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Sharing Herbs: Propagation Basics

© Laurel Morris

Your friend has a special thyme that you'd love to grow. Maybe you have an herb your friend wants. Networking with other gardeners can bring satisfying results. By brushing up on your propagating and seed saving skills, you can save yourself and your friends money and greatly increase the number of herbs you grow. Spread your love of herbs, your goodwill and positive energy by sharing herbs! Here are a few ways that plants can be shared:

DIVISION

This is an easy method good for a number of perennial herbs including thyme, oregano and chives, catnip and tansy. Dig up the plant and look for good areas to divide it. Sometimes it will naturally full apart and almost create separate plants itself. If the plant's roots are tightly packed together, "surgery" Will have to be performed. use a garden saw or my favorite tool, the serrated steak knife, and cut the plant into pieces and re-pot. Save enough for yourself in order to produce a good harvest. Dividing bulbs and rhizomes can be included in this category also, as well as separating "babies" from aloe vera.

CUTTINGS

Sages, roses, basil, tarragon and lavender, actually practically most herbs can be propagated by this method. Cuttings from soft wood are successfully rooted in spring and summer. Find a young branch that has not turned woody or hard yet and make a clean slice below a leaf node with a razor or sharp knife. A clean cut is very important and desirable to prevent any cell bruising or damage. Take the leaves off the lower half, leaving two or three leaves. Dip the lower part in rooting powder (available at garden centers). If rooting power is not available, try rooting the cutting without it. Many cuttings will root without the powder. Tap off the excess powder and plant the cutting in a medium of half potting soil and half sand. Water and mist well and enclose the pot in a plastic bag, placing in indirect sun in a warm area. Watch the cuttings, and when top growth is seen, new roots are probably forming.

LAYERING

Simple layering is done by weighing down a branch of a plant into the soil until roots develop, then cutting it free of the parent plant. Spring is a great time of year for layering, when plants are putting forth lots of vigorous growth. After placing the branch on the soil, cover it with some fine soil and firm down. Use a brick, piece of wood or a long garden staple (used to hold garden mulch fabric), or fashion one yourself with some thicker wire. The soil should be kept consistently moist. Check periodically for rooting. If started in the spring, it may be ready sometime in the summer, depending on the type of plant and how fast it grows. Try this method with rosemary and sage.