Propagating herbs: cuttings, sowing & Co.

Cooking with home-grown herbs is much more aromatic. We show you how easy it is to propagate herbs yourself so that you can enjoy them all year round.

Homegrown herbs are among the most popular plants in the vegetable bed or on the windowsill. No wonder, after all, not only do they often taste much more intense than store-bought herbs - it is also child's play to grow herbs yourself, so that their cultivation is also suitable for beginners. Since many herbs can only be cultivated here for one year, many gardeners are faced with the problem few years ago, the question of whether you really have to buy seeds or whether you shouldn't propagate herbs yourself can. In fact, propagating herbs is not that difficult once you know how it works. You can find out about the different methods of growing and propagating herbs in our article.

Grow your own herbs

It doesn't matter whether it's a medicinal herb or a spice: growing herbs yourself is quick and easy in most cases. You are spoiled for choice as to which method to use to propagate the plants. The most well-known method is probably sowing herbs, but you can also propagate herbs by cuttings or divide the herbs. Which method you prefer to grow herbs often depends on the plant itself. We take a closer look at the three methods below and show what conditions have to be met in order to successfully propagate the herbs.

Sowing herbs: timing and conditions

An easy and convenient way to propagate herbs is from seeds. In this way, any herbs can be grown at home. Another advantage: Seeds of every herb, often even different varieties, are available in well-stocked specialist shops. Still, some conditions must be known for the successful sowing of herbs.

• Time:
  It is important to know when to sow the herbs. If sowing is to be done directly outdoors, this should not be done before the beginning of May. Otherwise, the threat of late frosts during the Ice Saints could endanger and kill the tender seedlings. In the sheltered house on the warm windowsill, however, herbs can be sown from the end of February. From mid-May, the strengthened young plants can then be planted outdoors with a clear growth advantage or placed in pots in the garden. Herb seed packets usually come with very clear recommendations as to when the seed should be sown.

• Warmth:
  Heat is usually required to induce the germination process of the seeds. For most herbs, the optimum temperature during germination is around 20°C. Lower temperatures do no harm per se. However, the following applies: The further the temperature is below the optimal germination temperature, the longer the germination process takes. Sowing the herbs in a raised bed or cold frame is a good way of providing herb seeds with the required germination temperatures outdoors. The conditions here are warmer than in the open bed, so the herbs germinate faster. The instructions on the back of the seed packet tell you what temperature the seed of the respective herb prefers.

• Light:
  Light is also a crucial factor that can make the difference between success and failure when growing herbs from seed. This is how it is with some herbs like basil (Ocimum basilicum) or oregano (Origanum vulgare) to so-called light germinator. This means that the seeds of these species need light to germinate, so they should not be covered with a substrate layer. Other herbal seeds, on the other hand, require darkness to trigger the stimulus to germinate. Still other species don't care at all and so their seeds germinate both in the dark and in the light.

• Humidity:
  It is extremely problematic for seedlings if they experience a lack of water during the germination process. It is therefore important to ensure that they are always kept evenly moist when cultivating the herbs. In general, therefore, a fine shower is used after sowing the herbs. Both germinate in the dark a substrate layer can also protect the germinating seeds from drying out. This is not possible with light germs, which is why it has to be watered particularly regularly. It is important that a fine spray is always used so that the seed is not washed away.

Tip: Our Plantura herb growing set includes everything you need to successfully sow your own herbs: seeds for five Various aromatic herbs, growing pots, substrate, plant markers and a reusable one mini greenhouse.

Propagating herbs from cuttings

A popular and quick way to propagate plants is by rooting cuttings. Of course, this is also possible with herbs - however, the herbs must develop herbaceous plant parts so that the propagation of cuttings can work with herbs. This is the case for a large part of the herbs, so that the herbs can easily be propagated by cuttings.

Herb propagation with cuttings: The right conditions

Even with cuttings, there are a few things to consider so that you can crown your gardening efforts with the successful cultivation of herbs:

• Time:
  Spring or early summer is best for propagating herbs from cuttings. Then the mother plants, from which the cuttings are taken, have already formed new young shoots. You have found the best time when the shoots are green and soft and have not yet formed any flowers.

