Does anyone know how to propagate rosemary by stem? I live in
Vancouver, Canada and have tried a few times with no success. The
stem and leaves just turned black after a few days. Thanks in advance
for your feedback.

(Anne) wrote in news:95c06f42.0306211343.65e7ae4
@posting.google.com:

Does anyone know how to propagate rosemary by stem? I live in
Vancouver, Canada and have tried a few times with no success. The
stem and leaves just turned black after a few days. Thanks in advance
for your feedback.


What I did was snip a few cuttings probably 5" or 13 cm long from the top
branches (meaning use new growth), snip off the lower leaves (leaving
about 4-5 cm green at the top), cut the bottom at an angle and stuck some
in loose moist top soil, some in potting soil to a depth of 4-5 cm. If
the bottom of the stem is too woody, snip it higher up where it is still
brown (?) but not too hard and don't go too far up where it's still
silver or green. I don't know what variety it was, might have been Arp.
The total lengths might have been shorter, I just picked the cutting
location based on the condition of the stem. This was done in late fall.

They turned out pretty well even though I left them out all winter
(southeastern Virginia, temps got as low as 38F or 3-4C if I remember
correctly). I did not use rooting hormone and I don't think I used any
extra fertilizer (other than what was already in the soil), but I may
have let the stems soak in rain water for a while before planting into
plastic cups and milk cartons. After maybe a week or two of watering, I
neglected them, leaving them outside. Only 3 out of probably 20 turned
brown and they all lasted more than a few months. One I don't know why.
One didn't have good drainage with soil packed pretty hard around it and
was sheltered from rain, so it didn't get much water (hard topsoil in a
plastic milk jug with only razor blade slits in the bottom for drainage).
The last turned brown recently probably because the paper milk/OJ carton
it was in fell apart with soil leaking everywhere, exposing roots. I
managed to find a larger pot for the best one on Wednesday, but the rest
are still outside, root bound, but seemingly still alive.

I found this info on how to do this either on groups.google.com or
watching at TV show called Victory Garden.

- Salty

P.S. I've had the leaves turn brown but not black.

I found heel cuttings root best in winter in a light porous mix in very cool
temps. From a cut stem, rip side braches downward taking a piece of the
parent stem with it. I use rooting hormone, stick in a flat that's probably
half perlite, half peat. Keep the nights above freezing and days in the
40's. Do not allow to dry out or flood. You'll always have some that don't
root, but most will in about 2-3 months.

"Anne" wrote in message
m...
Does anyone know how to propagate rosemary by stem? I live in
Vancouver, Canada and have tried a few times with no success. The
stem and leaves just turned black after a few days. Thanks in advance
for your feedback.

I put six 6" cuttings in a 4" pot full of moist (not wet)
vermiculite. I used rooting hormone powder. I kept the pot in bright
light (outdoors) with very brief morning sun. After a month, two
cuttings rooted and four died. The two that rooted are now in
individual pots in full sun and growing quickly. They need fast
drainage. I have not fertilized the new rosemary plants. Most herbs
seem to grow better with some neglect.

On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 00:31:56 GMT, "V_coerulea"
wrote:

I found heel cuttings root best in winter in a light porous mix in very cool
temps. From a cut stem, rip side braches downward taking a piece of the
parent stem with it. I use rooting hormone, stick in a flat that's probably
half perlite, half peat. Keep the nights above freezing and days in the
40's. Do not allow to dry out or flood. You'll always have some that don't
root, but most will in about 2-3 months.

"Anne" wrote in message
om...
Does anyone know how to propagate rosemary by stem? I live in
Vancouver, Canada and have tried a few times with no success. The
stem and leaves just turned black after a few days. Thanks in advance
for your feedback.

I've also noticed that a natural tendancy for the plant to spread is for a
branch to make contact with the ground, at which time roots will usually
shoot out. You can do this, and after which cut off the branch after
rooting.

IE - bend a branch down to the ground, stake it there, put some soil over
the top (you may want to strip a little of the bark off and apply some
rooting hormone there), wait till it roots and then cut it off the parent
plant. I have done it both ways and this way will get you a rooting
transplant faster and with more success.


good luck,
S
"Anne" wrote in message
m...
Does anyone know how to propagate rosemary by stem? I live in
Vancouver, Canada and have tried a few times with no success. The
stem and leaves just turned black after a few days. Thanks in advance
for your feedback.

I regularly exhibit rosemary cuttings in water at the local fair, which
takes place in early September. I strip off the bottom leaves of the eight
inch cuttings before putting them in the water. (A requirement for
exhibition is no leaves below the water.) After sitting in water for five
days in a warm room, usually one or two of the three cuttings has sent out
roots. When put in soil, all the cuttings survived. I keep them inside in
the garage window for the winter. The cuttings will not survive the winter
if planted in the fall.

John
"V_coerulea" wrote in message
.. .
I found heel cuttings root best in winter in a light porous mix in very
cool
temps. From a cut stem, rip side braches downward taking a piece of the
parent stem with it. I use rooting hormone, stick in a flat that's
probably
half perlite, half peat. Keep the nights above freezing and days in the
40's. Do not allow to dry out or flood. You'll always have some that don't
root, but most will in about 2-3 months.

"Anne" wrote in message
m...
Does anyone know how to propagate rosemary by stem? I live in
Vancouver, Canada and have tried a few times with no success. The
stem and leaves just turned black after a few days. Thanks in advance
for your feedback.

When the ancient war dogs did battle on 21 Jun 2003 14:43:25 -0700,
(Anne) did speak the following bit of wisdom:

Does anyone know how to propagate rosemary by stem? I live in
Vancouver, Canada and have tried a few times with no success. The
stem and leaves just turned black after a few days. Thanks in advance
for your feedback.

Hmmm... I've found rosemary to be one of the easiest things to grow
and propagate. I've even rooted the fresh-cut stuff you find for sale
in the supermarket produce aisle that is meant to be used for cooking!
It will root if you just break or cut a piece off and shove it into
some potting mix or if you stick it in a glass of water. Just take the
piece you want to root and run your fingers down it to remove the
needles that will be under water or soil. I've grown plants in sandy
soil, peat-based potting mix and the general dirt in my backyard. It
doesn't seem to be too fussy. Just don't let it dry out completely. A
dried/dessicated rosemary is a dead rosemary. Hope this helps...

* * * * *
Karen C.
Southern CT / USDA Zone 6
Spammers be damned! I can't be emailed from this account...

"Gardeners know all the best dirt!"