Sage Herb Care

Growing from Seed

• Scatter seeds in your sage plot and cover with 1/8th inch of soil. Water the soil daily so that it remains damp. However, do not soak the soil. Not all of your seeds will germinate. Of those that do, some might take up to 6 weeks to sprout.

Sage Cuttings

• Due to the genetics of sage, each generation looks markedly different from the last. If you want a sage bush with a particular look, it is best to take a cutting rather than growing from seed. To do this, cut a stem of at least 6 inches from a desirable sage plant, clip the leaves off the bottom inch, and then plant it in your garden, watering it daily. There's a good chance your cutting will die, however. To improve its odds, first dip the bottom of the cutting in root-growth hormones. These hormones will lead to more rapid root-growth and, in turn, a more stable plant.

Site

• Sage does best with a lot of sunlight, so be sure not to plant it beneath trees and awnings. Although seedlings need the soil to remain damp at all times, established plants do best in drier soils.

Care

• Older stems will become tough and woody. Clip these off at the beginning of each spring, before leaves begin to sprout. By the fourth or fifth year, the sage will develop a bitter flavor. At this point, you might choose to remove the plant and start a new crop.

Harvasting

• Sage is tender in its first year and shouldn't be over-harvested. If you wish to sample it flavor, you can safely take a few leaves. Wait until the second or third year for more dramatic harvests. Once the plant is established, you can harvest the leaves multiple times each year.