How to grow rosemary from a twig: the easy way

Rosemary is a wonderful aromatic herb that perfectly complements salads, hot dishes, and even drinks. You can grow a bed of such herbs right on your windowsill, using only one fresh sprig of the plant as a basis.

Fans of home gardening claim that rosemary is easy to propagate and take root. OBOZ.UA asked how to do it correctly.

Growing rosemary at home is even better than in the garden, where it can die from winter cold or due to spring humidity. The herb takes root well in pots, is not demanding in care, calmly tolerates missed watering, and grows well from the fact that you will pluck it for use in cooking.

How to propagate rosemary from cuttings in the ground

You can buy a twig that will start your home garden directly from the supermarket, or you can pick it from a plant in your garden or vegetable garden. Cuttings collected in the spring, when rosemary begins to actively develop, take root best. The main thing is that the branch you will propagate should be herbaceous, not lignified.

To prepare the plant for rooting, cut a healthy branch so that it is about 10 cm long, or refresh a cut of store-bought herbs. Be sure to remove the lower leaves from the cutting to about half the length of the branch to avoid rotting and expose the nodes from which new roots will develop.

You can put the cutting in water and wait for it to sprout roots, or you can put it in the ground right away. A regular all-purpose soil with a good layer of drainage or a mixture of perlite and sand is suitable. If you are planting the plant directly into the ground, bury the entire exposed part of the branch. You can plant several cuttings in one pot. Just give them a couple of centimeters of space to develop their root system.

Rosemary loves a lot of light but grows best in conditions where it receives diffused rays. In the open sun, it can suffer from leaf burns. The plant does not need a special temperature regime – the usual range of room temperatures will be enough.

Make sure that the soil in which rosemary grows is moist, but not wet. During the rooting period, you can cover the plant with a jar or plastic bag. This will create a greenhouse effect that will help it grow faster.

Propagating rosemary in water

If you decide to root the plant in water, prepare it for this in the same way as for planting it in the ground. Make sure that the water in which the plant will be placed is soft and not too cold. Place the container with the cutting in a bright place, but not in direct sunlight.

You can plant rosemary in the ground when its roots reach 5-7 cm in length. However, the plant will take some time to take root, so it will not start growing immediately. This is normal, you just need to be a little patient.

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