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Overview
With fresh new shoots emerging on your rosemary plant, now is the perfect time to take cuttings and boost your plant numbers. Early in the day, snip off shoots without flowers and pop them in a plastic bag. Seal it and keep it in a shady spot to prevent wilting until you are ready to root the cuttings.
Do it:
May - August
Takes just:
30 minutes
How to do it
-
Snip off shoots of new growth 10cm - 15cm long. To reduce moisture loss, remove most of the lower leaves so you have a clean length of stem. -
Use a sharp knife to cut off the base of the stem just below a leaf node - the point from which the leaves grow. -
Dip the stem ends in hormone rooting powder to speed up the rooting process. -
Fill pots with a gritty compost mix. Insert several rosemary cuttings around the edge, or plant individually in seed tray modules. -
Water in cuttings from above to settle compost around their stems. Place pots in a cold frame in a sheltered, shaded area, indoors in a propagator or simply cover with a plastic bag to retain the moisure. -
After a few weeks, gently invert pots and check for signs of root development. Mist over foliage and ensure the compost stays moist. -
Once they have a good root system, tease cuttings apart and pot up individually into a loam-based compost, such as John Innes No. 2. -
Keep plants watered and pot them on again as they get larger and the roots fill their container. They should be big enough to plant out in the following spring.
"Cutting compost contains few nutrients, so feed the rosemary plants with a dilute solution of fertiliser as soon as roots have formed."
