Different Ways of Cutting Herbs

Cuttings

• Snip off healthy tips of mature, flourishing herbs in late spring or early summer. Cuttings taken in fall or winter or those from immature shoots or older, woody stems have a less chance of rooting. Cut a portion about 4 or 5 inches long right below a node on the stem and let it root in rich, light soil or water. Strong roots take two to four weeks to develop. Nurture the newly potted plant on a sunny windowsill during the winter and move it outside in the spring. Sage, rosemary, lavender and lemon balm are good herbs to grow from cuttings.

Herb Division

• To reproduce older plants between 2 and 4 years old, carefully dig up the plant and roots in early spring before the plant's new growth. Use your hands or shears to divide it into sections. Plant the new plants in fresh soil and keep the soil wet but not soggy until the new roots take hold in the pot or ground. Mint, chives and French tarragon are good candidates for reproduction through division.

Layering

• Reproduce herbs with strong, flexible branches through layering, a process that creates roots for a new plant by tapping into an existing one. Choose a healthy branch about a foot long near the mature plant's bottom. Gently bend 6 to 10 inches of the stem vertically so its top can be buried in the ground. To make bending easier, use a small paring knife and scrape away some of the bark at the bending point. After submerging the end into the soil between 3 and 6 inches deep, secure the bent branch to the plant's body with nursery ties or wire. Keep the top erect with a small stake or stick. Layering is most successful when initiated in spring to late summer. Cut the new baby plant from the parent plant the following spring and transplant the fresh roots in a new location. Winter savory, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and lemon balm are good herbs for layering.

Herb Cutting Tips

• Regularly harvesting herbs in various stages of maturity encourages healthy, continuous growth. Cut herbs for propagation or culinary use after the dew or water dries on their leaves. If cutting herbs for cooking, snip them before the sun gets hot for the strongest flavor from their natural oils. Harvest herbs before flowers form as flowering reduces the herb flavor.