Regrowing Herbs: Video & Instructions

Fresh herbs give many dishes the right kick. But often you only need a little something, the rest ends up in the trash. It doesn't have to be! Many herbs can easily be regrown in pots. The reason: Most herbs can easily be propagated by cuttings. Although mint, cilantro, basil and lemongrass seem very different, they all have one thing in common in common: New young plants can be grown from cuttings from the apparently obsolete old plant breed. And that's not only easy, it's also good for the environment and your wallet.

regrow basil

What would Italian cuisine be without basil? But what do you do with the leftover herbs? The answer is very simple: you cut off the shoot tips to a length of about 5 to 7 cm. Then remove the lower leaves and place the cuttings in water for about seven days. Here the basil cuttings form new roots. When they are about 4 to 5 cm long, they are ready to be planted. To do this, simply place the basil in the soil up to about 1 cm in front of the lowest pair of leaves and water vigorously. Now all you need is a little patience and a little water from the watering can every now and then and your cutting will become a stately plant.

Here's a quick recap of how to regrow basil:

1. cuttings of 5 – Cut off 7 cm size
2. Remove the lower leaves of the cuttings
3. Soak in water for 7 days
4. Plant cuttings in a pot with potting soil

Regrow mint

In the mint the procedure is the same with the basil. First, the cuttings should be shortened to a length of 5 to 7 cm. Then remove the lower leaves, leaving only the first two to three pairs of leaves at the top of the shoot. The remaining leaves form too large an evaporation surface for the plant and would ensure that it dries up and dies despite watering. Now the prepared cuttings can root out in a glass of water. If the roots have developed far enough after about seven days, the cutting is ready for the pot. Here it can best be planted in moistened and peat-free soil so that it soon grows and thrives.

Here's a quick recap of how to regrow mint:

1. The individual mint shoots to a length of 5 – Shorten 7 cm
2. Defoliate the lower part of the cuttings
3. Soak in water for about a week
4. The cutting is ready for planting

Regrow cilantro

coriander Unlike basil or mint, it is propagated by root cuttings. Therefore, when cutting to a length of about 5 to 7 cm, it is not the roots that should be cut back, but the upper part of the plant including the leaves. As a rough guide, a cut about 2cm above the area where the plant would leave the ground is ideal. After that, the plant should be left in fresh water for about seven days. Once it has formed enough roots, the coriander can be planted again, preferably in a flower pot with peat-free soil.

Here's a quick recap of regrowing cilantro:

1. Coriander above the roots to a total length of 5 – Shorten 7 cm
2. Soak in fresh water for about a week
3. Plant in peat-free potting soil

Regrow lemongrass

Similar to the coriander is also the lemongrass not the shoot tip, but the lower part of the plant interesting. You should shorten this to a length of 2 to 4 cm and then place it in fresh water for a week. Here the lemongrass should already take root well before it starts its journey into the ground. After the week is up, you can transplant the lemongrass cuttings into a pot of peat-free potting soil, with at least half of the cuttings above the ground.

Here's a quick recap of how to regrow lemongrass:

1. Lower part of plant on 2 – Shorten 4 cm
2. Place in a container of water for uprooting for about 7 days
3. Plant, at least half of the plant should be above the ground

Pro tips for regrowing herbs

If you want to make the start in life a little easier for your herb cuttings, you can help them with a few tricks. First of all, you should pay attention to the condition of the shoots when choosing your cuttings. Very wilted or even dried-up shoots often do not manage to get back on track and mature into a new plant, despite great efforts. Instead, you should select the healthiest and strongest performing shoots on your plant for propagation.

Once the cuttings have been cut, the following should be observed when rooting in the water glass: The optimum climate for cuttings is warm, often paired with high humidity. This can be easily achieved in so-called growing bowls with a transparent hood, but a place on the windowsill is sufficient in most cases. However, care should be taken that the cuttings are in partial shade, i.e. not exposed to the blazing sun. To stimulate root growth, you can wrap the glass in aluminum foil and darken it. It is also important to change the water regularly. In this way, the plant is supplied with new nutrients. If that is not enough for you, you can also add a pinch of root activator to the water, but you should be careful not to over-fertilize the young plants.

When planting, the choice of potting soil is recommended. Due to its loose structure, it allows good root growth and stores water so that the cuttings are optimally supplied. At the same time, it is rather low in nutrients, which encourages the plants to promote their root growth in order to obtain other nutrients themselves. It is also important to water regularly after planting. Mediterranean herbs need less water than native herbs – on hot summer days it should still be watered up to twice. However, waterlogging should be avoided in any case. This keeps your herbs fresh for a long time and enriches your kitchen.

Fast-forward herb regrowth tips:

1. Select strong shoots for cuttings
2. Warm climate, high humidity and partial shade are ideal
3. Darken glass to stimulate root growth
4. Change water regularly
5. Use potting soil when planting
6. Also water regularly after planting (up to 2x daily)

Vegetables are also fairly easy to regrow. In this article you will learn everything about the topic regrowing.