2. Trim or pull off leaves from the bottom ½ to 2/3 of the sprig. Each of those locations have meristematic tissue which will grow roots after planting. And I usually trim off any stem at the very bottom up to below the first trimmed leave node.
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| Photo: by author |
3. Next, trim off any flowers or large leaves. I sometimes cut large leaves in half. The key point here is to have energy go into developing root structure and not into producing leaves and flowers.
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| Photo: by author |
4. Prepare your pot using potting soil. In my experience, almost anything can work. The mixture should be loose, well-draining and have plenty of oxygen movement for newly forming roots. Be sure to pre-moisten the soil before inserting your cutting.
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| Photo: by author |
5. To help the cutting to start developing roots – you can dip the stem into some rooting hormone. This is optional but it often helps.
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| Photo: by author |
6. Next, carefully create a relatively deep hole about the size of your finger. Place your cutting in the hole and snug up the soil around the cutting.
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| Photo: by author |
7. Keep your new planting in a indirectly lit area that is not too hot. It’s not ready for direct sun. Some gardeners place a plastic bag over the planting but I have had success without. Check your new plant on a regular basis and ensure that the soil does not dry out. You can check to see if roots are developing by giving the plant a gentle tug. This process can take 2 weeks to a month depending on the plant.
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| Photo: by author |
