Fresh rosemary is one of the tastiest and most fragrant herbs in the kitchen. Growing it is very easy and all she needs is sun and a little water. That is why it never hurts to have several plants at home to always have fresh rosemary to flavor your dishes. There is a trick to multiply rosemary infinitely without buying new plants. Let’s see how it goes!
Rosemary, how to propagate it at home for free: the amazing trick!
Instead of buying a new rosemary plant every year or growing new plants from seed, try growing your own rosemary plant from cuttings. The advantages of growing rosemary cuttings over growing them from seed include:
- A rosemary plant rooted from a cutting will mature faster than a plant born from seed. Rosemary seeds usually have a low germination rate and take a long time to germinate and grow. A rosemary cutting reaches a usable size after just a few months, so you can harvest rosemary earlier.
- The rosemary plant you grow from cuttings is an exact clone of the mother plant and has the same taste, disease resistance, and growth.
- A single plant can yield numerous cuttings without affecting plant health. In this way, you can decorate your kitchen, windowsill or garden with lots of rosemary plants that give off a wonderful aroma.
How to propagate rosemary infinitely from cuttings, here’s the trick!
Here are the steps to take rosemary cuttings from a mother plant and grow the new plants in pots that can be kept outside in the summer and indoors in the winter.
1. Select new shoots from the mother plant.
Choose fresh, healthy stems. The younger shoots are best, with green, bendable stems, which are usually found at the base of the plant. Avoid old, brown, woody stems.
2. Cut stem cuttings
Cut off the rosemary stem with sharp scissors about 10 centimeters from the growth tip. Cut off a few leftover stems if they don’t take root.
3. Remove the lower leaves of the rosemary.
Carefully remove about 2 inches of rosemary needles from the bottom of the stem.
4. Place the cuttings in water.
Legen Sie die Stiele in eine Schüssel mit Wasser und an einen warmen Ort ohne direkte Sonneneinstrahlung. Wechseln Sie das Wasser jeden zweiten Tag und ersetzen Sie es durch Wasser mit Raumtemperatur. Frisches Wasser sorgt für gelösten Sauerstoff und verhindert das Verrotten des Steckguts. Rosmarinstecklinge sollten je nach Temperatur innerhalb weniger Wochen Wurzeln schlagen.
Bei niedrigeren Temperaturen kann es länger dauern. Nach 4 bis 8 Wochen sollte klar sein, ob Rosmarinstecklinge überlebt haben. Stecklinge, die nicht überleben, werden braun und geben Nadeln frei. Wenn Ihr Rosmarinsteckling noch am Leben ist, geben Sie ihm etwas mehr Zeit.
5. Rosmarinstecklinge umtopfen
Rosemary cuttings can be planted in soil or in larger pots if you see 4 to 6 roots of at least 1 cm in length on each stem. Use a well-drained, sandy loam soil. Mix equal parts potting soil and fine sand. Or use potting soil.
For each cut of rosemary, fill a 4-inch pot with slightly damp soil. Make a hole in the ground about 5 cm in size. Insert the cutting into the hole, being careful not to damage the roots. Carefully cover it with soil and water it well. Place the newly planted rosemary under indirect light or filtered sunlight until rooting, then expose it to direct light for at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Keep the soil moist until you see new leaves grow.
Let the new plants grow a little before harvesting. Once the plant is about 6 inches or more tall, harvest it by pruning the stems as needed. Rosemary grows slowly, so don’t harvest more than a third of the plant at a time.
Always fresh rosemary, how to get a strong and leafy plant
Rosemary is a fairly resilient plant once it has adapted and grown. Here are some tips to keep your plant healthy and productive:
Grow them in a sunny location. Rosemary grows best if you leave it in the sun for 6 to 8 hours in summer. Water when the soil is dry, in the early morning or afternoon. Allow the first few centimetres of soil to dry out between waterings. To be sure if you need to water or not, just stick a finger in the soil to see if it’s wet or dry underneath.
Repot to a larger pot as the plant grows and the roots fill the pot. A rosemary plant growing in a pot can reach a height of 30 to 90 cm. Cut rosemary frequently to further promote its growth. Prune the plant after flowering to keep it compact. Cut off the old, dry branches, leaving only the fresh ones.
