Basil is one of the most popular herbs found in the home garden. It is easy to grow, useful in many recipes and it is also quite easy to propagate from a cutting.
A plant grown from a cutting of another plant is known as a clone. The clone will grow and thrive as much as the parent plant because it has the exact same genetic makeup. Here is a Step-by-Step on how to propagate basil with what you probably already have laying around your home/garden.
- Take a small cutting
- Remove the lower leaves
- Place the cutting into water
- Wait for roots to develop
- Plant the newly rooted cutting
1. Take a small cutting
Find a small branch that has some fresh, vigorous growth on the mother plant. Cut the end of the branch off with about 4-6” inches. Ensure that the area to be cut does not have flowers developing as the branch will divert all energy to the flowers instead of new roots.
2. Remove the lower leaves
All of the leaves, starting from roughly half way down the cutting, should be removed. Do so using very sharp clean scissors. The area that the leaves are remove from will be one of the primary places that roots will develop.
3. Place the cutting into water
Using a small container (I prefer shot glasses), fill the container with water to the point that it would be just bellow the first leaves remaining on the cutting. Place the cutting in the water, making sure that it stays vertical and that the leaves avoid the water. It is important to keep the water level in the container near the original level to help encourage the cutting to sprout as many roots as possible.
4. Wait for roots to develop
Basil will typically root fairly quickly. The average cutting will begin to show new roots in 5-10 days and will be ready to be planted in about 2-3 weeks. Once the roots have reached about 50% of the total length of the cutting, it is ready to be planted.
5. Plant the newly rooted cutting
Start the plant indoors in a container with a fertile, well-drained soil. Keep the plant watered and in a nice sunny area in the home (I south facing window works well). After about a week or two the plant will be ready to be hardened (slowly acclimated to full sun and weather) and then moved outdoors.
Related Reading: How To Grow Basil
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