Want free rosemary plants? Debi Holland shows how to take 10cm cuttings in late summer, root them in water or compost, and grow strong new plants in just weeks. Simple, free and so rewarding!
Rosemary cuttings
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Late summer and early autumn are good times to take rosemary cuttings. Look for semi-hardwood growth on a stem that isn’t flowering. The tip is soft and the base is woody, so use the firmer middle section.
Prepare each cutting. Snip off the soft tip and woody base. Divide a long stem into pieces about 10 cm long, strip the leaves from the lower half of each one and make the bottom cut just below a leaf node.
Root in water or compost. Stand cuttings in a glass of water and pot them up once they have strong roots. Or insert them into gritty, peat-free compost around the edge of a plastic pot or in individual cells. You can dip the cut ends in rooting hormone if you wish.
Keep cuttings moist while they root. Use a propagator, a clear bag or a warm windowsill. After a few weeks, give a cutting a very gentle tug. If you feel resistance, roots have started to form. Taking cuttings gives you new rosemary plants for next year.
