How to Propagate Herbs Part 1
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Introduction
Vegetative propagation of herb plants is a critical skill that every herb grower needs to learn. There are nine different ways or means to propagate plants that include the following:
1. Seed;
2. Simple Layering;
3. Stool or Mound Layering;
4. Division;
5. Stem Cuttings;
6. Root Cuttings;
7. Runners;
8. Bulbs or Cloves; and
9. Corms.
Seed Propagation
Practically every gardener and many non-gardeners know how to propagate plants from seed. So, we will not discuss seed propagation in detail. Seed propagation varies from herb to herb. Plus there are some herbs that cannot be propagated by seed, notably French tarragon.
However, there are two things that we can say that you need to know about seed.
- How long the seed is viable from each plant that produces it; and
- How to harvest and keep each plant’s seed.
By viable I mean just how long the seed lasts to successfully germinate new plants. By how to harvest and keep the seed, I mean when can you take the seed from the plant, and what is the best way to store it?
In this blog post the second and third ways or means of vegetative propagation – simple layering and stool or mound layering – are discussed in detail.
Simple Layering
Layering can be started in the spring by using a perennial herb’s plant growth from a previous year. Else, you can use a perennial herb’s new plant growth by mid-summer. Now, let’s begin with simple layering and how you do it. Here are the steps to follow:
- Select a stem or branch of the parent herb plant that will bend easily and touch the soil nearby.
- Make a cut just below a leaf node. Cut at a slant halfway through the stem or branch. Or you can do this. Scrape away the outer layer of bark from a short section or branch just below a leaf node without cutting into it. This method is best for thin stems and it is called “wounding” the stem.
- Take note of where the incision or “wound” will touch the soil. Scoop enough of the soil away to make a shallow depression.
- Secure the branch with 8-inch (20-centimeter) lengths of wire, cut from a coat hanger. Do not use a shorter length because it will work loose if you do and the new plant’s roots may lift out of the ground.
- Once the stem is secure in the depression, fill it with soil and firm it well.
- Water the depression area thoroughly.
- Place a brick over the depression spot where the incision or wound is buried. The brick helps to conserve moisture and keeps the branch in place.
- Six to eight weeks after layering, check for root growth by carefully moving the soil away from the incision or “wound.” The exact time it takes for roots to form depends on the time or year and the kind of herb.
Stool or Mound Layering
Stool or mound layering is suitable for bushy perennial herbs and when you want several plants of that kind of herb. It is usually done in the early fall to have new plants ready for the following spring. However, it can be done at other times of year as well. Now, let’s see how to do stool or mound layering. Here are the steps to follow:
- Mound the soil up around the center of the plant, burying the center branches completely.
- Be sure that all the branches are covered with soil at all times during this process. If rains wash the soil away, replenish the soil covering at once.
- In the late spring, dig up the whole plant. Roots should have formed on many or all of the buried branches. Cut the plants from the parent plant that have leaves and roots and either pot them up for replanting or transplant them directly into an herb garden.
- Be sure there is good root growth on each of the buried stems that you cut from the parent plant to transplant. This will ensure the new plant’s successful growth.
Conclusion
That’s how you do simple layering and stool or mound layering. In a future post we’ll continue our look at herb plant propagation with plant division and stem cuttings.
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