Propagation






Layering is a method of propagation used on woody-stemmed herbs like upright thyme, lavender, sage, rosemary, winter savory, tarragon, and southernwoods.  Do this in the spring so that by the end of summer you have new plants to plant in the garden that will establish themselves during the fall and winter.  To layer a plant, take a healthy outside stem and bend it away from the parent plant.  Make sure soil is enriched.  "Wound" the stem by making a notch or rubbing the bark and under-bark off with a dull knife.  Anchor the stem in the ground with a piece of heavy wire that has been bent in half or use a clothespin.  Make sure you leave at least 6 inches of the branch exposed to the air.  Cover with soil and then place a brick or heavy stone on top.  After two or three months, the branch will have rooted, creating a new plant that can be cut from the parent and planted.




Another method of layering is known as stooling, mounding, or stool layering.  This type of layering is great for reviving unpruned lavender bushes, aging lavenders, or any other bushy, woody herb that has become leggy and rough-looking.  Mound up the soil around the center of the plant, burying the center branches.  If rain washes the soil away, replace it right away.  Leave it this way for about two or three months.  At the end of the time period, dig up the parent plant.  Roots will have formed all over the buried branches.  Any pieces with a few leaves and healthy roots can be cut off to be replanted into pots or directly into beds.  This gives you a bunch of new plants so you won't miss the original one!
Stool Layering

Division by Hand
Division is simply uprooting the plant, being careful not to harm the roots.  The original plant is then separated into two or three sections (divided), and then the new pieces are transplanted into their new locations.  They should continue to grow and behave much in the same way the parent plant did, since they are actual portions of that original plant.  The plants should be divided in the spring for best results.
Division Using a Knife

Many herbs, like lavender, are rarely started from seed, due to very long germination times.  Additionally, some herbs don't always produce seeds because some hybrids are "mules", or sterile.  Your best bet for propagating most herbs, especially woody ones like lavender and rosemary is, instead, through cuttings.  Propagation from cuttings is my favorite method for obtaining new plants.  I prefer to start them in a small vase of water, with no soil at all, but you may use soil if you prefer.  These cuttings, measuring 2 to 3 inches long, are taken in the summertime from side shoots.  These shoots should be from the growth of one season and may include some older wood at the base.
My Baby Rosemary--Cutting Rooted in Water
To take a cutting, grasp a healthy shoot and pull it downward so that a piece of the older wood comes with it.  Cut the branch from the original plant by making an angled cut.  This allows the cutting to soak up more water and nutrients and form roots slightly faster.  Then place these cuttings 3 to 4 inches apart in moist sandy soil.  When these cuttings have been growing for a year, they can be planted out 4 to 6 feet apart in dry, light, stony or gravelly soil that is not subject to frost.


This isn't my cutting garden, but I love her use of ordinary old bottles and jars as rooting vases.  I'm going to start saving old bottles to do this for myself!
For more tender herbs and ones that don't become very woody, like thyme or oregano, you can also take cuttings, but a slightly different method for starting them is required.  To do this, take 3-inch pieces from established plants.  You should only use the new green growth, not woody older growth.  Place the cuttings in wet sand and keep it moist for two weeks until new roots appear.  You will know they have rooted because they will resist a gentle tug and should show new top growth, too.  Don't go tugging on them for at least two weeks, though, so as not to disturb them and so you don't break any of the tiny nodules where the new roots will form.  Once the roots have grown, they can be transplanted to new pots or into the garden.

 There are several more methods of propagation that are used for gardening.  I will add more as time allows, but I believe this should be enough to get you started on your way to a full and lush herb garden.

 I hope this is helpful to you and you discover how easy it is to grow your own herbs and have a huge number of plants for free!

 Let me know how things are working out for you!

 Peace and Love Always,








Photo Credits:
Herbs for Main Title Graphic:  Photo Credit:  https://www.colourbox.com/browse/food-and-drink/spices-and-herbs/21


Layering Drawings:  by Angela Fox-Thompson


Herbs for Title Graphic 2:  Photo Credit:  https://www.colourbox.com/browse/food-and-drink/spices-and-herbs/21

Division by Hand:  Photo Credit:  http://amy-pennington.com/blog/how-to-propagate-herbs/



My Baby Rosemary:  Photo Credit:  Angela Fox-Thompson

Cool Bottle Cutting Garden:  Photo Credit:  http://radmegan.com/2011/03/rooting-herbs-from-cuttings.html



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