Growing and Multiplying Herbs

Links

Today we will look at:

Seed sowing tips, Ways to multiply your herb plants,
How to help young seedlings and Some ways to use your herbs.

Herb Care Guide

Lots of useful tips and ideas to help at all stages of herb growing.
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/herbs/herb-care-guide/

Seeds Sowing Tips

Herb Germination Chart

This lists how long you should expect to wait for certain herbs to germinate and
under which conditions they are most likely to germinate.
http://www.outsidepride.com/resources/planting/Herbs.html

Hopefully by now you have chosen a suitable herb meadow

location and have begun to plan how you would like it to look.

Sowing seeds is probably the least labour intensive method of

growing new herb plants - if they can be sown direct into the outside
soil and are able to germinate and develop well in your given
conditions. But in sites where there is lots of traffic and other issues,
they may not manage to germinate or to reach maturity.

Seed Sowing Wikihow

Very clear and simple instructions with photos.
http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Herb-Gardens-from-Seed

13 Tips for Planting a Herb Garden

Very useful blog post on growing a herb garden
http://www.giverslog.com/?p=6743

Here are a few tips to help your seeds get off to a great start:
1. Sow in sun-warmed soil. Wait for better weather to avoid waste.

Rooting roses in water bottles - Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOGy7e8bYHo

2. Choose favourable and protected positions.

How to Take Soft Stem Cuttings Video

(Rosemary & Mint)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpX4EWZEi48

3. Sow indoors and germinate in suggested optimal conditions.

4. Clean plant pots very well in hot soapy water before reuse. This
can reduce the chance of plant disease.
4. Place germinating seed pots within an inflated, sealed plastic bag
to preserve moisture. Remove the bags as seedlings start to show.

Herbs That Root Easily in Water and Special Tips for Others
http://www.motherearthliving.com/gardening/water-works.aspx
FoAM and the Rough Sloterdijk Grafted Apple
http://fo.am/blog/2012/11/06/rough-sloterdijk/
RHS guidelines on herb propagation
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=639

5. Mist your seedlings, or place pots in a water tray, rather than

pouring water over them.

Air Layering
http://www.herbs2000.com/flowers/b_air_layer.htm

6. Most herbs prefer to live a little on the dry side. Try not to overwater. This helps reduce the risk of fungal damage.

Grafting made Simple - Instructables

http://www.instructables.com/id/Grafting-Made-Simple/#step1

Session two

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above) e.g. basil, rosemary, lemon verbena. You should see that the
willow quickly sprouts roots and that the other herbs follow. An
alternative method is to literally make tea from a willow tendril (or
some willow bark) and use that to water cuttings in soil or in jars of
water.

Layering, Runners and Mounding

Hold part of an intact herb plant under moist soil for long enough
and it may well develop a new set of roots. When the little plant is
big enough to survive away from the mother plant, cut it off cleanly
and pot up. Thyme is an easy plant to propagate in this way. This
technique is called layering.

Cuttings in Water

I really enjoy watching herb cuttings develop roots in a glass vase or

jam jar. Simply cut a few soft stemmed sprigs of herbs, a 2 - 4
inches long then strip off the lowest leaves and place the sprigs in
enough water to cover those stripped leaf joints and for the pot not
dry up quickly. Then you will have pleasure from cut herbs in your
home and the chance that in time they may root and yield new
plants. Not all herbs will set root in this simple way but many will so
it is worth a try.
There is a link to a video about hardwood Roses being cultivated in
this way, in used drink bottles quite amazing and so cheap!

Roman Chamomile, Marjoram and Mints, like Strawberries send

out runners which have a set of roots and can be easily cut away
from the mother plant and potted up separately. If you are unsure
that the babies are ready for separation, pot up with the runner
(umbilical) intact for a while.

Cuttings in Soil

Lavender can easily become leggy after a while. It will look straggly
or simply break apart and die. To maintain your Lavender plants
make a mound of light soil in the living mature Lavender bush. Just
the new tips of foliage should show above the mound. Maintain the
mound after rain and in time the old stems will root into the earth
mound. You will then be able to cut off lots of rejuvenated plants!

