It’s no secret that I love to propagate plants. I especially love to propagate the easy plants. The ones where success is almost 100% assured! Believe it or not there are a few of those. Basil is one that I almost always can get to root, and it’s SOOO simple! Just by using a jar of water. In the fall I like to do take cuttings of basil so I can sustain a plant over the winter then plant it again outdoors in the spring after the danger of frost has passed. The truth is that you can propagate basil any time of the year when it is growing!
How to Propagate Basil, Sweet Basil, Thai Basil, Any Basil!
I’ll put the basic procedures below for propagating basil from cuttings but I’ve also done a video that you can watch below if you prefer that medium.
How to Take a cutting of Basil
First look for a healthy stem without any signs of problems like powdery mildew. You can take cuttings from the stem tip or along a branch both should work. If there are flowers on the end of the branch or it has already began to go to seed that’s OK, just cut those parts off of the cutting. You don’t want the cutting to exert energy in seed formation while trying to root it.
I look for 4 inch cuttings then strip off the side leaves leaving only the top pair of leaves. If there’s only one leaf left that just fine too. Basil will root along the stem so you can take a cutting along the internode (that space between the nodes/nodes are where the branches and leaves form).
Place the Cuttings in Water
Plop the cuttings into a clean jar of clean water and place in spot that gets a little dappled light but not direct blazing sunshine. A window sill indoors is perfect.
As you grow the cuttings change the water every few days. New roots should form on your basil plant within a week to 10 days. If a cutting happens to die off remove it from the water and dispose of it in the compost.
You can also stick cuttings directly into soil. Keep them watered and they will root just as easily!
There’s no need for rooting hormone for propagating basil. It roots well enough on it’s own that you shouldn’t have any trouble making mountains of basil!
When to Plant Basil from Cuttings (After Rooting)
When roots are about an inch long I like to pot them up into containers with a good potting soil to grow bigger stronger root systems before planting outdoors. You can put the new basil plants directly into the soil, just be sure to keep them watered until established.
Rooting Basil Through Cuttings (video)
Here’s a little video I took with my basil plants. It’s so easy to do why not?
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