Isn’t it great to have a few easy to propagate plants that you can grow to increase your garden? The plants in the video below are all easy to grow from cuttings. Salvia, catmint, creeping phlox, monarda, and lemon balm.
General Propagation Procedures for These Plants (and Many others)
Before you Start Taking Cuttings
As with all cuttings clean your pruners before taking cuttings to prevent disease issues from transferring to your new cuttings. I put rubbing alcohol on the blade with a cotton ball to disinfect the pruners then dry them off thoroughly.
Preparing the Cuttings
Take a cutting that is anywhere from 2-6 inches long and remove the lower leaves. Pinch the stem tip of any tip cuttings. This forces the plant to push energy toward root making rather than flowering or growing. It’s the apical bud. By removing it you signal to the other buds to begin growing. That can help with root formation.
Stick the Cuttings
Dip the cut end in rooting hormone, and plant it in a medium. (These plants don’t require rooting hormone to root but it can speed things along) In the video below I used shaved pine bark (soil conditioner) for the soil medium. You can use potting soil, peat, peat/sand, peat/vermiculite, or peat/perlite. Keep the container out of direct sunlight, and keep the soil moist. Spritzing the leaves with a mist setting on the garden hose can be helpful to reduce water loss especially on hot days!
Salvia, catmint, phlox, monarda, and lemon balm should all root in about 2 weeks. As long as the cuttings are still alive there is a good chance for rooting.
Useful in plant Propagation
I’ve used some Amazon Affiliate Links below but I’ve used all of these products successfully and frequently. My Propagating Plants book is an earlier version.
More Propagation Information from Growing the Home Garden
Propagating Creeping Thyme
Creeping thyme or Thymus serpyllum makes a great ground cover that is very easy to grow. Once started it quickly grows and spread to fill out areas. Creeping thyme is an extremely easy plant to propagate. Why is propagating creeping thyme so easy? Let’s take…
Propagating Perennials: Russian Sage, Salvia, and Coneflower
Spring is a great time for what? PERENNIAL PLANT PROPAGATION! OK, I get excited about making new plants and I wanted to share a little of what I’ve been working on in the garden. Spring really is a great time to take cuttings of your…
Rooting Heuchera through Cuttings
You know how I am, if I grow it I see if I can root it! The challenge this time was to root a heuchera from a leaf cutting. It isn’t difficult if you take from the right part of the plant. Just taking a…
Growing More Plants Through Plant Propagation: Variegated Hydrangeas, and Perennials
Even though the summer is upon us it’s still a good time to propagate plants. The key is to keep cuttings moist and at a steady temperature until roots have formed. Then they can be easily acclimated to outdoor temperatures. I do all of my…
Rooting ‘Powis Castle’ Artemisia
‘Powis Castle’ artemisia has quickly become my favorite plant of the year. A little pot I purchased this spring has quickly grown into this lush silver foliaged beauty in the picture below. I really didn’t expect this much this soon otherwise my ‘Mystic Spires’ salvia…
How to Pot Up Rooted Cuttings
Once your plants have rooted they need potted up or planted. In most cases I will pot up the newly rooted cuttings to help them grow stronger and more established root systems before planting in the garden. Potting up cuttings is a very simple process…