Learn two different methods to propagate rosemary by taking cuttings from a mature rosemary plant and multiply your plants for free. Choose the method that works best for you and start propagating your plants right away with this guide.
Do you live in zone 7 or higher? I’m so jealous that rosemary grows year-round for you!
Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs. I love the scent, the flavor, and the look. Unfortunately for me in zone 6A, rosemary is an annual. It tries its best to make it through the winter, but croaks every time.
Our winters are just too cold to have perennial rosemary, and I haven’t yet been able to protect it from the cold without digging it up and bringing it in.
Truthfully, I naturally start to slow down as the weather gets colder and colder and winterizing my rosemary always gets pushed further and further down the to-do list.
The good news is that rosemary can be propagated easily, and I’ve come up with a good way for myself to keep my rosemary plants going from year to year without having to buy new plants or seed.
Why I Like to Propagate Rosemary
Rosemary seeds are inexpensive, but take a long time to germinate and grow. If I’m growing rosemary from seed, I have to start in January to be able to have rosemary big enough to harvest from in June.
Rosemary is fairly easy to propagate from cuttings, though it does take a little bit of time to root. For me, though, this is a bonus because I have tried keeping potted rosemary alive through the winter to replant in the spring, but I cannot get the humidity and watering right for it, so it ends up dying every time.
You can propagate rosemary anytime of year as long as you have a mature plant to cut from.
However, I like to take cuttings from my rosemary plants at the end of November or December, depending on whether the weather is nice or not, and start propagating to be able to have a rooted plant in January.
This process helps me have a plant that is farther along by spring, so I can begin harvesting rosemary sooner.
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Tools and Methods for Propagating Rosemary
There are two different methods to propagating rosemary (well, three, I suppose, if you are counting starting rosemary from seed).
The first method uses soil and rooting hormone. The second method is by water propagation.
I find that plants propagated by soil tend to grow better because they are already in the growing medium they will be grown in for the rest of their lives. This is especially good when I propagate perennial plants like hydrangeas that will be living outside all year round.
But like I mentioned earlier, I’m not the best at keeping plants watered indoors, so I find that water propagation works best for me because those plants always stay hydrated.
Whichever method you use, you should still end up with a healthy baby rosemary plant. You can do both methods like I’ve done here, or try out the the one you think will work best for you.
For both methods, you will need a live rosemary plant with plenty of new growth and snips or sharp scissors to take cuttings with.
For the soil method, you will need small pots, potting mix, coarse sand, and rooting hormone. And for the water method, you will need a jar or container with a narrow neck. Old spice jars and recycled small plastic water bottles work great.
How to Take Rosemary Cuttings
Let’s start by taking cuttings.
Rosemary grows upright stems from the base. If the stem is cut, it will branch out into two and begin growing two stems from the cut.
This is a great way to get a nice, full, bushy rosemary plant at the beginning of the growing season, by the way.
To take cuttings that will root successfully, look along the stem for where the soft, flexible new growth begins to harden and turn into hardwood. Hardwood snaps easily and feels more stick-like, while softwood bends and still has kind of a greenish tinge to it.
You will take cuttings of softwood where the stem is still soft and flexible.
Take a 4″ section of rosemary that is still soft (softwood stem) just below a node, or where the leaves are coming out and cut it at a 45° angle.
Cutting at an angle like this helps the plant take in more water.
Take as many cuttings as you like before moving on to the next step.
Prep Rosemary Cuttings for Propagation
Now that you have several cuttings of rosemary, strip the leaves off the lower half of each cutting. Leave at least 4-5 sets of leaves at the top of the cutting.
Save the stripped leaves to dry for later or to use right away in a recipe.
Once the cuttings are ready, move on to method one or method two to propagate your rosemary.
Method One: Propagating Rosemary in Water
Fill your jars or propagation containers with room temperature water.
I saved tiny glass jars that had syrup in them for propagation, but you could also use a short vase with a narrow neck, a spice jar, or a short plastic water bottle.
Look for a container with a narrow neck, so that the leaves can stay out of the jar.
Put the stripped rosemary stems in the water, making sure the leaves stay high and dry above the water line.
Make sure to change the water every other day using room temperature water. You should start to see white roots forming along the stem at the nodes in 4 weeks.
Method Two: Propagating Rosemary in Soil
If you are using the soil method, get your pots ready for the cuttings.
Fill your pots with a 50/50 mixture of potting soil and coarse sand. Moisten the mixture with water.
You can also use all potting soil or all sand if you like. Potting soil holds on to moisture and may cause the stems to rot if you don’t let the soil dry out slightly between waterings. All sand works well but you may need to water your cuttings a bit more frequently.
Then, dip the stripped rosemary stems in rooting hormone. Tap the stems gently to remove excess powder.
Use a toothpick or small dibber to make a deep hole in the soil in your pot. Carefully place the rosemary stem into the hole without bending or breaking it.
Leave a small portion of the stem and all of the leaves above the soil, then bury the stem in the soil, making sure the stem is kept upright and covered by soil.
Check the moisture level of the soil every day. You want the soil to stay damp, but not be sopping wet.
I sometimes will create a humidity dome for plants I’m propagating by placing a clear plastic bag over the entire pot, ensuring the bag doesn’t touch the leaves and is out of direct sunlight.
Caring for Rosemary Cuttings
Keep rosemary cuttings out of direct sunlight while they root. Make sure soil stays damp and change the water in your jars every other day.
After three or four weeks, you can begin checking for roots. Do not disturb the cuttings rooting in the soil. I’ve killed many propagations by trying to tug on the stem to see if they’ve rooted and broken the roots. Oops.
Instead, look at the bottom of your pot to see if any roots are peeking out the drainage hole. Another indication that your soil-bound cuttings have rooted is new growth. If your rosemary is growing new leaves, it very likely has grown roots. However, if your rosemary is turning brown and dry, compost it, because the cutting will no longer be able to grow roots.
Once you see roots forming in your water jar, carefully remove the rosemary cutting from the jar and plant it in a small pot filled with potting mix. Be very gentle as the new roots are quite delicate!
Keep a close eye on the plant as it adjusts to growing in soil.
Allow rooted cuttings to dry out slightly before watering again. Rosemary likes humid air and dry soil (such a diva). Too much water will make your rosemary plant sad.
Enjoy Your New Plants
Plant propagation is a fun side hobby to explore, especially in the winter when you wish you could get outside to garden.
I love propagating my rosemary at the end of the gardening season to regrow more plants for next year without having to start the plants from seed. Propagation is also a great way to multiply your existing plants and fill out an empty garden bed if you can grow perennial rosemary.
I hope this post helps you make lots and lots of rosemary for your garden!