Growing rosemary cuttings

[sunnyvalley]

Hi folks! Semi-rookie gardener here, hoping for a little advice from someone who knows what the heck they're doing.

I failed at growing plants from cuttings so many times when I was younger that I started to suspect it was an urban myth. Recently I did some homework, tried again, and was happy to get roots going on a basil cutting in only 1 week - meanwhile the rosemary in the next jar just shrivels. I figure it's in nothing BUT water, there is hardly more I could do to hydrate it! I've even taken cuttings from 2 different plants in case of disease, but same story. Is rosemary just stubborn, or is there an extra step I could be taking?

(4" cuttings, razor sliced beneath a leaf node, removed most lower leaves, stuck in a clear jar of water, water changed every other day, sitting under a fluorescent light indoors.)

[soil]

your problem is rooting rosemary in water. cut a 6 inch branch. less thickness than a pencil. strip the bottom 3 inches of leaves. stick them in potting soil and keep wet in the shade. soon it will root.

just know that when rooting plants, each plant has a method that works best to propagate it. so what works for one might be pointless for another.

[rainbowgardener]

agree for many plants, rooting in potting soil or other soil mix is much easier than rooting in water. Even plants that will root in water, make water roots, which are much more fragile than regular ones and so then transplanting can be difficult.

But they do need humidity maintained. Since they don't have roots yet, what you are concerned about is not maintaining humidity on the stem/roots, but on the foliage. Make a plastic tent over your cutting or cut a soda bottle in half and put moist potting soil in the bottom half. Put your cutting in and then put the top half back on (with the lid) for a humidity dome. And keep it out of direct sun.

[digitS']

When I started taking cuttings from rosemary, the advice all seemed to be to do that in the fall. So immediately, I chose spring instead .

I use sterile seed starting mix and after stripping those lower leaves, dip the cutting in rooting hormone. I figure that the (somewhat woody) cutting has a fair amount of stored energy and put them out of any direct sunlight for 4 or 5 days. Then they are slowly introduced to more light as they seem to be developing some roots.

Yes, the starting mix is kept moist but it doesn't take much water in those locations.

Steve

[sunnyvalley]

eHow led me astray! Thanks everyone, I will give the soil a try.

[Runningtrails]

I rooted several cuttings last winter from grocery store rosemary. I cut it into little pieces about 2 in long, leaving just a few leaves on the top of each, dipped each piece in rooting hormone gel and inserted in a soil tray. I watered them and covered with a hard plastic top. I misted constantly and kept only slightly moist and warm, but very cold at night in our house in winter.

Out of 24 pieces, I rooted and grew 6. They are still growing in my garden and will be potted up and brought inside this winter.

I want more rosemary for memory/alzheimer tea so will be doing this again in early spring for next year's garden.

I don't know what I will do with them in the winter time. I am considering potting them all and overwintering in the cold cellar after they go dormant in the fall. Has anyone done this successfully? Would they need to be potted or could they be treated like tender bulbs and geraniums (pelargoniums)?