Simply cut off a short length of chosen herb (such as Lavender,

Passionflower, Tarragon, Elder) and gently poke it into a small pot
of suitable soil. You may like to cover the lightly watered pot with a
plastic bag or not. In time, new roots will form and turn your cutting
into a small plant.

Companion Rooting & Willow Tea

Root division

Some plants are best divided simply by digging them up in spring

and splitting up the rooty plant with a clean garden spade, a knife or
your hands. Lavender, Lemon Balm and Lovage all do best if this is
done every few years. Clumps of Chives can be gently ripped apart
by hand and real root herbs, such as Comfrey and Burdock, can be
cut with a knife and each root section should send up new shoots.

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These tends to work well with harder wood cuttings and geraniums.
For geraniums, cut at leaf or stem joints and leave cuttings at a
moderate temperature overnight for the wounds to heal and the
cuttings to dry out a little. Then proceed as follows:

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Several plants contain such high levels of rooting hormones that its
almost impossible to stop them setting down roots when you place
them in water or soil. They can also provide natural rooting
hormone to other cuttings placed close by. Willow is one such plant
and it is easy to find in Amsterdam.
The simplest way to do what I like to call Companion Rooting, is to
take a short willow stem or tendril and place the cut end in a jar of
fresh water. Add to this jar, a few other herb cuttings (dealt with as
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Seed sowing basics

1. Choose a favourable time of year and good weather conditions.

2. Germination may happen in the dark or light, check your plants
requirements. Some seeds need stratifying (natural sub zero
temperatures in winter or in your freezer E.g. Gingko), rubbing
with sandpaper or other specific tasks, to increase likelihood of
germination. Find out what is needed and try to help the seeds.
3. Soak the seeds overnight perhaps (see 2 above). Sow direct into
the soil outside or near the top of small soil filled plant pots or
other containers. Ensure that water can drain out of the pots.
5. If you sow too many seeds in one pot, the young plants will
quickly become overcrowded. Some plants dont mind being
thinned out whilst seedlings but most dont survive being plucked
out at a very early stage. Sow fairly sparingly.
6. Cover the seeds with 1 3 times their depth of soil. Some prefer
to be left partially uncovered to access light, most do not need it.
7. Wet the soil by standing the pot in a tray of water for a while,
sprinkling from above or some other gentle method.
8. Perhaps cover your pot with a clean plastic bag or cling film, to
keep the soil moist and warm during the germination phase.
9. Place the pot somewhere that is unlikely to be disturbed and
where the temperature suits the seeds.
10. When your seeds germinate, crack open and send out roots and
first leaves (the cotyledons), they are very delicate so take off the
plastic bag or film and treat gently! Avoid touching or top watering.
11. Allow several leaves to grow on the seedlings, before potting on
or planting out. Handle the seedlings (if you must) by the leaves,
not stems. Leaves may re-grow, stems wont.
12. Harden them off, if necessary. This means, get them gradually
used to their new home by giving them short visits there (or
somewhere similar) before finally planting them out. I rarely have
time for this but its a good idea in tough conditions.
13. Protect seedlings as best you can but avoid using netting and
other things which may work free of your site and could easily harm
wildlife. Sticks and natural string may help create a useful barrier.
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Air Layering

This is a useful way to make new but quite large offspring from
woody herbs, such as Magnolia and Tea. A partially severed branch
wound is wrapped with something such as sphagnum moss which is
securely held in place until substantial roots have formed in the
moss. The new plant is then cut completely from the parent and
begins a new life, perhaps to be bonsai-ed for a balcony?

Grafting

A woody shrub or tree branch is cut in a particular way and the

wound is bound carefully to another woody plant. If the two are
compatible then in a short time they will heal together and the
grafted branch will function normally on the root stock. See the two
links about grafting for a great local example and very clear
instructions.

Dont fancy eating your herbs?

There are many other things which you may like to do with your
herbs, rather than eating them or making remedies from them.
Here are a few suggestions:
Decorations with a meaning Rosemary for friendship etc
Dream pillows Lavender, Mugwort
Pot pourri dried first
Under your door mat Tansy, Rosemary
Nasturtium leaves as loo roll?!
Household cleanser Thyme infusion and a mild soap in a spray
Mouse deterrent Sprinkle dried or fresh mint around the house
Do you know of any interesting uses for herbs?
Please share them with us!

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