• Humidity:
  The be-all and end-all when propagating by cuttings is to create high humidity. Cuttings do not have roots with which to make up for the water loss that occurs through the leaves. If the humidity in the area is high, the evaporation of water from the leaves is reduced and less water has to be supplied. Small ones are best for growing herbs at home mini greenhouses for the windowsill. Make sure, however, that you air covered cuttings regularly, otherwise mold can form.
  The soil should also be really wet during the rooting phase. When the first new leaves form, it is very likely that roots have already formed at the lower end. From this point on, the soil is only kept moist.

• warmth and light:
  In order for the cuttings to develop new roots quickly, they need light and warmth. A bright place without direct sunlight is well suited for growing cuttings. Temperatures around 20 °C have a positive effect, especially in the root area. There are special heating mats in specialist shops on which you can place your mini greenhouses to grow the cuttings.

• Loose growing soil:
  It is not for nothing that professional commercial nurseries as well as experienced hobby gardeners use a special growing soil for rooting cuttings. You can mix this yourself from nutrient-poor, fine potting soil and a third of sand or perlite. In addition to the lack of nutrients, it is crucial that the cultivation substrate is loose and has enough air contains, since the cuttings are otherwise easily attacked by putrefaction pathogens with the plentiful water supply could.
  Cultivation with special mixtures for this purpose is child's play. It is crucial that this soil is only minimally fertilized, which encourages the cuttings to develop strong roots.

• plant hormones:
  Some herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, have difficulty rooting on cuttings. Whether roots are formed at the interface depends on the release of two plant hormones - auxin and cytokinin - in the right proportion. In difficult cases, plant hormones in powder form can help. The preparation is simply painted at the cutting point of the cutting. Root fix is ​​one such preparation that is well known to many gardeners.

Properties of optimal herb cuttings

Herb propagation via cuttings is not very promising if the cuttings are cut incorrectly. That's why you have to know exactly how to proceed and according to which criteria you choose the material for the propagation of herbs by cuttings:

• Cut only young shoots that are as little woody as possible.
• Only use cuttings without flowers or flower buds.
• Herbs can be propagated particularly well with head cuttings, but sections without a tip can also form roots.
• If possible, do not store cuttings, but stick them directly.
• The size of cuttings should be two to three pairs of leaves or a maximum of 5 to 10 cm.
• Cut the cuttings long and diagonally with a sharp knife.
• Remove all leaves except for the top pair of leaves, cut the leaves in half on plants with large leaves.
• Insert cuttings as deep as possible and press firmly.

Propagate herbs by division

If you already have a plant in your own garden that you would like to propagate, this can sometimes be done by dividing it. The following herbs can be excellently propagated by division because they constantly grow by rooting Propagate offshoots so that viable clones of the mother plant can be obtained separately simply by separating these shoots be able.

Examples of herbs that are easy to share:

• chives (Alliumschoenoprasum)
• mint (mentha)
• sage (Salvia officinalis)
• oregano and marjoram (Origanum vulgare/Origanum majorana)
• creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans)
• mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
• Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
• ...and all other herbs that form roots on side shoots

To divide a flat-growing plant like marjoram, simply pierce it with a sharp spade and remove the part to be separated from the mother plant. In the case of bushy herbs such as sage, individual rooted shoots are separated from the rest of the mother plant with rose shears. After dividing, the natural offshoots of the mother plant can be planted out in the bed. Alternatively, you can plant the herbs in a pot with fresh substrate. In any case, however, it must be cast well afterwards so that the substrate or the place loosened soil well in the bed and the water can be absorbed by the roots of the divided plant can.

tip: Some herbs such as peppermint and chives have a higher nutrient requirement and should be supplemented with fertilizer. A sustainable and effective choice is ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer with a long-term effect.

By the way: Planting the freshly propagated herbs in a herb spiral has many advantages, because the different location preferences of the aromatic plants can be satisfied here. How you die Plant the herb spiral correctly, you will find out in our article.