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Getting Started Growing Herbs
By Flower | March 11, 2010
You can go by your home improvement, nursery or greenhouse to buy your herb plants. You can also germinate your own herbs from seeds. There is another way to get your own herbs, called propagation, and it is cheaper than either buying herbs or growing them as seeds.
The method of propagation is simple; all you need to do is identify a person who has that plant (a friend, neighbor or family member) and then take part of that herb by dividing it or by cutting part of it off.
Division works just like it sounds: you take an existing herb and divide it into smaller herbs.. You can easily do this with a clump of chives or thyme. Use your trowel to separate the herb all the way down through the roots. If you’re separating a creeping plant like English chamomile, it will be a lot simpler.
For small herbs, you can use a couple of forks instead of a trowel when dividing. One thing you’ll want to do is water it you will be dividing the day before, the soft, moist earth will be ready the next day. Next, all you need to do is replant the divided part just like an herb that you would buy at the nursery.
One thing that is different is that you are going to want to fertilize the new little herb when you put it into the ground. I’d also recommend that you use a root stimulator to help in supporting those tender roots that will need to grow to support the divided herb.
Taking a cutting is even easier than division because you won’t have to dig anything up. Just keep in mind that your cuttings will not have any roots and cannot be put in the ground or in a pot until it does, which could take several weeks.. Another potential problem is that not all plants can be propagated by making a cutting from an existing herb.
Fresh, immature herbs are easier to get cuttings from than the mature, woodier ones . But like I always say; make do with what you have. When making a cutting, follow these guidelines:
- Just cut off a branch of the plant that includes at least 3 leaves and then trim off the leaves
- Now here is where I am different from other folks: take your branch and soak it for about 8 hours in a diluted mixture of both root stimulator and water.
- When you remove the stems from the root stimulator, stick it into a small pot of rich and moistened soil. Be sure to bury up the branch (which is now the stem) and all the places where you removed the leaves.
- After a few days, add a little more water. This will keep the stem moist. But you do not want to drown it. Give your cutting 4 weeks to start growing its new leaves.
Some of my favorite herbs to start from cuttings include: rosemary, salvias, scented geranium, vervain and white willow.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more Herb Garden Information. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
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