starting herbs from cuttings

[imafan26]

Someone gave me some thai basil cuttings. Usually, I grow basil from seed and not from cuttings. Should I water root them first and then plant them or just cut them again and root them in perlite. I know water roots are different than soil roots but I have not had luck rooting cuttings that are not minutes old. Day old usually does not work for me.

[rainbowgardener]

I also have not done basil from cuttings, since it is so easy from seed. But for me water rooting never works very well and I tend to do all cuttings in potting soil. Put a cover over it to keep humidity in (soda bottle cut in half horizontally works well as a humidity chamber).

[pepperhead212]

I root basil when I start up my hydrponics system for the fall/winter, and again for putting them outside, in the spring. I root them in a cloner, so they are water rootings, and I have never had a problem putting them into soil in the spring. And it cuts easily a month off of the time when started from seeds.

I would cut a half inch or so off the end of the stems, since they aren't new. Then, with a very sharp knife, score the stems horizontally about 1/8" apart - I do this on opposite sides, on about an inch of the stem, and these score lines are where the roots show up! I dip them in a cloning gel, and In the cloner I start seeing them in a couple days, and many are ready to transplant in less than a week.

[imafan26]

Thanks, I'll try that. I am changing the water daily. Normally, I do basil from seeds as well, but these were given to me so I am trying to save them.

[imafan26]

Well the tops have shrivelled and the stems are brown. I think they are goners. Oh, well, it was worth trying.

[pepperhead212]

That's too bad, but it's always worth trying. I root some herbs from the Asian market, and there's no telling how old those are. So it is possible to root older cuttings.

[applestar]

I know this thread started out with OP about basil cuttings, but the thread title fits

Here are some cuttings rooted in perlite that I potted up a couple of days ago. They don't look like much but they all have strong roots growing

Basil, Lavender, and Stevia