Herbs are often the first plants new gardeners start with because they are easy to grow. Not only are they easy to care for, they also beautify your garden, keep unwanted pests away and add the finishing touch to your food and drinks. Once you have a few established plants, it's time to expand your herb garden. Follow these simple steps to maintain new growth: This is how you can easily propagate your herbs through division, cuttings and sowing.
What does multiplication mean?
Multiplication is what is meantthe production of new plantsfrom a variety of sources - these include seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. There are three main methods for propagating herbs such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, dill, sage, currywort and basil: by sowing, cuttings and division. Most plants can be propagated using all three methods. When it comes to herbs, the quickest way to get more plants is to propagate from cuttings.
Propagation by division – mint, lemon balm and chives
Most herbs with fleshy, clump-forming roots are easily propagated by division. Break a mature, healthy plant into pieces without damaging the roots or base to create smaller, individual growths. The best perennial herbs are those that die and go dormant in winter - for example, lemon balm, mint, chives andfragrant lemon balm.
For best results, propagate plants by root division in the spring. This way, the newly divided plants have enough time to form a solid root system and healthy foliage over the summer.
Which plants can be used as cuttings?
Herbs are either perennial or annual. If an herb is an annual, you will need to replant it from seed every year. Lavender, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, chives and thyme are perennials. Coriander, basil, dill and fennel are annual plants, but the last two drop seeds from whichnew plants emergecan. This means that dill and fennel will grow back every year through self-sowing, but not necessarily in the same location in your garden.
You need to know which herbs are perennial and which are annual if you want to propagate them from cuttings. You can also use this method with annual herbs to overwinter them indoors and save seeds next year.
When is the best time to propagate cuttings?
The best time to propagate from cuttings is during the plant's active growth period, usually between spring and fall. Take cuttings from herbs that are not actively flowering. If there are a few flowers on the stem, you will need to remove them.
Propagating herbs – cutting off a piece
One of the easiest ways to propagate new herbs is by cutting a piece of the mother plant and placing it in soil or water to form roots. It's best to look for tender growth with three or more nodes: this is where new leaves emerge on the stems. The cutting is a 5 to 15 cm long piece of stem and contains a terminal bud.
Propagating a herb cutting in a glass of water
Before you can plant a cutting in the ground and propagate it, it must take root. Many herbs, especially moisture-loving ones like mint, can easily be rooted in water. To do this, you should place the stem of the mother plant (for example basil or lemon balm) in a glass with about 5 cm of clean water. Place the jar of water on a windowsill and after 1 to 4 weeks the cuttings should begin to grow roots. At this point you canplant them in soil.
Plant cuttings directly into pots
8 flowering herbs that look beautiful and taste great
Among all the herbs and medicinal plants, there are also those that bloom with fine flowers in different colors. In this article we present 8 flowering herbs that provide wonderful splashes of color in the garden and are perfect for the kitchen at the same time.
You can also plant your cuttings directly in pots with growing medium. For the cuttings, use a soilless growing medium (the same one you use for starting seeds). To speed up the rooting process, you can dip the stems in rooting hormone before potting. After potting, water the cuttings and cover them with a zip-top plastic bag. The cuttings root in 3 – 4 weeks.
Propagate herbs by sowing them - plant them indoors
Find the right container
Growing herb seeds indoors is easy if you know what you're doing. Just provide the right conditions and you'll have beautiful, healthy seedlings in no time. First, choose a container you want to plant in. For example, you can use egg cartons or plastic seed trays for sowing or sow the seeds directly into a sterile growing substrate such as rock wool.
Use good potting soil for sowing. In addition to the soil, you can add a little sand to improve drainage. Fill the container almost to the top with potting soil and moisten it so that it is moist but not soaking wet. Plant or lay the seeds and cover them with a little soil. Very small seeds should lie directly on the surface. On the back of the seed package you will find information about the planting depth.
Pay attention to temperature when propagating herbs
Find yourselfa sunny one, preferably a south-facing windowsill for your growing containers or place them on top of the fridge where it's nice and warm. After planting, cover the seeds with plastic wrap or place the entire container in a plastic bag. This retains moisture and promotes seed germination. Check often that the soil remains moist and remove the plastic wrap as soon as seedlings appear.
