ROOTING ROSEMARY IN WATER

This is from madaboutherbs.org.

I’m always fascinated to see that this has worked even though there is no reason why it shoduldn’t!  The photo shows rosemary cuttings that I took about 4 weeks ago, placed in a small vase in a reasonably sunny windowsill and that have now grown a good root system. So now I have four free new rosemary plants!  Magic - and it’s so easy to do!

If you’re going to try this yourself here are a few tips that you might find helpful:

1. Choose a healthy stem that has no pests or diseases on it, preferably a non-flowering stem.
2. Cut the stem making sure that you use a sharp knife or secateurs (if they are blunt they will damage some of the plant’s cell structure and will reduce the chances of it rooting). I took a ‘heel’ cutting which is where you pull off the stem plus part of the bit that attaches it to the main stem; this has more of the growth hormone in it.
3. Remove the lower leaves or any that would be below the water line once in the glass or vase but make sure you have some top growth.
4. This is important - replace the water in the glass daily.
5. Be patient!

The downside of this method is that the roots can be quite fragile and brittle so when you transfer them into a pot make sure that you make a large enough hole in the compost so that you don’t squash the roots too much.

Good luck with your propagating!